Missing boot menu and missing data partition

[DeLight]

Hi there,
I'm still very happy with my XP Pro, but I thought I'd set up a dual boot with Win7 ultima 64 and check it out.

So I popped in another hdd that was sitting idly in a drawer and installed 7 on it. I fully expected that Win7 would be able to see there's an XP installation and create a boot menu. But nooo, it refuses to acknowledge another OS beside it and starts 7 when I hit the switch. So I always need to call the bios boot menu and I kinda don't like that. I'm jaded, I expect my pc to start up unattended while I brew my tea. Start up XP, that is.

I lurked around here for a bit and found some hints...
I copied the boot folder and the bootmgr file into my XP root and tried to repair with the Win7 DVD. But nothing came of it. It doesn't see XP and I've no clue about drivers for it.
But the drive with XP on it appears in red now in explorer window *scratcheshead*.

The second issue, and that's a BIG issue, one of my data partitions is simply not there. It's the primary partition of a hdd, which secondary partition shows up just fine. I wouldn't have been surprised if the XP OS partition would've been invisible, but that one shows up as drive d. And it's yet another hdd. Okay, now it gets confusing, here's my setup under XP:
Disk 0: C (XP) and F (1TB)
Disk 1: G and H (1TB)
Disk 2: D (Seven) (250GB)

and that's what it looks like on 7 (approximately, haven't found the disk management yet):
Disk 0: C (Seven)
Disk 1: D (XP) and F
Disk 2: H
So my G drive just doesn't show up. Only thing I noticed about it was that it is active. That an issue?

This is a real bummer, because it prevents me from doing exactly what I intended to do with my spanking new 7: testing applications and stuff. That drive is my archive with all my programs and game stuff.


Can anyone give me a hand in solving these two problems or should I kick 7 and pout about it? Hey, alt least I already managed to get Firefox running with all my extensions and settings, which 7 also refused at first. Thought I'd mention that I actively tried to find solutions, just wasn't as successuful with those two things.

And if you answer, please use plain language for a non native speaker to comprehend. Thanks!

 

[Arc]

While installing , Windows 7 does recognize an older version (such as xp), so a boot menu should be created in this way. If not, you are to configure the boot menu after completion of the installation. Thare are some ways to do that. Are you dual booting xp and seven now?

"But the drive with XP on it appears in red now in explorer window *scratcheshead*." -- Can you post a screenshot of this thing?

It appears from your post that you can boot from either os. If xp is not there in boot menu, are you choosing the drive to boot up in each time?

Please post the screenshots of your disk management to reveal the issue of G drive clearly, from both in xp and 7. But apparently it shouldnot be a active one.

 

[DeLight]

Are you dual booting xp and seven now?

Yep. But my pc only sees 7, no boot menu at all.

"But the drive with XP on it appears in red now in explorer window *scratcheshead*." -- Can you post a screenshot of this thing?

Well... since the missing drive g has all my apps, I cannot install any graphics program yet. Have to search for in-built application. But be faster if I just describe it: I haven't customised the gui yet, so the explorer is totally default aero design. When I click on Computer (icons, not list or details yet), there's a list with the drives. Graphic. Like there are bars that indicate the amount of data on the drive. They are blue, the d drive (where I copied the boot folder to, the XP partition) has a red bar. It was blue before I put the folder there.

It appears from your post that you can boot from either os. If xp is not there in boot menu, are you choosing the drive to boot up in each time?

I press F11 at startup and chose the drive that is supposed to boot. Okay, I could change it directly in bios to boot from the XP drive, but then I'd have to F11 when I want 7. But yes, they both work.

Please post the screenshots of your disk management to reveal the issue of G drive clearly, from both in xp and 7. But apparently it shouldnot be a active one.

There's the issue of the screenshot again on a skeleton OS...
And as I said, I haven't yet found the disk management in 7. Shame on me, but I never ever used Vista, so I'm still having difficulties with the new hiding places of the features.

Yes, I thought that the active status might be the problem. I read there can only be one active partition per OS, not per drive. XP doesn't seem to mind, however. Might've something to do with an earlier image problem with Acronis - it wouldn't let me restore an image on a non active partition, IIRC.

Question is, how do I de-activate the drive without destroying anything? Google wasn't helpful. Thanks for trying to help!

 

[gregrocker]

You actually have the best dual-boot config now: booting via the BIOS makes each HD independent and can come and go as you please.

Creating a Windows Dual Boot makes the HD's interdependent and harder to remove one.

Set the preferred HD as first HD to boot in BIOS (after DVD drive) and use your BIOS one-time Boot menu shortcut key to boot the other HD.

If you want Windows to manage your Dual Boot, install EasyBCD 2.0 beta in Win7 after doing quick registration to use beta version. Add XP on Add/Remove tab, accept boot files, Save, restart to Dual Boot Menu.

If this fails, then post back a screenshot of your full Disk Mgmt drive map by typing Disk management into Start Search box. Use Snipping Tool in Start Menu, attach file using paper clip in Reply Box.

 

[DeLight]

You actually have the best dual-boot config now: booting via the BIOS makes each HD independent and can come and go as you please.

Creating a Windows Dual Boot makes the HD's interdependent and harder to remove one.

Okay, that's the second time I read that; I'm convinced. I'll set up the XP drive to boot first next time I'll restart and avoid the dependencies issues. Thanks!

One down, one to go.

 

[gregrocker]

Did you find the one-time boot menu key? See if that makes it easier to shortcut to the non-default OS.

The key should be given on the first bootup screen, or in your manual. Others may also know.

 

[DeLight]

Did you find the one-time boot menu key? See if that makes it easier to shortcut to the non-default OS.

