Dual boot problem after XP reinstall (Win7 + WinXP) complicated

rokotiili

Member
Hi guys,

I was hoping I wouldn't have to start a new thread and post, but feels I have tried everything and can't get it to boot back to Win7.

So: originally I had installed WindowsXP on drive C.. and Windows7 on drive E (one harddrive, separate partitions). I even have another partition with OS X installed,
and had them all 3 working perfect in a triple boot. Then I had to reinstall WindowsXP and now I can't seem to be able to boot into Windows 7 to be able to add the other Systems to the boot loader. Doing it from WinXP don't seem to work.

I have been using EasyBCD, wrote the Vista/Win7 bootloader to the MBR and added XP as an entry. Doesn't work.

It says :
"Invalid boot.ini file
Booting from C:\Windows"
and after this boots smoothly to WinXP.

I have tried booting from Win7 CD, going to Command Prompt and doing

bootrec /FixMbr
bootrec /FixBoot
bootrec /RebuildBcd

It found the Win7 installation (only win7, not xp at all) on the E drive and seemed to think it set the drive to boot from there next, but nope.
Same Invalid boot.ini message and straight to XP after that.

Now tried also "bootsect /nt60 E:/" and still no luck.

I am wondering what could possibly be wrong, because it seems nothing is affecting the bootsector/bootloader. Writing it from EasyBCD won't result in me booting to Windows7, rebuilding it from Win7 CD in command prompt doesn't seem to do it either.

Here is how my boot.ini looks, shouldn't be any problems there. Windows7 shouldnt even be looking at the boot.ini surely?

; This boot.ini was automatically generated by NeoSmart Technologies' BootGrabber.exe
; Use EasyBCD from EasyBCD - Take control of your boot loader | NeoSmart Technologies to manage your bootloader

[boot loader]
timeout=15
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP on C:\" /fastdetect

If anyone can advise me in any way, would be hugely appreciated. Thank you.

EDIT: Tried also to boot from Windows 7 CD, go to Command Prompt by hitting Ctrl+10. Then with "DISKPART" I set the correct Windows 7 partition as ACTIVE. Now for the first time it seemed to do something (it doesn't complain about boot.ini and load XP) but this time it says BOOTMGR missing...

EDIT2: Tried as well doing the DISKPART, setting Win7 partition to active, then re-doing the bootrec /FixMbr and bootrec /FixBoot and bootrec /RebuildBcd... Same problem at startup, BOOTMGR missing.
 
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Hi Terry,

Thanks for your answer. Yeah I have followed the steps there, no luck... So basically what can I do to make my Windows 7 load again? Nothing but re-install it, or? Thing is I have musical projects there that would be extremely complicated to recover (not just the data, but to be able to have them run as they should do... big pile of plug-ins that are required for each song etc)...

There's no way of writing all that Win7 bootfile information back onto the XP drive?

Thanks for any help :smile:

EDIT: Part 3 I was unable to try, as it says thats only possible to do in Win Vista/Win7... and obviously I'm only able to boot to XP...

"Select "Re-create/repair boot files" then "Perform Action" to begin recovery." <- Part 3.
 
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I'd recommend always using the latest Beta
It's only once in a blue moon that the Beta is a significant change from what went before and its users become "testers". (only once in my 5 years here when the UI was completely redesigned, did the changes break a lot of the underlying linkages). Mostly each build is a slightly better version than previously, with a fix for the occasional rare newly discovered esoteric bug, or support for yet another change to a new Linux build's boot process. The linked thread will inform you of the nature of any changes from previous versions. You can subscribe to the thread to get notifications of new builds.
 
unfortunately even the latest 2.2 beta, when clicking Re-create/repair boot files, says "Unsupported Operating System! This option is only available on Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8" .... what to do? :frowning:

EDIT: also says same for "Change boot drive" option. Reset BCD configuration it allows to do in XP also, but that hasn't helped.
 
Sorry, you're right. That facility has been withdrawn from EasyBCD now to avoid legal problems with MS if XP-only users were to use it.
The only way to completely rebuild is using the W7 repair disk booted directly.
 
OK I gave up on trying to make the Windows 7 work... I have the DVD, but it doesn't for some reason give me any option to Repair when I boot from it. Maybe it was not the same DVD I installed from, been a while.

Now, more importantly, I am trying to get my OS X working, like it used to do.

0Have added the chain0 to the root of the drive + added the text to boot.ini.

Somehow it seems that no matter what I do, it will say the same

"Invalid boot.ini file
Booting from C:\Windows"

on the startup...

Any tips how could I at least get it to see the boot.ini on the C drive so I could at least make the Win XP and OS X dual boot work?

I have no idea how come it's complaining about boot.ini... this is how it looks like:

; This boot.ini was automatically generated by NeoSmart Technologies' BootGrabber.exe
; Use EasyBCD from EasyBCD - Take control of your boot loader | NeoSmart Technologies to manage your bootloader

[boot loader]
timeout=15
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP on C:\" /fastdetect
c:\CHAIN0="Apple Mac OS X x86"



Shouldnt be anything wrong there, no?



Thanks a million for any help.
 
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