Creating a dual boot USB

D

Docfxit

Distinguished Member
I'm trying to make a USB thumb drive bootable with more than one ISO image.

I first put one ISO image on the drive with these instructions:
https://neosmart.net/wiki/easybcd/tips-and-tricks/easyre-recovery-usb/

It worked great.
Then I tried adding a second ISO image to the drive.
The first time I added the second image I started with step 5
Adding an ISO image.
It showed in EasyBCD 2.2.0.182 but it didn't show the second entry when I tried booting the USB drive.
Then I selected the Install BCD button from the BCD Deployment option. It didn't give me any errors.
I tried booting from it and now I'm getting:
File: \Boot\BCD
Status: 0xc0000098
The Windows Boot Configuration data file does not contain a valid OS entry.

What am I doing wrong?
How can I fix it?
There are a total of 4 entries listed in the bootloader.

Default: Windows 7 Ultimate (recovered)
Timeout: 6 seconds
Boot Drive: C:\

Entry #1
Name: Windows 7 Ultimate (recovered)
BCD ID: {current}
Drive: C:\
Bootloader Path: \Windows\system32\winload.exe

Entry #2
Name: Microsoft Windows XP
BCD ID: {3a21bf9d-0ec0-11e4-a6a4-acceb7de9bd8}
Drive: C:\
Bootloader Path: \NST\ntldr

Entry #3
Name: Partition Wizard 8.11
BCD ID: {3a21bf9e-0ec0-11e4-a6a4-acceb7de9bd8}
Drive: C:\
Bootloader Path: \NST\AutoNeoGrub0.mbr

Entry #4
Name: EasyREWin7_32bit
BCD ID: {3a21bfa0-0ec0-11e4-a6a4-acceb7de9bd8}
Drive: C:\
Bootloader Path: \NST\AutoNeoGrub1.mbr
EasyBCD.jpg


Thank you,

Docfxit
 
Last edited:
The next build of EasyBCD 2.3 beta will correct a lot of issues with creating a bootable USB. The codebase is significantly changed, so please wait for the next build and then we can see what happens.
 
Thank you for the update. EasyBCD 2.3 BETA Build 196
I'm not sure how much feedback you would like. So please ignore anything I include that your not interested in.

1. It's been a few days since you posted a reply. I am setup to receive Beta update notifications. I didn't receive one. I also didn't receive a notification that this thread had a new post. I'm glad I came back to this thread to see your update.
2. After selecting BCD Deployment, I selected Install BCD by accident before changing the partition. I tried to select the X in the upper right to stop the action so I could select the correct partition but the X didn't work. I had to go into Task Manager to cancel the process.
3. Installing the bootable ISO went very smoothly. As long as I followed the instructions, It worked without a hitch. It would be nice if it was a little more self explanatory.
4. The instructions say "Rinse and Repeat? (Optional!)
If you have more than one recovery CD ISO image you want to add to your USB, just repeat the steps above, starting from copying the ISO and ending with exiting EasyBCD"

I was hoping, after installing a second ISO image, when I booted to the USB to get a boot menu letting me select the boot image I wanted.
What happened was after installing the 2nd ISO image the USB booted to the 2nd ISO image immediately. I can no longer boot into the 1st ISO image.
After Adding a New Entry I do see both ISO entries in the Edit Boot Menu. I did close EasyBCD before removing the USB device. After closing EasyBCD and then opening it again I do see both entries in the Edit Boot Menu.

This version is certainly better than the previous version. Keep up the good work. It's really great of you to keep improving EasyBCD.

Thanks,

Docfxit
 
Last edited:
Hi Docfxit,

I just tweaked some settings for email notification, hopefully you'll get this one? I'd check your spam folder as well, they could be winding up there (donotreply@neosmart.net)
Putting the instructions aside, what exactly did you do when adding the second ISO? What shows up in your normal and detailed mode displays now? Do you see them both there?
 
mqudsi said:
Hi Docfxit,

I just tweaked some settings for email notification, hopefully you'll get this one? I'd check your spam folder as well, they could be winding up there (donotreply@neosmart.net)
Click to expand...
I did receive a notification of your post on this thread. Thank you very much

mqudsi said:
Putting the instructions aside, what exactly did you do when adding the second ISO?
Click to expand...
Copy the ISO image to the USB
Renamed the ISO image to remove any spaces in the file name
Selected BCD Deployment
Selectd my partition on the USB from the drop-down menu
Selected Install BCD
On this screen:
EasyBCDConverted.jpg

I selected yes
I selected Add New Entry, Iso tab
I changed the name (Description) of the ISO
In the path I browsed to the ISO image on the USB
I selected Add Entry
I closed BCD
I moved the USB to a test laptop that was powered down
I powered up the laptop
It booted directly into the new ISO I added
I expected to see a boot menu so I could select the ISO I wanted
This is what I see in Edit Boot Menu:
EasyBCDEditBoot.jpg

This is what I see in View Settings Normal Mode:
EasyBCDViewSettings.jpg

This is what I see in View Settings Detailed Mode:
EasyBCDViewSettingsDetailed.jpg

mqudsi said:
What shows up in your normal and detailed mode displays now? Do you see them both there?
Click to expand...

Thank you for working on this.

Docfxit
 
No, sorry for the misunderstanding.

The process is actually a lot simpler and more intuitive than that. BCD deployment is done only once: to make a USB bootable the very first time. It makes it accept entries.

