Dual boot to triple boot woes. XP-Vista-Win7

[Keefdawg]

I have been runing dual boot XP-32bit and Vista Ultimate 64bit for some time quite happily using EasyBCD installed in Vista to manage the boot option.
Just to note I also use Paragon Partition Manager v10 installed in both XP-32 & Vista-64 but do not use the Paragon boot tool.

Now I have tried to install Win7 onto a separate HDD disk(1) but it would not install at the partion coice stage, the message came back saying cannot install into that partition see logs. No reference given as to where these logs are but when trying all the options
found it would only install if it's system partition was on disk(0).
So after changing the boot option in BIOS allowed Win7 to install to drive (0) with a separate system partition of 100Mb.
I then changed the BIOS for Vista on disk (1) and XP to disk (2) and Wi 7 to disk(3)

I installed EasyBCD 1.7.2 onto the Win7 system and failed to uninstall EasyBCD from Vista first.This may have caused a problem.
Setting up Easy BCD in Win7 was not a problem finding Vista but it could not find XP system although I tried manually mapping to the P partition.
On reboot XP showed in the list but on loading XP the dreaded NTLDR is missing error came up.
Common with the reference to boot.ini to Drive 0 when it sits in drive (1).
I altered the boot ini to reference to drive (1).
Booting to Vista Easy BCD had stopped working so I uninstalled it.
I uninstalled Easy BCD v.1.7.2 from Win7 and installed Easy BCD v2.0 Beta-build 86.
I removed the XP entry saved, and added XP again as a new entry alowing the new script to find the XP reference which it said it did successfully.
I rebooted but on loading XP from the menu options it would not load as it said the NTLDR was missing.
I have inserted Easy BCD v2.0 Beta-build86 loadup script and HDD manager screens.

Easy BCD v2.0-Beta build86.
There are a total of 3 entries listed in the bootloader.
Default: XP2
Timeout: 30 seconds.
EasyBCD Boot Device: D:\
Entry #1
Name: Windows 7
BCD ID: {current}
Drive: C:\
Bootloader Path: \Windows\system32\winload.exe
Entry #2
Name: Vista
BCD ID: {6020e8d0-33a4-11df-904e-e9ff5c5fb679}
Drive: D:\
Bootloader Path: \Windows\system32\winload.exe
Entry #3
Name: XP2
BCD ID: {6020e8d1-33a4-11df-904e-e9ff5c5fb679}
Device: boot
Bootloader Path: \NTLDR

Has anyone got any ideas as to where to go with this?

Keith.

[JustinW]

Post the detailed (debug) details on View Settings page as well as your boot.ini file. I'm confused by your setup cause the boot device appears to be D: (a logical drive on your fourth hard disk). Your XP entry is pointing at the boot device which would be D: according to the settings (not your DM screenshot), but XP can't be booted with boot files located on a logical drive. Have you by any chance changed the drive setting for XP's entry?

[Keefdawg]

Thank you for your comment Justin.

Sorry to confuse the HDD screenshot I attached was from within Vista. Oops
I have attached the HDD screen from within Win7 which make sense with the reference to the D: partition.

Also including the EasyBCD script in debug for you:

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {9dea862c-5cdd-4e70-acc1-f32b344d4795}
device partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume7
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {7ea2e1ac-2e61-4728-aaa3-896d9d0a9f0e}
default {6020e8d1-33a4-11df-904e-e9ff5c5fb679}
resumeobject {6020e8c3-33a4-11df-904e-e9ff5c5fb679}
displayorder {6020e8c4-33a4-11df-904e-e9ff5c5fb679}
{6020e8d0-33a4-11df-904e-e9ff5c5fb679}
{6020e8d1-33a4-11df-904e-e9ff5c5fb679}
toolsdisplayorder {b2721d73-1db4-4c62-bf78-c548a880142d}
timeout 30
displaybootmenu Yes
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {6020e8c4-33a4-11df-904e-e9ff5c5fb679}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7
locale en-US
inherit {6efb52bf-1766-41db-a6b3-0ee5eff72bd7}
recoverysequence {6020e8c5-33a4-11df-904e-e9ff5c5fb679}
recoveryenabled Yes
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {6020e8c3-33a4-11df-904e-e9ff5c5fb679}
nx OptIn
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {6020e8d0-33a4-11df-904e-e9ff5c5fb679}
device partition=D:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Vista
locale en-US
osdevice partition=D:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {69a475ea-3552-11df-bb72-806e6f6e6963}
Real-mode Boot Sector
---------------------
identifier {6020e8d1-33a4-11df-904e-e9ff5c5fb679}
device boot
path \NTLDR
description XP2

