Access denied! unable to obtain exclusive access when exiting EasyBCD

P

Paul Upstream

Member
This may be a very novice question :shame:, but I've been searching around for an answer and can find only one other thread with a similar problem - which was unresolved/abandoned by the poster :|

I have a pre-installed (windows 7 64bit) Toshiba Satellite notepad, which came pre-partitioned with recovery on D:

- I resized, formatted and installed XP (32bit) on D: although the drive letter was changed to E: during installation
- Downloaded and installed updates, including required .net framework
- On opening, BCD store not found so I manually navigate to: C:windows\boot\dvd\pcat\BCD (or program won't open)
- I go through the process of resetting and then adding the operating systems to the boot menu
- All is well, until I try to exit the app to restart the machine at which point I get the message "unable to obtain exclusive access to C:windows\boot\dvd\pcat\BCD. If this is a removable disk, try ejecting and re-inserting it and then try again" and can't get beyond this stage.
- If I force a restart, it is still booting into XP on E: drive

Any hints would be phenomenal
 
You opened the wrong BCD store. It's located in \BOOT\BCD on the boot partition (may be a hidden partition) and NOT in \Windows\boot\*
 
easybcd_ssh.JPG

Thanks for your patience :smile: ...
I still can't navigate to \Boot\.. through the dialog that opens when browsing for the BCD file.
If, as you suggest the Boot file is located on the hidden partition, I believe it to be a volume named SYSTEM, which I can't access properties of, or rename etc.. I might be making a hopelessly simple mistake...?

-Paul
 
The BOOT folder is super-hidden. You need to enable viewing of BOTH hidden AND system files in My Computer | Tools | Options to be able to see it.

The file you want is not on the SYSTEM partition.
 
That was one of the first things I tried yesterday. I also tried searching for it, without any luck.

For the sake of clarity:
- I try to open Easy BCD
- I get "error opening BCD .... would like to manually load a BCD registry for EasyBCD to manage? .... "
- I select "yes" but when attempting to "locate a valid BCD Registry" but I cannot see \Boot\BCD - even though viewing Hidden files and System files is enabled(!)
 
same problem here.

maybe a tutorial on finding the correct BCD would save a lot of time to the admins.
i have seen this question on the forum a billion times yet somehow most people (including me get it wrong)

i have no hidden partition and
there is no \boot folder in the partition i installed windows 7.
(XP is in a different partirion)

Addendum:

same problem here.<br><br>maybe a tutorial on finding the correct BCD would save a lot of time to the admins.<br>i have seen this question on the forum a billion times yet somehow most people (including me get it wrong)<br><br>i have no hidden partition and <br>there is no \boot folder in the partition i installed windows 7.<br>(XP is in a different partirion)
 
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When you installed XP on your recovery partition you not only removed the OEM factory reset facility, but you most likely also obliterated the W7 boot files. That's why you can't find them anywhere.
You must recreate them first.
Recovering the Vista Bootloader from the DVD - EasyBCD - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki
Recovering the Vista Bootloader with EasyBCD - EasyBCD - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki
@mpiz..
When you install W7 to a PC with an existing OS, it will put its boot files in the existing "system" partition. The \boot folder will be with XP.
 
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Terry60 said:
When you installed XP on your recovery partition you not only removed the OEM factory reset facility, but you most likely also obliterated the W7 boot files. That's why you can't find them anywhere.
You must recreate them first.
Recovering the Vista Bootloader from the DVD - EasyBCD - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki
Recovering the Vista Bootloader with EasyBCD - EasyBCD - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, but how to open EasyBCD? I get "error opening BCD .... would you like to manually load a BCD registry for EasyBCD to manage? .... " -which is difficult, if it was obliterated - unless I'm missing something else!
If I choose 'no' or 'cancel' In get the error: "EasyBCD has encountered a problem... The boot configuration store could not be opened ... " with option to send error report etc.

I have previously come across the links provided and thought that was the solution .... but I can't open EasyBCD.

Does it sound terminal?? :S
 
Terry told you: you have to recreate these files first. Follow the links he gave you to do that. The first link doesn't need EasyBCD to work.
 
Yes, I saw these links too. Several times already.
Unfortunately, I have a pre-installed version of w7. So no DVD. Can't open EasyBCD. No credit card to download Repair CD :frowning:
 
CG, will this work ?
start EasyBCD by pointing to the proto-BCD mentioned in the OP
BCD Deployment > Install W7 bootloader
BCD Backup/Repair > recreate boot files.
Or is that going to fail through lack of a proper BCD ?

Paul, if you know someone else with W7, get them to burn you a free recovery disk
Control Panel > Backup and Restore > Create Repair Disc.

Ours is only here for those who didn't do so before their W7 got broken
 
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I've tried your first suggestion previously, but that's when I encounter the error mentioned in my original post. " unable to obtain exclusive access..."

Thanks for your help Terry and C.G., I see what I have to do now. Borrow a repair disk ...or a credit card :grinning:

Cheers!
Paul
 
Terry, that won't work as the Windows API functions I use to assist in the recreation of the BCD don't exist on XP - so it's not just a question of tricking EasyBCD into showing the repair dialogs.

However, what might work is actually using EasyBCD 1.7.2 and the steps in this article: How to: Install the Vista Bootloader on Windows XP The NeoSmart Files

However, there's a reason we dropped that feature in 2.0+, as it can be very finicky.
 
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