2.0 b76 bootgrabber issue/fix

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xenoglyph

New Member
on win7 32/64, using easybcd to auto configure boot.ini fails (w/ bootgrabber crash) unless you go into the /bin directory and set XP compatibility mode for bootgrabber.exe

i think it has to do with how easybcd creates the process because i noticed ollydbg can start bootgrabber fine without compatibility mode on
 
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mqudsi

mqudsi

Mostly Harmless
Staff member
Interesting.

First, welcome to NeoSmart Technologies though!


BootGrabber doesn't crash here on Windows 7 x64 or x86... I have a new version I need to push out ASAP alongside a new EBCD2 build... how about we give that a try and see if it still crashes for you?
 
mqudsi

mqudsi

Mostly Harmless
Staff member
When you run it with OllyDebug, are you passing any commandline parameters to BootGrabber.exe?
 
S

Saltgrass

Active Member
It appears the problem of bootgrabber failing is in the 77 beta as well. Tested last night with the 76 and 77 builds and behavior was the same. The suggested fix works in 77 as well.

Even with the install, Ntldr and ntdetect were copied, but boot.ini was not.

Once again, if you need me to check something, let me know soon.

The attachments should help explain situation with Win 7 drive being primary.
 

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  • XP3.GIF
    XP3.GIF
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  • XP3_2.GIF
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Saltgrass

Active Member
I must correct my original statement, setting the XP compatibility may not solve the problem, but this time I set bootgrabber to run as admin and it worked.

I am not sure if you are talking to xenoplyph concerning the minidump, but I will check. My computer never crashed.

I have attached the dump file. I had to run the minitool in admin mode for it to work.
 

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  • Boo257C.zip
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mqudsi

mqudsi

Mostly Harmless
Staff member
What behavior did you get if it did not crash? (both with and without XP compatibility mode).

Glad to hear it worked in the end, though.
 
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Saltgrass

Active Member
The dump file is in my previous post.

This freeze of bootgrabber has only occurred so far when XP was on a second partition. I had not seen it during other setups. For some reason, EasyBCD cannot put the boot.ini file in the system partitiion, and I am assuming bootgrabber needs some permission to do so.

Anyway the file is there, let us know.
 
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Saltgrass

Active Member
Could it be that having XP on a separate hard drive and on a second or later partition will just not work? It does boot if I set the XP drive to primary.

Everything looks fine in the files when they are installed, like rdisk(1) and partition(2), but it goes to a black screen. If the first partition is deleted so the XP partition is the first actual partition, it seems to boot.

But the bootgrabber seems to be still crashing in the 79 build and does not copy the boot.ini file.

mini-dump attached.
 

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mqudsi

mqudsi

Mostly Harmless
Staff member
Saltgrass, I want to say thanks for sticking around and providing the debug files, you're the first to do so and it's really helping!

Can you please replace BootGrabber.exe with the one attached to this post and try to reproduce the crash once more?

I may have fixed it, but if not, please attach the crash dump as you did last time.

Good luck & much appreciated!
 

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  • BootGrabber.exe
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Terry60

Terry60

Telephone Sanitizer (2nd Class)
Staff member
and to answer your question - there is no inherent problem with having XP anywhere you want to put it (as thousands of previous users can testify), but CG obviously can't test new code on every conceivable hardware configuration, and occasionally someone like yourself finds a new way to break the logic. (The need for an OS to be in the first primary ended with W9x)
Unfortunately, most want a quick fix and are never seen again.
I came here for the "restore point problem" and happened to own a configuration which broke more builds of HnS than all other users combined, so I ended up in a back and forth test cycle, which created new code designs which ended up as parts of Easy2.
Thanks for helping out, but beware you're not still here in 2 years moderating the boards !
 
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Saltgrass

Active Member
Computer Guru said:
Saltgrass, I want to say thanks for sticking around and providing the debug files, you're the first to do so and it's really helping!

Can you please replace BootGrabber.exe with the one attached to this post and try to reproduce the crash once more?

I may have fixed it, but if not, please attach the crash dump as you did last time.

Good luck & much appreciated!
Click to expand...

I will do as you ask. Several times today, on this computer, I had the same problem. Setting Bootgrabber.exe to run as admin seemed to work the first time.

On a newer computer, Core 2 Duo on Intel motherboard with the same setup, EasyBCD ran fine the first time with no errors. I will post back tomorrow.

And Terry60, the System Reserved partition in Win 7 is causing all types of problems with XP installs. On two separate computers, when installing XP with the Win 7 drive being primary, a 1 mb unallocated partition was placed in front of the 100 mb Win System Reserved Partition. That thing (100mb partition) is really messing with XP dual boots. The fact you cannot install XP on a system that has the 100 mb partition without first making the future XP partition active, means something. Even when installing on a second hard drive, the Win 7 drive with the 100 mb partiton cannot be primary if you expect to be able to install.

And, just for your information Terry60, this is a beta, and as such is not expected to work in all cases. More information, which I am hopefully providing, will make it better, or at least help Computer Guru recognize what might be happening if these situations arise in the future.
 
Terry60

Terry60

Telephone Sanitizer (2nd Class)
Staff member
I think you misunderstood the tenor of my post Xeno.
I was reiterating CG's thanks for helping with the Beta debugging.
I fully understand that you're finding new glitches in the code, but trying to reassure you that it's not a problem that XP can't be in certain places, just that Easy code isn't yet fully tested for all those cases.
I have an active boot partition on one HDD, with Vista and XP partitions (neither active). There's no fundamental XP problem, just a problem for the Beta code to cope with all possible scenarios.

It was just a gentle tongue-in-cheek warning that once you get heavily involved in a test dialogue with CG, you might never get to leave. Just look at my post count. I only came here to fix the XP restore point problem !
 
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Saltgrass

Active Member
I have tried the new bootgrabber on one computer and the results were not good. I will do more checking tomorrow, but the new version is 533K, the old version was 80K, is that to be expected?
 
mqudsi

mqudsi

Mostly Harmless
Staff member
Yes, I sent you a debug version to help me in the post-crash status.

Saltgrass, Terry's post was a fine example of British humor - it's a lot more subtle than our American stuff :tongueout:

We're both saying: Thanks for your help, and welcome to the community :grinning:
 
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Saltgrass

Active Member
So far good news for just the 79 beta (not using the new bootgrabber). I have reinstalled everything and got a new hard drive for the XP install. I have only installed independently so far, so the installs never interacted, but every attempt to dual boot with XP on a second hard drive and second partition have succedded. Even a x64 Win 7 install.

I will continue testing to see if I can again duplicate the earlier problems, but for now, all I can guess is something was left over from an earlier problem causing the errors. I will post back if I do encounter any problems.

Good Job..Thanks..
 
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