Vista/XP/XP/Ubuntu Issue, please help

slappy

Member
Oh god's of quadbooting, I pray upon thee for assistance...

Okay, here's the deal. I've scowered the internet and forms for how to do this and find varied answers and no answer to my current problem.

I decided to start a quad boot system. Vista, XP, XP, Ubuntu. I loaded Vista, XP and XP without problems. With the assistance of EasyBCD, I was able to setup booting for all 3 OS's. However after installing Ubuntu, setting up an entry in EasyBCD to load the partition, and actually selecting it to boot, I get the following message on the screen:
BootPart 2.60 Bootsector (c) 1993-2005 Gilles Vollant http://www.winimage.com/botpart.htm
Loading new partition
Bootsector from C.H. Hochstatter
Cannot load from harddisk.
Insert Systemdisk and press any key.

Initially I thought it may be due to a partitioning problem. I've seen arguments as to partitioning and don't know if this may be it or not. I've tried a couple things too and get teh same error. I've also loaded back from the Live CD in an attempt to see the files on the disk to see if this may shed some light, but don't know enough about how the loading happens to troubleshoot here... Also, depending on if I use the partitioner in Vista, Ubuntu or the installer, it gives different indications of partitions and free space, etc. Even different indications on what's a logical drive or primary...

I've read a great deal about partitioning online and figured I had it down. I know that each disk can have 4 primary partitions and many other logical partitions within an extended partition. Now, something I'm questioning is, assuming I've got 4 OS's and am in the need of a 6th partition (2 for linux, swap and ext3) for files, does the extended partition take up a primary slot, as indicated in the Ubuntu partitioner? Also, from what I've read, each OS should be setup on a primary partition. When installing Windows XP, I assumed it would be installed as a primary partition (giving it doesn't give you a choice)... However, after looking at any of the partitioners, it shows them as logical partitions under the extended partition which seems to be occupying the 2nd primary partition slot. None the less, they still load in this configuration. So, when I went down the road of installing Ubuntu initially, i figured since it would work for Windows, why not Linux? Loading Grub on that partition, setup my Swap partition and viola. Well, not so much. So, I deleted the 2 linux partitions and started with a primary linux (making it primary slot 3) and a swap partition. Still no luck, same error. I've tried pointing EasyBCD to various partitions, trying to get it to work; no luck. EasyBCD shows the partitions differently as well. The Vista partitioner shows the 2 linux partitions at the end, as both primary partitions. EasyBCD shows them as partitions 5 (Linux native) and 6 (Linux swap).

Nothing too frustrating, but I'm becoming more and more interested in Linux and would like to start using it. Most of the suggestions talk about letting Vista handle the MBR and just install Grub or Lilo, etc under it's specific partition. This isn't prooving to work very well. So, I'll list out my configuration, so anyone can take a stab at what may be wrong, or suggest an alternate route. I'd prefer not having to reload everything for the sake of doing so, if not necessary (in the case of logical vs primary partions), but am up for it if necessary.

Single 160GB HD on a laptop.
Partitioned as such (or as best I can figure):
hd0,0 MBR (if I read correctly from forum info)
hd0,1 Vista partition
hd0,2 Extended partition
hd0,3 Ubuntu ext3
hd0,4 nothing
hd0,5 XP install 1
hd0,6 XP install 2
hd0,7 Swap file
(I may be wrong on this, as I think the swap file may have installed as a primary partition under hd0,4; but would have to look at the Ubuntu partitioner again to confirm. Once you select "swap" from the install, it doesn't give you an option for "primary" or "logical".
EasyBCD setup on Vista to write it's data as such (which appears to be working, at least for Vista and XP).
View Settings from EasyBCD (transpossed by typing what I see from the laptop :tongueout:):
There are a total of 4 entries in the Vista Bootloader.
Bootloader TimeOut: 30 seconds.
Default OS: Microsoft Windows Vista

Entry #1

Name: Microsoft Windows Vista
BCD ID: {current}
Drive: C:\
Bootloader Path: \Windows\system32\winload.exe
Windows Directory: \Windows

Entry #2

Name: Microsoft Windows XP
BCD ID: {I'll type it if asked for troubleshooting}
Drive: C:\
Bootloader Path: \ntldr

Entry #3

Name: Microsoft Windows XP Test
BCD ID: {I'll type it if asked for troubleshooting}
Drive: C:\
Bootloader Path: \ntldr

Entry #4

Name: Linux Ubuntu
BCD ID: {Again, I'll type if necessary}
Drive: C:\
Bootloader Path: \NST\nst_grub.mbr

I'd like to keep the order if possible for old legacy programs I work with that may depend on drive letter assignments in Windows. May not matter too much, as if Windows is setup in the fashion I've laid out, it would only matter if I loaded partitions differently betwen XP, XP and Vista.

