Make it clear

K

konic

Member
Hi guys (and gals).
I came here in a desperate attempt to recover Windows 7 booting after installation of Windows XP.
The point is that all over the INTERNET EasyBCD is claimed to be a panacea for this.
And only much later running through the forum posts I found that EasyBCD IS NOT for Windows XP !?
It was designed for Vista/Windows 7 in mind.
Plus there is prerequisite - .NET 2.0 MUST be installed !?
I wish you had it on the first page of EasyBCD:

1. Supported platforms: Vista and Windows 7.
2. .NET 2.0 must be installed no matter if you already have 3.5 or 4.0 installed.

That would save me time and nerves.
Please, make it clear for others do not post something like
"Why it does not start on Windows XP?" and "What that .NET Error actually means?".
konic
 
EasyBCD is a .NET app.
It works on any version of Windows with .NET 2.0 SP1 installed
Vista and 7 have that level integrated at installation, no need for you to do anything.
(if you have a problem on Vista/7 your .NET environment is corrupt)
Most XP users will have installed the necessary environment in normal use through Windows update, but a newly installed XP will need to be brought up to that level before you can run EasyBCD (or most of the other thousands of .NET apps).
XP installation CD does not include it. You need to do it through WUD before the environment becomes ready for use.
EasyBCD is not for an XP only environment.
As the name implies, it manipulates the contents of the BCD (a Vista/7 feature exclusively). It's fine for inclusion of XP into a Vista/7 multiboot environment.

Addendum:

http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD/Supported+Operating+Systems
 
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EasyBCD works on .NET 3.5, even if 2.0 is not installed. It does NOT work on 4.0 alone, but this isn't something to do with EasyBCD, it's an MS design decision.

.NET 2.0 apps will run on .NET 2.0 - 3.5
.NET 4.0 is a "rewrite" and completely abandons backwards compatibility.
 
Konic,

Welcome to the forum.

“I came here in a desperate attempt to recover Windows 7 booting after installation of Windows XP. The point is that all over the INTERNET EasyBCD is claimed to be a panacea for this.”

When you installed Windows XP you broke the boot loader for Windows 7. You can use the Windows 7 recovery CD to repair the boot of Windows 7. Once back in Windows 7 you can install Easy BCD there in Windows 7 if you wish. Then you can add a boot entry for Windows XP in Easy BCD in Windows 7.


Windows 7 recovery disk:


Skip the USB part if you have a DVD drive and you’ll might bring a blank disc.
http://neosmart.net/forums/showthread.php?t=7805

http://neosmart.net/forums/showthread.php?t=6923

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2083-system-repair-disc-create.html


Recovering the Vista Bootloader from the DVD - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki
http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD/Recovering+the+Vista+Bootloader+from+the+DVD


Easy BCD main documentation page:
http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD/EasyBCD+Documentation+Home


Adding a Windows XP entry after Windows Vista ( works the same as Windows 7):
http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD/Installing+XP+After+Vista
 
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Thanks All .

Before I saw these answers I started to read:
Installing XP After Vista - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki
I have some notes, although I understand that developers (myself included) do not like to write docs.
Third bullet (Once in EasyBCD, go to the "Bootloader Setup" page,..) is not clear because
there are two buttons and combobox on that page:
- InstallBCD (btn)
- Write MBR (btn)
- Partition: (cb)
Instruction does not say
a) which partition I have to choose,
b) do I have to press "Install BCD" before I press "Write MBR"?
I'll try that advice with recovery disk 'though. See what will happen.

Thanks again,
konic

P.S. OK, using repair disk and EasyBCD on Windows 7 I restored that lost OS.
The only confusion I had was when I pressed "Add Entry" nothing happened!?
I mean, I waited several minutes to see some popup with "All Done!" or something.
Nope. Eventually I gave up and rebooted.
 
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There are 2 completely separate functions on the bootloader setup page.
The first says create bootable external media.
This is for making a bootable flashdrive for example.
Use it on your OS and you will break it !!

After you add a new entry (it doesn't take any discernable time), you should immediately be able to see it in "view settings" or "edit boot menu"
 
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