I'm not sure I understand the question... one time boot menu key? Isn't that the one I've been using every time I'm starting up if I want XP to boot instead of 7? Then yes, I obviously found it *g*. But to me the question would make more sense if you meant if I knew how to go into bios and set up the XP partition as second boot device (after dvd). I know that too, but I know of no shortcut. But never mind, I got this covered to my satisfaction.

The thing with the missing drive is the real problem. Without the data on that partition, I can't do anything with the OS, no testing, no working, no gaming. But fortunately I'm in no real hurry. I guess I'll still use XP for a while yet and figure out the Seven side of Windows one step at a time.

 

[Arc]

The thing with the missing drive is the real problem. Without the data on that partition, I can't do anything with the OS, no testing, no working, no gaming. But fortunately I'm in no real hurry. I guess I'll still use XP for a while yet and figure out the Seven side of Windows one step at a time.

To go to bios, you are to press and hold Shift and del While the machine is powered on, upto the motherboard screen is appeared. After the motherboard screen, when you are in bios, release the keys. Go there and make the xp drive the second boot device (after dvd drive) to boot in xp without any effort.

Can you see the G drive in xp and not in win7? Had I been in place of you, I would have copied all the items of G in some other free space and have deleted the partition as logged on in xp. Then logged on in win7, go to the disk management (Right click on my computer--> manage --> disk management) and created a new partition on that free space, and copied back items there, and make it sure that the partition is no longer aan active one.

 

[DeLight]

To go to bios, you are to press and hold Shift and del While the machine is powered on, upto the motherboard screen is appeared. After the motherboard screen, when you are in bios, release the keys. Go there and make the xp drive the second boot device (after dvd drive) to boot in xp without any effort.

Um.. I think there's some miscommunication. I did say that exact same thing twice. I really really do know how to set my boot device. I just thought I'd rather like a real boot menu, but decided against it now. This case is closed.

Can you see the G drive in xp and not in win7? Had I been in place of you, I would have copied all the items of G in some other free space and have deleted the partition as logged on in xp. Then logged on in win7, go to the disk management (Right click on my computer--> manage --> disk management) and created a new partition on that free space, and copied back items there, and make it sure that the partition is no longer aan active one.

It's exactly as I put it down in the original posting: on XP all drives and partitions are there and nothing has changed except I now have an additional drive sitting there by the name of D with 7 on it. C is (system), G is (active), XP doesn't mind.

As reasonable as your advice may be, it's quite unpractical. G is 500 GB and quite full (I do a LOT of game mods, which are naturally not on the dvd's and lots of freeware programs in the archive). If there really is no other way, I do have an empty external drive the same size sitting here, but that really is a lot of copying. Twice. So there really is no other way to undo the active status?

 

[DeLight]

I figured it out!
Once I found the device manager, I got to the bottom of it: the drive was there but the drive letter somehow got lost in the process. So I reassigned the correct letters and all's well again. And since I was in the neighborhood (of rebooting), I set up the boot device and it's XP again. Yay.

May I ask another question?
I usually assign a separate drive as "my documents" to keep them off drive C. How do I do this in Seven with a not empty folder as destination?

OMG, I feel real stupid, trying to learn all this stuff all over again after so many years being accustomed to XP, knowing right away how to do what. Mostly anyway. But I'm starting to like Seven... thanks for the tip with the Snipping Tool, this is way cool, a lot more convenient than print -> graphics program -> crop and save. I'm curious what other awesome features I'll find. And I'm already happy that I was able to install The Witcher swimmingly, although a lot of people have had big troubles with that.

I've attached the picture with the colorful bars. Snapped before the fix. G is now there as well, but is as red as D. Does this just mean that the drive is too full to be defragmented and I should make some space? Or does the red color simply indicate the active partitions?

 

[Desslok]

XP again. Yay.

May I ask another question?
I usually assign a separate drive as "my documents" to keep them off drive C. How do I do this in Seven with a not empty folder as destination?

?

Go to Start(window flag thingy) > Documents. Then click on Libraries on the left. THen right click Documents, and go to Properties. From there you can add a new folder , remove the defaults, etc.

Personally I love WIndows Media Center and al the plugins you can get for it.

 

[gregrocker]

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear and implied you don't know how to set your Boot Order in BIOS.

That isn't what I was referring to by the "one time" Boot Menu, which is another key given on first bootup screen to shortcut to another HD besides the one you have set first to boot in BIOS.

Some do not know that this shortcut is available so they go into BIOS setup to change their other HD to boot first, which is a lot of unnecessary trouble and makes dual booting via BIOS inconvenient.

I know you said "case closed" on this but there may be others who want to learn and this is how it's done.

 

[DeLight]

I know you said "case closed" on this but there may be others who want to learn and this is how it's done.

That's totally fine. I myself tend to lurk first to find an answer before posting and I'm always glad to find something other than "I figured it out, but I won't share"

Go to Start(window flag thingy) > Documents. Then click on Libraries on the left. THen right click Documents, and go to Properties. From there you can add a new folder , remove the defaults, etc.

Thanks. But I'm not sure I get that Libraries thing. I never used those folders, I always hated that they threw all that useless clutter into my folder structure and you can't even get rid of them. And to think, they are supposed to go to C!!!

And I'm not sure this is what I meant, either...
Ah, I figured it out. It's the same as in XP (I didn't dare hope), just change the folder location in the properties to the other drive, easy as pie.

This is starting to take on form and it's not as scary as I thought it would be. Thanks again for helping me out, guys.

 

[gregrocker]

This is the easiest way to change the drive of a User file:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/18629-user-folders-change-default-location.html