I also already undestand that Linux has issues between NTFS and only being able to read it (unless you get something else that supposedly works to write to it...). I will probably setup my files partition as FAT32, so this shouldn't matter. I'm not resizing partitions, so shrinking etc isn't an issue. I'll just wipe out something and start fresh if necessary. If I need to install Grub to handle the MBR, then that's a possibility, but am not sure the best way to do this and if it's necessary. If this problem can easily be fixed by modifying Grub, etc then I'd like to try that first.

I'm assuming that the problem lies in EasyBCD not pointing to where Grub was installed on the Linux partition. Now that I've booted from the Live CD for Ubuntu, and am in GParted, I'll list what it says for partitions (Omitting unallocated space):
/dev/sda1 ntfs flags = boot
/dev/sda2 extended flags = lba
/dev/sda2 ntfs no flags
/dev/sda6 ntfs no flags
/dev/sda3 ext3 no flags
/dev/sda4 linux-swap no flags (Damn, it is setup for primary)

From looking at the file browser, I can see that under the "Places, 'disk'" area, there is no folder for "\nst" as indicated in entry #4 EasyBCD read out above. There is a "\boot" folder, with files and a "\grub" folder in it. Should this entry be pointing to this folder or is my install of Grub incorrect? I can list out these files if needed.

Any stabs at this are welcome. I'm sorry for the mass amount of info above to sort through, but I'd like to give as much ammo as possible regarding the problem. Too much info is better than not enough. Unless it just confuses... :wink: Please let me know if there is any debug info to grab anywhere, or any other info you need.

Thanks in advance!
 
Hi slappy, welcome to NeoSmart Technologies.

Thanks for the detailed post - that's always the most important thing when asking for help :smile:

Anyway, here's what I want you to try:

* Download the latest 1.61 Beta build.
* Install.
* EasyBCD 1.61 | Add/Remove Entries | Linux | "GRUB Isn't Installed" | Add Entry

Give that and let me know how it goes..
 
Computer Guru:

Thanks so much for the prompt reply! I will say, I don't post to forums much, however yours is top notch. You're all over it with great troubleshooting. If it wasn't for people like you, computers wouldn't have progressed to where they are today (nor be nearly as interesting). Thank's for being so willing to help the "new guy". :grinning:

After reading more into the forums, I've seen alot about the Beta 1.61, but was curious if it related more to fixes of NeoGrub that I've been reading about. For a bit, I was wondering if I'd need to install NeoGrub...

Just wanted to add what I found while thumbing through the "/boot/grub" folder on the Linux partition. I looked at the boot.lst file you reference around the forums and could see that it's showing options for loading Ubuntu to hd0,2 (off the top of my head, as I've already loaded Vista to download 1.61 Beta...). I cant remember, but I know there is a difference between Windows and Linux indicating the partitions, with one digit off due to one of them counting the MBR and the other not. Wonder if this could be it, or if Grub is pointing to the wrong partition to load... Cant change these files, as they are read only, and would start another forum of topics to find how to get into that file with root priveledges... None-the-less, I'll give what you suggested a try and write back.

Thanks again for all your hard work!
 
You're making me blush! :wtf:

Seriously though, I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it.

EasyBCD 1.61 is a HUGE improvement over 1.6 - and long in the making. Full WinPE support, rewritten NeoGrub, rewritten DOS support, advanced XP and NTLDR support, support for booting linux without grub installed to the partition, and lots more.

The feature I was referring to requires absoloutely no configuration or prior knowledge - you don't even have to select a drive. It'll search your computer for a Linux installation and boot into it, all automated and mostly guaranteed to work.

Let me know how it goes.
 
Didn't mean to make you blush, or blow sunshine too far up your backside... It's just hard to find people who are willing to put the time and effort into helping someone out (even if it's paid support). And further more, I don't like it when people blast support forums like this, give the main support guy a hard time, and don't give any sort of gratitude to boot (no pun intended). :angry:

Now that I'm off my soapbox, to the good news! I downloaded and installed the 1.61 Beta version. Deleted the "NeoSmart Linux" selection which was created by the other 1.6 version. Created a new one with the "GRUB isn't installed to the bootsector" option checked, and viola, it works! I was able to boot into the Linux partition.