Keith

[Terry60]

Keith, firstly your screenshot is too small to be easily legible, but I think I can discern that your "system" partition is the unlettered partition in front of W7. This is W7 default behaviour if you don not pre-format your partitions and allow it to dictate your HDD configuration. This is where the boot files are.
Why did you then move it down the BIOS boot sequence ? You need it to boot from there.
Put it back as the first boot HDD and try again.
If XP still doesn't boot, using EasyBCD 2.0 delete and add the XP entry again.

[Keefdawg]

Thank you for your response Terry.


Changed BIOS to allow Win7 system partition to be disk(0).
Reboot showed error : Reboot and select a proper disk device.
Inserted Win7 install disc and rebooted.
Followed startup repair process.
Root cause found : The partition table does not have a valid system partition.
Repair Action : Partition table repair completed successfully.
Rebooted : Error : file : \windows\system32\winload.exe
Windows cannot verify the digital signature for this file.
Rebooted to Win7 install disc and followed startup repair process.
Root cause found : Boot Manager is corrupt.
Repair action: Rebuilt boot manager.

Rebooted to Win7 ok.
Ran Easy BCD 2.0 Beta build 86.
Noted that XP was missing from options as only 2 entries found.
Added new entry for XP and let Easy BCD find XP system.

Rebooted.
XP shows in startup option but when selected error returned:
NTLDR is missing or corrupt.
I am adding the debug Easy BCD loadup script.
Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {9dea862c-5cdd-4e70-acc1-f32b344d4795}
device partition=D:
path \bootmgr
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
default {1951d7d7-3606-11df-a6d3-aee5d326e5bc}
displayorder {1951d7d6-3606-11df-a6d3-aee5d326e5bc}
{1951d7d7-3606-11df-a6d3-aee5d326e5bc}
{1951d7da-3606-11df-a6d3-aee5d326e5bc}
timeout 30
displaybootmenu Yes
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {1951d7d6-3606-11df-a6d3-aee5d326e5bc}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7 Home Premium (recovered)
locale en-US
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {31307491-35c6-11df-8ad3-806e6f6e6963}
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {1951d7d7-3606-11df-a6d3-aee5d326e5bc}
device partition=D:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows Vista (TM) Ultimate (recovered)
locale en-US
osdevice partition=D:
systemroot \Windows
Real-mode Boot Sector
---------------------
identifier {1951d7da-3606-11df-a6d3-aee5d326e5bc}
device boot
path \NTLDR
description Microsoft Windows XP

I have included an updated picture of the partition map within Win7 after the changes.
So the problem of loading XP is still here.

Keith.

[Terry60]

I don't think you're correctly editing your BIOS.
You've now got Vista as "system"
"invalid digital signature" is a known Vista BCD problem recognizing W7.
The workaround is to boot from W7 not Vista BCD
All the "repairs" you carried out have now installed the W7 boot files on Vista.
Please post the boot.ini contents found by EasyBCD /tools/ edit legacy entries

[Keefdawg]

Thank you for your response Terry.
I tried that but got an error.


Popup error in Easy BCD.
Easy BCD was unable to locate boot.ini on an accessible boot disk.
Please use the auto configure feature instead.

I used the auto configure to allow a write of boot.ini and rebooted system.
The XP option from the menu now works ok. Hooray.



Keith.

[JustinW]

Hmm... well at least its working