Another Vista XP Dual Boot

ljstevens

New Member
Hi
I have just built a new computer
I have a partitioned hard disk.
I installed Vista 32 first on the first partition of the hard disk - C:
I then created a second partition from inside vista with vistas own admin tools on the hard disk - D:
I installed XP on the D: drive.
Once installed, vista disappeared and and the computer booted directly into XP, which is installed in the D: partition.
I restarted the computer and fixed the MBR with the vista install DVD.
From vista I installed EasyBCD 1.72 and added a NeoGrub command so that it hid the Vista install partition (C:smile: from XP.

This is what I wrote on NeoGrub config

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

# NeoSmart NeoGrub Bootloader Configuration File
#
# This is the NeoGrub menu.lst file, and should be located at C:\\menu.lst
# Please see the EasyBCD Documentation for information on how to create/modify entries
# EasyBCD Documentation Home - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki


default 0
timeout 0

title Boot XP - Hide Vista
hide (hd0,1) # SET THIS TO THE VISTA DRIVE
# Optionally repeat the above entry for all the Vista drives
chainloader (hd0,0)/ntldr # SET THIS TO THE BOOT PARTITION
boot


# Optional section
# If you include this section, you will see a second bootloader menu!
title Boot XP - Unhide Vista
unhide (hd0,1) # SET THIS TO THE VISTA DRIVE
# Optionally repeat the above entry for all the Vista drives
chainloader (hd0,0)/ntldr # SET THIS TO THE BOOT PARTITION
boot

---------------------------------------

I copied it from a help website.

I restart and get 2 boot options. Vista or XP(NeoGrub)
Vista boots fine.
I choose the second option and boot XP. It starts booting, showing the boot screen, but just before it gets to the desktop, my computer resets. I cannont boot into my XP install.

Here are the details from the debug screen

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {9dea862c-5cdd-4e70-acc1-f32b344d4795}
device partition=C:
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {7ea2e1ac-2e61-4728-aaa3-896d9d0a9f0e}
default {a0b57cf3-1847-11dd-85e8-aad6076ecfd6}
resumeobject {a0b57cf4-1847-11dd-85e8-aad6076ecfd6}
displayorder {a0b57cf3-1847-11dd-85e8-aad6076ecfd6}
{d05f071c-1870-11dd-9ee7-001d7d01707b}
{d05f0720-1870-11dd-9ee7-001d7d01707b}
toolsdisplayorder {b2721d73-1db4-4c62-bf78-c548a880142d}
timeout 15

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {a0b57cf3-1847-11dd-85e8-aad6076ecfd6}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Microsoft Windows Vista
locale en-US
inherit {6efb52bf-1766-41db-a6b3-0ee5eff72bd7}
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {a0b57cf4-1847-11dd-85e8-aad6076ecfd6}
nx OptIn

Real-mode Boot Sector
---------------------
identifier {d05f0720-1870-11dd-9ee7-001d7d01707b}
device partition=C:
path \NST\NeoGrub.mbr
description NeoGrub Bootloader

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Could someone please help?

Thank you

Lawrence
 
Hi Lawrence, welcome to the Neosmart forums.
Click on my name, follow through my profile to "all threads started ..." and find my first thread from last year.
That's what I came here for, and Guru sorted me out.
That's the background, but the real solution to your problem is not a 2 level neogrub boot but a nice single level HnS (Vista Hide 'n Seek) boot. See the sticky thread in "Ideas and Wishlists" forum for a download.
It'll do all the hard work for you. It's the Neosmart prefered method of hiding Vista and is much more elegant.
 
Another suggestion which should prove where the problem is

Hi

I haven't used the neo grub as yet, but am thinking of doing so. I wanted to be sure everything else was working ok first as my system went unstable sfte setting up dualbooting.

I would suggest that you let Vista boot up. Then go to EasyBCD and remove the NeoGrub settings. Then reselect the normal way of booting without hiding the vista partition as per the normal EasyBCD documentation in the neosmart wiki.

This will at least prove whether or not the neogrub coding is right or not. If this allows your system to boot to both then you know it is the neogrub script that is wrong.

Secondly, I found that Vista and XP ended up with different letters for the XP drive. You might want to check this.

Finally, check that the 3 files required to load XP are sitting in the root directory. Mine by default have gone to the vista root. I have not checked whether or not this causes a problem with using the hide function in neo grub.

Gareth
 
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