In looking at the original problem, I noticed that the entry is a little different. Hope this helps in further troubleshooting for you or someone else. First I just noticed that I have to run the program version 1.61 Beta as an administrator, or it doesn't want to talk to the registry and errors out due to security policy settings. Just "right click" the program and choose "Run as Administrator", then choose "Allow" when prompted. This will allow access to the program again, without the errors.

For the Linux entry #4, I noticed this difference:
Code:
Drive: Active Boot Partition

Before the entry was listed as:
Code:
Drive: C:\

Again, Computer Guru, thanks for all your efforts. I hope this experience has helped someone else out and shed some light on what may be going on. The only thing I need to figure out now is if I want my file share to be NTFS for the rest of the 40GB on the drive, or make a small FAT32 partition and the rest NTFS, or make the whole thing FAT32. I only plan to use this partition to tinker and learn from. I don't plan to transfer files between Windows and Linux, unless to download something from the Cingular card and move it over. Which could be done by a Thumbdrive. Also, if I should keep the partitions as setup, or change the whole skeme again and start fresh, in relation to what's Logical and what's Primary partitions. :|
 
Glad it worked for you, Slappy.

C:\ or Active Boot isn't the issue - they're probably synonomous 99% of the time. It's probably something to do with the way GRUB was installed, or a previous bootsector/MBR conflicting with the new one.

About the "Run as Administrator:" sounds like 1.61 isn't properly requesting permission - I'll have to look that over, thanks.

On that note: do you have a EasyBCD.exe.manifest in the program files folder?
 
C:\ or Active Boot isn't the issue - they're probably synonomous 99% of the time. It's probably something to do with the way GRUB was installed, or a previous bootsector/MBR conflicting with the new one.
Curious. The "\NST" folder now shows a "menu.lst" file in addition to "NeoGrub.mbr", where before (pre 1.61 install) it only showed "NeoGrub.mbr". Could this have something to do with it?

About the "Run as Administrator:" sounds like 1.61 isn't properly requesting permission - I'll have to look that over, thanks.

On that note: do you have a EasyBCD.exe.manifest in the program files folder?
"EasyBCD.exe.manifest" I found located under the "\Program Files\NeoSmart Technologies\EasyBCD" folder.
 
Not really - the "I don't have grub installed" option creates and manages the neogrub.mbr and menu.lst in the \NST\ folder.

As for the manifest, if it's there, EasyBCD should run ok without "run as admin" so I'm a bit confused - I'll have to look into it later.
 
I just realized I didn't include the exact text of the window that popped up. Perhaps that will give you more to work on...

EasyBCD attempted to perform an operation not allowed by the security policy.

EasyBCD attempted to perform an operation not allowed by the security policy. To grant this application the required permission, contact your system administrator, or use the Microsoft .NET Framework Configuration tool.

If you click Continue, the application will ignore this error and attempt to continue. If you click Quit, the application will close immediately.

Requested registry access is not allowed.

"Continue" or "Quit"

Then if you click "Continue" the EasyBCD doesn't list anything in the "View Settings" box. When you click on the "Add/Remove Entries" button, you get another error box:

Invalid MBR!
Invalid MBR detected - unable to propogate drive list. EasyBCD will be unable to add a Linux bootsector entry!
"OK"

If you run as an administrator, none of these errors occur.
 
OK, sounds like a bug in the compliation with the new "OneClick" trust settings in Visual Studio 2008.

Let me see if I can't reproduce it here, then upload the new build.
 
I guess the only real question I have left is if I should redo the partitions and start fresh, or just leave it as it's working...? The two XP partitions are logical ones in the extended partition. Should I redo it and have the Vista (Primary), XP1 (Primary), Ubuntu ext3 (Primary), Extended (Primary) with Swap (Logical) and file share (Logical)?

The only other real thing I have to do now is make a file partition. Should I just leave it be and not worry about it?
 
Why redo anything? "Don't have GRUB installed" doesn't mean something is wrong - it just does an extra step for you.

The best news is that you can move and manipulate partitions all you like, this new "grub-less" linux entry will boot through it all. So go right on ahead and make that new file partition, everything should be a-OK.
 
I didn't think there was a way to convert partitions from Logical to Extended, as I can see it. That purely be if there was any potential long term issues with having one of my main OS's on a logical partition.

