Windows 7 - MUltiboot Vista / XP

Asked By wbeye

09-Apr-07 04:54 PM

Installed Vista on a seperate partion so I could multiboot VISTA/XP. Vista
boot loader gives me two options, VISTA or Legacy. Vista boots ok but if I
try Legacy (XP) it won't boot. The message is something about nt loader or
something like that. I was able to restore my XP installation by using
Vistaboot Pro. How do I correct this problem. I have to try some programs out
on Vista before I can make a complete switch.
--
Wayne

09-Apr-07 11:37 PM

You need to put boot.ini, ntldr, and ntdetect.com on the vista partition
also. Boot into vista, go to the XP partition and find these files (make
sure you uncheck 'hide protected operating system files' under folder
options). Copy these files to the vista partition. They will need to be in
the root directory of the Vista partition just like they were under the XP
partition. You will probably have to edit your boot.ini to point to the
correct XP partition. If you have Vista on the first partition and XP on the
2nd, your boot.ini will look like this:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect


If your computer also has a recovery partition (right click on 'Computer' go
to 'manage' and check out your Hard disk under 'disk management' to see if
you have a recovery partition) then your boot.ini will have to point to the
3rd partition. It would then look like this:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Your pc should now see the XP partition!

09-Apr-07 11:42 PM

You need to put boot.ini, ntldr, and ntdetect.com on the vista partition
also. Boot into vista, go to the XP partition and find these files (make
sure you uncheck 'hide protected operating system files' under folder
options). Copy these files to the vista partition. They will need to be in
the root directory of the Vista partition just like they were under the XP
partition. You will probably have to edit your boot.ini to point to the
correct XP partition. If you have Vista on the first partition and XP on the
2nd, your boot.ini will look like this:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect


If your computer also has a recovery partition (right click on 'Computer' go
to 'manage' and check out your Hard disk under 'disk management' to see if
you have a recovery partition) then your boot.ini will have to point to the
3rd partition. It would then look like this:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Your pc should now see the XP partition!



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10-Apr-07 12:35 AM

If Vista was installed second, it normally would not reside on the first =
partition.

If Vista was the second installed o/s to a primary partition or =
unallocated space, should not the boot.ini, ntldr, Ntdetect.com reside =
on an only on the XP partition.

I've looked at about a dozen dual boot systems in the last 2 months with =
Vista  full versions installed as the second o/s to XP  and have yet to =
see these files on the Vista drive.

If done properly, when using Vista to access the Boot.ini file on the XP =
drive should require a permission change to modify.

The boot.ini may also have a few remarks added by Vista about bcdedit.
;Warning: Boot.ini is used on Windows XP and earlier operating systems.
;Warning: Use BCDEDIT.exe to modify Windows Vista boot options.


..winston

partition=20
(make=20
be in=20
the XP=20
the=20
on the=20
'Computer' go=20
see if=20
to the=20
Vista
but if I
loader or
using
programs=20

10-Apr-07 02:20 AM

I had to dual boot a friend's new laptop that shipped with Vista  (He needed
XP because some of his external audio devices doesn't have vista drivers). I
partitioned his hard drive, installed XP on the 2nd partition and installed
Vistaboot pro because I had lost the ability to boot into Vista after
installing XP. After restoring Vista's bootloader with Vistaboot pro, I
could boot into Vista, but not XP. I would get an error about not being able
to locate the ntldr file when I tried to boot into XP. The only way I could
fix it was by booting into Vista and copying the boot.ini, ntldr, and
Ntdetect.com to the Vista partition. Vista doesn't use these files for
booting, but Vista's bootloader couldn't locate them for me while they were
only on the XP partition. After copying them to the Vista partition, Vista's
bootloader would now allow me to boot into XP. Don't know why that worked,
but it did.



If Vista was installed second, it normally would not reside on the first
partition.

If Vista was the second installed o/s to a primary partition or unallocated
space, should not the boot.ini, ntldr, Ntdetect.com reside on an only on the
XP partition.

I've looked at about a dozen dual boot systems in the last 2 months with
Vista  full versions installed as the second o/s to XP  and have yet to see
these files on the Vista drive.

If done properly, when using Vista to access the Boot.ini file on the XP
drive should require a permission change to modify.

The boot.ini may also have a few remarks added by Vista about bcdedit.
;Warning: Boot.ini is used on Windows XP and earlier operating systems.
;Warning: Use BCDEDIT.exe to modify Windows Vista boot options.


..winston

the
go
the
Vista
I
or
programs


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10-Apr-07 02:44 AM

It worked because the Vista partition is the system partition; in MS
parlance that is the partition on which the boot files are located.  So the
XP boot files need to be there too.

--
Rock [MS-MVP User/Shell]

10-Apr-07 03:34 AM

Thanks for responding..
Your scenario/sequence of o/s install is the reverse of the op's thus the
difference.

...winston