How would I dual-boot in this scenario?

[desertoth]

Yes, it appears as an option on the installer after Install is clicked.

However, it refuses to perform and tells me the version on the disk is not compatible with the Windows version to be repaired.

X17-58997 is the file I downloaded, and checking the site I see that it is indeed the file for Windows Home Premium x64.

What now?

 

[gregrocker]

Do you have SP1 installed on Win7?

Is this the original Win7 install on the PC? Can you access Repair console via F8 Advanced Boot Options?

 

[desertoth]

I'm fairly certain. The computer is only a few months old.

 

[gregrocker]

Move the Active flag to the 100mb System Reserved partition, run Rebuild MBR again.

 

[desertoth]

Hold on - do I ensure that everything is inactive before rebuilding this time as well, or do I set System to active in the first place?

 

[gregrocker]

Just set System Active, that removes it from anywhere else on HD.

 

[desertoth]

Same incompatibility error. I made the partition active first here, as per orders.

As for the boot from HDD, we're back to the "inaccessible device" error - the Missing BOOTMGR error is no more.

What can this mean?

 

[whs]

Alright, three actions.

1. Inactivate C.
2. Rebuild MBR of the W7 disk.
3. Make C active.

I then booted. I got a black screen with:

BOOTMGR is missing
Press CTRL+ALT+DEL to restart

This is quite dire, I figure.

The Windows 7 disk you had me make is burning, and 100% complete - but the checksum has been developing for 10 minutes. Would it be safe to just cancel and use the disk as-is?

You apparently did not read the last sentence in my last posting.

 

[desertoth]

Ach, but the repair isn't proceeding!

 

[gregrocker]

Please answer all questions:

Can you access Repair console via F8 Advanced Boot Options?

Check now.

 

[desertoth]

Sorry, it's hard to tell with Edited posts on this forum.

I can not. Allowing the machine to boot off the HDD, I press F repeatedly but am only met with the same "boot selection-inaccessible device" error screen.

 

[gregrocker]

Do you have a WIn7 backup image?

If not and you cannot get the Win7 DVD Repair console or System Repair Disk to start Win7, then what I would do is start XP by running an XP Repair Install, install Net Framework 2 as required to also install EasyBCD, add Win7 to a Dual Boot menu from XP.

If the XP SP3 disk will not boot then you'll need SATA Drivers - Slipstream into Windows XP CD

 

[desertoth]

NO backup image. Perhaps erased by earliest attempts to get XP to boot - I can't say.

I'm assuming I will first need to set the XP partition to active.

How do I create an XP disk?

 

[gregrocker]

How did you install XP in the first place? You need a retail license for XP to move it over to another PC - you knew this, right? So why is there no CD which came with it?

If retail then what version exactly is XP?

 

[desertoth]

How did you install XP in the first place? You need a retail license for XP to move it over to another PC - you knew this, right? So why is there no CD which came with it?

The old hard drive - and the XP that was its OS - are nearly 7 years old. I simply no longer possess any installation media.

 

[gregrocker]

Do you have the retail Product Key, as all of the new hardware will trigger reactivation unless they've stopped doing that since XP is phasing out.

 

[desertoth]

I just don't know. If it makes a difference, I will search everywhere it could possibly be. I am not confident of locating it, however.

My XP was Home Media Center, SP3.

The Windows 7 CD allows for an install of some sort. Could I possibly install to that bit of unallocated space, boot into Windows, and merge partitions afterward?

 

[desertoth]

The Windows 7 Repair CD now does not boot. The machine takes me straight to the familiar error screen.

This is really looking grim.

 

[gregrocker]

How was it burned? What is ISO size after download?

Are you prompted to Press Any Key to Boot DIsk?

 

[whs]

This is getting too chaotic for me. Why don't you save your data, clear the HDD with the commands below using the Command Prompt of your Windows 7 instrallation disc and then install Windows 7 anew.

These are the commands:

Diskpart
List disk
Select disk n (where n is the number given for your HDD in question in List disk)
Clean
Create partition primary
Format fs=ntfs quick
Active
Exit