The only other real concern I had, was if all the playing around with the partitions may have left the drive space not as optimized or efficient as it could be. Say if I created a partition, it took space from the free space before one part of a partition and then the main bulk of it from another side of the partition. Where as if I started fresh, create the partitions and be done with it, not changing and recreating as necessary... I guess to some it all up, the concern is if repartitioning more than a couple times, creates performance issues.

I'm not sure if I stated my concern correctly, however I'm at the point of no return before I start customizing my installs. Changing after that would be tricky and time consuming. After seeing the gaps and differences in unnallocated space when using GParted, it got me a little concerned; hence the need to decide now to redo it or leave it be. Unless anyone says otherwise, I'll just leave it be and truck forth. At least until my laptop bursts into flames from some other problem... :lol:
 
:lol:

Just let it be - until the next time Vista goes belly-up and you need emergency neuro-surgery... shouldn't be too long :smile:
 
Well, originally I thought all was okay, but it isn't.

First I tried to setup the file partition. With 43000MB of free space I decided to make 40000 of it for NTFS logical partition and the other 3000 for FAT32, however when attempting to create the partition, Vista says there isn't enough space. Also, I cant boot into either XP install. I'm getting a "hal.dll" file is either missing or corupt error.

I think at this point I'm thinking that wiping the whole thing and starting again is the best option. And in that case, I have a couple questions.

For everything to play nice together, even in the case of EasyBCD:

For a Vista/XP1/XP2/Ubuntu/LinuxSwap/NTFSFilePartition/Fat32FilePartition; how would this best be setup?
The main XP1 parition will probably now be my main use OS now (at least until Vista comes out with SP1), so I'm thinking this...
hd0,0 - MBR
hd0,1 - Primary Partition, Vista NTFS
hd0,2 - Primary Partition, XP1 NTFS
hd0,3 - Primary Partition, Linux EXT3
hd0,4 - Primary Partition, Extended Partition
hd0,5 - Logical Partition, Linux SWAP
hd0,6 - Logical Partition, NTFS File Share
hd0,7 - Logical Partition, FAT32 File Share

Is there any problems with this type of layout? I'm guessing that adding the extra XP2 installation wouldn't work correctly, and doesn't like being a under a logical partition with Linux before it in the partition line for whatever reason.

I'm assuming now that creating each partition from each different install isn't the best. Especially since XP's created itself under a logical partition, not Primary. With that, what's the best partitioner available to accomplish this?

Any other thoughts on this, as I'm now past zero hour to get this done? I'm starting to loose productivity, but know this should be able to be accomplished; with the right order and tools.
 
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Small update, I was able to get it to boot into the 2 XP partitions. The "boot.ini" file was pointing to the wrong partitions. Once I changed that, I was able to boot into the correct partitions as listed. For someone that may be confused about where that file was, it was located under the root directory of my Vista partition. I had to give myself administrative access to the file before I could edit it however.
 
I use and recommend Acronis Disk Director - but it isn't free.
If you're looking for free, Paragon is great. (don't use partition tragic, its days are over)

Anyway, XP must have a primary partition (if it installed itself to a logical, you're in for a world of trouble). Vista and Linux can install to logical partitions just fine. Your boot partition must be a primary partition.

Install XP1, XP2, Vista, Linux. Shouldn't be a problem.
 
I decided to bring the 2nd XP partition back into the mix. And with the Extended partition taking up one of the primary slots, to allow for the other 3 logical partitions, the 2nd XP install will have to be in one of the logical partitions. I have a plan of action and will list how I did it, in a follow up post.
 
After much trial and error, here's what I found that works. This will be installing Vista/XP/Ubuntu 7.04/XP in that order.

