Add new entry for WinXP in EasyBCD 2.x

faxmactor

Member
I run into a problem with EasyBCD 2.0, incliding 2.1 beta.

If NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM and boot.ini are present, they can be used to boot a Windows XP system (from Win7 boot mgr, too), wherever the system directory (\WINDOWS) is -in fact it can even be in a ramdrive image (.img).

EasyBCD 1.x (1.7.2 in paricular) had no problem dealing with this when adding a new entry, it just threw a notice.

EasyBCD 2.x also throws that notice, but also refuse to add the entry, period. What is the reason of this behavior, can't it be reverted some way?
 
Can you be more specific.
Easy1 simply added an XP entry with the data you provided.
Whether or not that worked, depended on the accuracy of the data provided, and if you'd manually carried out the (possibly) necessary additional tasks of copying the files you mentioned into the "system" partition and editing the copied boot.ini contents to reflect its change of position.
99% of the support we provided here used to be educating users into the arcane mysteries of the MS dual-boot architecture, and explaining why pointing the BCD at the (non-"system") XP didn't work.
Easy2 is completely different.
Tired of the constant repetitive explanation of the above, and the fact that the data necessary to carry out the tasks was not available to the user but hidden in the BIOS and elsewhere, code was developed to locate the necessary data, and automate all of the additional tasks at the same time as adding the BCD entry, and preventing the user from entering erronious information.
What "notice" was "thrown" ?
 
Can you be more specific.

Sure.

I have a primary partition with Windows 7, clean install. I also have a modified Windows XP to be run from ramdrive (inside an .img file, created with Filedisk).

In order to boot this ramdrive XP system, there are three files needed: ntldr, ntdetect.com and a proper boot.ini. I have those files on the system partition, and the ramdrive xp is able to boot when it gets the chance to do so. So all I have to do is add an entry to Windows 7's boot manager.

That's what EasyBCD 1.7.2 does fine, but 2.x doesn't. When I try to add an NT/2k/XP/2k3 type partition, I got the following error message:

Failed to Add Entry!
EasyBCD failed to detect a valid installationof Windows NT-2003 on all mounted drives and was unable to continue.

By the way, you don't have to be rude, if you need more details, just say so. You don't have to post a whole page without having the data you need to answer.
 
I'm sorry if you thought I was rude.
I was merely giving background information to explain the architectural difference between Easy 1 and 2, which accounts for the change of behaviour.
Please bear in mind that every new user here is an unknown quantity to us till a dialogue develops.
Our users vary from skilled IT pro's looking for nitty-gritty detail, to "I press the button and nothing happens - What's wrong !! ?", with the distribution skewed distinctly towards the latter.
It can save some time to cover all bases with an answer that makes no assumptions of expertise in the OP, but that occasionally causes offence, as it appears to have done in this instance, for which I apologize again.
 
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