Having made the USB bootable by deploying the BCD once, you do not do that again. You'd imply add entries thereafter. When you deploy the BCD again, you wipe out old entries.
 
mqudsi said:
No, sorry for the misunderstanding.

The process is actually a lot simpler and more intuitive than that. BCD deployment is done only once: to make a USB bootable the very first time. It makes it accept entries.

Having made the USB bootable by deploying the BCD once, you do not do that again. You'd imply add entries thereafter. When you deploy the BCD again, you wipe out old entries.
Click to expand...

Good to know.
What would be the proper sequence to:
1. Correct what I currently have?
2. To have more than one bootable ISO on a USB

You may want to find the publisher of this web page to correct it:
https://neosmart.net/wiki/easybcd/tips-and-tricks/easyre-recovery-usb/

Thank you for correcting me.

Docfxit
 
I'm understanding more now.
It sounds like I need to remove both USB entries and start from scratch.

To create a bootable USB:
Copy the ISO image to the USB
Rename the ISO image to remove any spaces in the file name
Selecte BCD Deployment
Selecte my partition on the USB from the drop-down menu
Selected Install BCD
On this screen:
EasyBCDConverted.jpg

Selecte yes

To Add to the Bootable entries:
Selecte Add New Entry, Iso tab
Change the name (Description) of the ISO
In the path browse to the ISO image on the USB
Selecte Add Entry
That's all there is to it if you are done adding bootable ISO images on the USB

If you would like to add more ISO images to the USB
Copy the ISO image to the USB
Rename the ISO image to remove any spaces in the file name
go to:
"To Add to the Bootable entries:"
 
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I have tried to get EasyBCD to make my USB bootable again. It isn't booting to the USB at all.
EasyBCDViewSettings2.jpg

EasyBCDViewSettingsDetailed2.jpg

The BIOS is set to boot from a USB.
This is a dir listing of the USB drive
Directory of L:\NST

03/10/2015 10:09 AM <DIR> .
03/10/2015 10:09 AM <DIR> ..
03/10/2015 10:10 AM 9,216 AutoNeoGrub0.mbr
03/10/2015 10:19 AM 9,216 AutoNeoGrub1.mbr
03/13/2015 04:49 PM 9,216 AutoNeoGrub2.mbr
03/13/2015 04:50 PM 9,216 AutoNeoGrub3.mbr
4 File(s) 36,864 bytes
2 Dir(s) 828,952,576 bytes free

As you see it is missing NTLDR
and should be using:
03/13/2015 04:49 PM 9,216 AutoNeoGrub2.mbr
03/13/2015 04:50 PM 9,216 AutoNeoGrub3.mbr
But instead it's using:
03/10/2015 10:10 AM 9,216 AutoNeoGrub0.mbr
03/10/2015 10:19 AM 9,216 AutoNeoGrub1.mbr
Do you have any idea why it won't boot?

Thank you,

Docfxit
 
Last edited:
mqudsi said:
Delete the entries and re-create them. What happens?
Click to expand...
I deleted the entries in EasyBCD in Edit Boot Menu.
I saw the four files in L:\NST\AutoNeoGrub0.mbr were still there
03/10/2015 10:10 AM 9,216 AutoNeoGrub0.mbr
03/10/2015 10:19 AM 9,216 AutoNeoGrub1.mbr
03/13/2015 04:49 PM 9,216 AutoNeoGrub2.mbr
03/13/2015 04:50 PM 9,216 AutoNeoGrub3.mbr

I also saw the files in the root of USB drive.
Directory of L:\
03/10/2015 09:55 AM <DIR> Boot
03/10/2015 10:09 AM <DIR> NST
03/10/2015 10:10 AM 273,674 ANG0
03/10/2015 10:19 AM 273,676 ANG1
03/13/2015 04:49 PM 273,676 ANG2
03/13/2015 04:50 PM 273,674 ANG3
06/27/2014 05:21 PM 391,640 bootmgr
05/05/2014 09:42 AM 50,679,808 PartitionWizard811.iso
02/25/2015 10:12 PM 125,005,824 EasyREProWindows7.iso
6 File(s) 176,780,332 bytes
1 Dir(s) 828,993,536 bytes free

I deleted those files. Evidently EasyBCD isn't cleaning up the old files when the entries are deleted.
I'm guessing the Boot dir and the file bootmgr could have stayed
but It seems the files
ANG2
ANG3
Needed to be cleaned up so the program wouldn't create
ANG4
ANG5

After everything was cleaned up this time it created:
L:\ANG0
L:\ANG1
And
L:\NST\AutoNeoGrub0.mbr
L:\NST\AutoNeoGrub1.mbr

It did boot up correctly this time. Showing me the boot menu.

It appears the program needs to clean up the old files on the USB when the entries are deleted.

I would like to find out if there is a way to add another entry to the USB boot menu to boot to the hard drive?
There are times when I would have the USB drive plugged in because I use it for fixing problems and I would re-boot the computer forgetting to remove the USB drive during the bootup.

Thank you for creating a great way to make a USB drive bootable.

Docfxit
 
You can create a NeoGrub entry on the USB and use it to chainload bootmgr on the local disk to return to your hard drive boot.
 
I found NeoGrub within the Add New Entry. I selected the Install button, and the configure button. It says:
Please see the EasyBCD Documentation for information on how to create/modify entries:
http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD/
I don't see any FAQ for ISO on USB. All I see is information for Linux.
Do you have an example of what I would put into the configuration file for ISO's on a USB?

Thank you,

Docfxit
 
Last edited:
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