PLEASE NOTE (WARNING): Try this at your own risk! I give no guarantees that this will work and/or not potentially mess up your system. This is an ADVANCED setup and will take knowledge in it's application. I've done my best to give you all the information possible to enable you in doing this as the most basic of user, but please heed my warning and know what your doing before you do it. Also, following these steps I've laid out WILL destroy ALL information/data on your hard disk. The steps I've provided were modeled after my setup, so your application may varry slighly. This is also assuming you install Vista first, XP 2nd, Ubuntu 3rd and the second XP install 4th.
  1. First, wipe your drive clean of partitions. For this, I used the RescueCD (http://www.sysresccd.org/Main_Page) and GParted to setup each partition.
    1. Different guides have you setup the partitions with each individual installer. This didn't seem to work, as XP installed itself as a Logical partition, instead of a Primary partition. Later, when trying to install Linux as a Primary partition, it reaked havoc on XP and created problems with creating the file partitions at the end of all installs. Sooooo, in short, I would just create them at the begining.
    2. Small note what I found out about partitioning, for the partitioning challenged... You can create up to 4 Primary partitions on a hard disk. You can create 'many' Logical partitions (some OS's limit how many logical partitions you can create). Now, the Logical partitions need to be created under an Extended partition. This Extended partition takes up 1 Primary partition slot. So, with this, the Extended partition would only allow you to create 3 Primary partition slots, for OS's or whatever else your heart desires.
    3. Here is what I did for the partitions (using a 160GB drive):
      1. hd0,0 MBR (Nothing needed here)
      2. hd0,1 Primary NTFS, Vista, 35GB
      3. hd0,2 Primary NTFS, XP1 (first installation of XP), 35GB
      4. hd0,3 Primary EXT3, Ubuntu 7.04 Linux, 20GB
      5. hd0,4 Extended (taking up 4th Primary slot), all remaining space on drive
        1. hd0,5 Logical SWAP, Linux Swap Partition, 3GB
        2. hd0,6 Logical NTFS, XP2 (second installation of XP), 15GB
        3. hd0,7 Logical NTFS, File Sharing for Windows, 40GB
        4. hd0,8 Logical FAT32, File Sharing for Linux and Windows, 2GB
        5. Should be about 2.5GB of unallocated space left. You can do with it what you will.
    4. Install Vista into "hd0,1" partition.
    5. Download EasyBCD 1.61 Beta and install.
    6. Install XP1 into "hd0,2" partition.
    7. Boot with the Vista installation DVD to fix the Vista boot loader.
    8. Boot back into Vista, open EasyBCD (running as an Administrator, until corrected, otherwise you'll get an error) and add a boot line for XP installations to load in the boot loader.
      1. This will actually point to the boot screen for both XP OS's, after you install the 2nd copy of XP.
    9. Boot into XP1 to make sure it works.
    10. Install Ubuntu to "hd0,3". MAKE SURE at the end screen (7 of 7), that you click the advanced options and set Grub to install into the partition by changing it from "hd0" to "hd0,3" in this case. If you don't, Grub will overwright the MBR. I haven't tested to see if the Vista install DVD can correct this or not.
      1. I noticed that while trying to install Ubuntu the first time, it gave an error that Grub couldn't load. The 2nd attempt at install worked fine.
    11. Boot into Vista (shouldn't have to run the DVD to correct the bootloader) and enter a line in EasyBCD for Linux. Make sure to select the option for "No Grub Installed". Even though you installed Grub, there is a problem that doesn't allow it to work correctly. From what I understand of EasyBCD, it will boot to the partition without even having to install Grub.
    12. Boot into Linux to make sure it works. Once you select the option for the Linux partition at startup, you will be prompted for the Linux boot loader, much like you were with selecting the XP option at bootup.
    13. Install the 2nd copy of XP (XP2) to hd0,6.
    14. Boot with the Vista installation DVD to fix the Vista boot loader.
    15. Boot back into Vista. There is no need to add another line to EasyBCD for this next installation of XP, as the one entry points to the XP boot loader. However, you should now modify the "boot.ini" file that is located in the root of the "hd0,1" Vista partition.
      1. Open Windows Explorer (Right click the "Start" button and click "Explore").
      2. Navigate to the "C:\" or "Local Disk (C: )" folder.
      3. Setup Explorer to allow you to view hidden files", which Windows hides by default. Also, the good old "File" menu is now hidden by default, so we'll have to take another step to see it. I suggest checking the box, near the one to view the hidden files, so you don't have to go though hitting "Alt" to see it in the future.
      4. Hit the "Alt" key. The "File" menu should now be visible at the top, just below the address and back/forth buttons.
      5. Click "Tools" then "Folder Options...".
        1. Once the "Folder Options" window opens, click the "View" tab at the top.
        2. Click the "Show hidden files and folders" radio button in the list.
        3. Deselect/clear (so there is NO check in the box) the "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)" check box.
        4. Click the "Apply" button and then the "OK" button at the bottom of the window.
          1. If prompted for any "You will need to give your permissions..." or "Are you sure..." windows, just click "OK". This is only allowing you to view the files.
