Dual Booting Windows 7 x64 and Windows XP x64

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daniel-sage

Member
[SOLVED] Dual Booting Windows 7 x64 and Windows XP x64

I have been trying to dual boot Windows 7 and Windows XP, both 64 bit, but EasyBCD is giving me an error saying that it can't find NTLDR or NTDETECT.com, but XP x64 uses a different boot loader that I do not know of.

I know that this is not much information, but I have been having trouble with adding XP to my Windows 7 boot list. As said above, EasyBCD can not help with this, automatically anyway.

Should I use an older version, or try to use the bcdedit commands and hope it works?

Please help, I am becoming confused.
 
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Please use the latest EasyBCD version:

EasyBCD 2.0 Beta Builds

It contains an auto-config feature for boot.ini, and it will install a copy of NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM in the "system" partition if they don't already exist.
So, basically, just re-add the XP entry in the latest version, accept the offer to auto-configure, and that's it. No extra work necessary. :smile:

Cheers.
 
I am currently using version 2.0 but it just gives an error saying that it couldn't locate NTLDR and then adds it to the list anyway. My Windows XP never had a NTLDR or NTDETECT.COM as it is a 64-bit installation.
 
daniel-sage said:
I am currently using version 2.0 but it just gives an error saying that it couldn't locate NTLDR and then adds it to the list anyway. My Windows XP never had a NTLDR or NTDETECT.COM as it is a 64-bit installation.
Click to expand...
ALL XPs use a NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM (64-bit or not). Without them, they can't boot. They also can't boot without a boot.ini.
EasyBCD ships with either copies of those files which it places in the correct place when you add an XP entry, or it contains the code to write its own from scratch (I don't remember which, I think its the latter). So I can't explain why its saying it can't locate NTLDR.
Can you post a screenshot of your Disk Management, then post a screenshot of the root "directory" of your "system" partition according to Disk Management?

Also, what build of EasyBCD are you currently using?
 
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Here are my screenshots, by the system drive, I took that as the XP drive because with Windows 7 the system drive is "System Reserved."

Disk Management :
25kpp9l.jpg


System Drive (System Files Showing) :
2w7pgeo.jpg


I know that on the System Drive there are no NTLDR, NTDETECT.com, or boot.ini and that is most likely why it is not booting, but I can not add them.

EDIT : The C Drive is Windows 7 and the D Drive is Windows XP
 
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What version of EasyBCD 2.0 are you using? In the about dialog it should say "2.0.0.100"

Delete the XP entries, and add them again. Read the dialog that comes up very carefully - it's offering to create NTLDR and NTDETECT for you. Press "Yes" and it'll create them.

Then reboot to test.
 
Your XP is a logical disk.
Windows can install to, but cannot boot from a logical disk.
That's why you can't see NTLDR. All XP's boot files have been installed in the "system" partition (that's the flag, not the label). It just happens to be the one also labelled System Reserved by the W7 install.
Let EasyBCD 2.0 auto-configure, and don't change the drive it specifies.
 
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@Computer Guru
It never prompted me asking whether or not to create them, it just said they weren't there.

@Terry60
Now it works, I am curious as to why it wasn't working before that but thanks.
 
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