        5. If you are in the correct location that I pointed out above, you would be able to see the "boot.ini" file in the Explorer window.
      6. Right click and select "Copy" on the "boot.ini" file.
      7. Right click and select "Paste" on your desktop.
        1. Click "Continue" when prompted for "Destination Folder Access Denied".
        2. Click "Continue" when prompted for "Windows needs your permission to continue".
      8. Now we'll have to give your user permissions to access the file if it doesn't already. If it does, go to the next step.
        1. Right click the "boot.ini" file and select "Properties".
        2. Click the "Security" tab and look at the "Group or user names:" list box.
          1. If your user is listed, click it. The "Permissions for..." list box below will populate with either "Allow" or "Deny" check marks for various items.
          2. If there is a check box in "Allow" for "Full control" then just skip this step. If not, follow on.
          3. If your listed but no "Full control":
            1. Click the "Edit" box.
            2. Click your user in the "Group or user names:" list box.
            3. Now check the "Full control" check box in the "Permissions for..." list box.
            4. Click "OK".
            5. Now click "Apply" and then "OK" for the "boot.ini Properties" window to apply these changes.
            6. Skip to the following "Not Listed" steps, as we'll be adding the user, if they aren't already.
          4. If not listed in "Group or user names:" list box:
            1. Click the "Edit" button.
            2. In the new window, click the "Add..." button.
            3. The cursor should be blinking in the "Enter the object names to select (examples):" text box. Type the name of the user you are currently logged in to Vista as.
              1. If you don't know the user name, you can always click the "Start" button and see the user name just below the avatar (user picture) in the upper right hand corner.
            4. Once you've typed in the name, click "OK".
            5. Select the user and give it "Full control" as I listed in the above steps for "Listed but no "Full control".
            6. Once done, click "Apply" and then "OK".
        3. Then click the "Apply" and then "OK" buttons to close the "boot.ini Properties" window.
      9. We'll now edit the "boot.ini" file to change a couple things.
        1. Right click the "boot.ini" file and click "Edit".
          1. A Notepad window should be open now with a couple lines in it. We need to modify the file to change a couple things around. When we installed the next copy of XP, it added itself as the default selection and put itself at the top of selections for the "[OPERATING SYSTEMS]".
        2. Change the "default=" line:
          1. From this "default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(5)\WINDOWS"
          2. To this "default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS"
          3. This will tell the XP boot loader to load the XP1 (hd0,2) partition if nothing is selected before timeout.
        3. Change the first line under "[operating systems]" from "...partition(5)..." to "...partition(2)...".
          1. This will make XP1 the first selection in the list.
          2. Also, please note that the three periods (...) that I'm typing in for these is just quickly trunkating the whole line so I don't have to type it out here. DON'T type it in the file. The text between these periods is what I want you to focus on.
        4. Skip a little forward in this same line that you've just changed to "...\WINDOWS="...". Change the text in the quote marks in the file to something easily identifiable to you. I change mine to "Microsoft Windows XP Pro #1 Main".
        5. Change the second line under "[operating systems]" (which is just under the last one we edited) from "...partition(2)..." to "...partition(5)...".
          1. This will make change the second option in this list boot to the XP2 partition (hd0,5).
        6. Again, skip a little forward and change the identifying text of this line to something you can identify (as in step 4 just above). I've changed mine to "Microsoft Windows XP Pro #2 Testing".
        7. You shouldn't have to change anything else in this file, so click "File" in the top menu and select "Save".
        8. Close the file.
      10. We now have to copy or move the file back to the root directory to implement it. This can be accomplished in a couple ways, but I'll list the easiest one I've found below.
        1. Click and hold it from the desktop and then drag it back to the Explorer window we had before.
        2. MAKE SURE not to drop it into another or different folder.
        3. When prompted to approve the action by various other popup windows, click "OK" or "Continue".
      11. You can now rehide the protected operating system files if you wish, which will get rid of the annoying "desktop.ini" files that are now visible on your desktop. Or, you can leave be.
    16. Now try booting into the XP partitions.
If all went as planned, you should be able to boot into all 4 partitions. The initial boot loader that you get when turning on the computer should be Vista's, giving you 3 options "Vista, XP and Ubuntu". If you select "XP" then you should get the XP boot loader that allows you to select between either XP partition, as we modified above. If you select "Ubuntu" then you should get it's boot loader with a couple other options, allowing you to boot into it.

I hope this helps at least one person out, whether it be a clearer understanding of partitions or booting. I know I broke it down shotgun style, but wanted to leave as little room for question as possible. :grinning:
 
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