Please help me.... hide vista from xp problem..

kitaus

Member
Ok, I have XP installed on disk0 first partition and vista on second partition... Now as you know when you boot into XP it deletes vista's restore point.... Ok now heres the problem. I have used the latest beta build of EasyBCD and using NEOGRUB i have used this script:

Code:
# 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
# [url]http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD[/url]

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

OK, it works to the point where i can boot into XP with the vista drive hidden... But i can not boot back into Vista... i get an error of: CANT FIND Autochk.exe ... then computer reboots... To get back into Vista i have to boot back into XP and choose Unhide Vista, So as you can see ive been back to XP without Vista hidden so there goes Vista restore point..... ANY IDEAS?....please...:lup:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi kitaus, welcome to NeoSmart Technologies.

This is a problem several other members have had, we're currently developing an entire standalone program to automate the entire process, if you could hang in there for a bit :smile:
 
Thanks for getting back to me ... i will keep an eye here for more info on your new app...:smile:

OK, i found that when i want to go back into vista i just go to the XP boot menu and choose Unhide XP then i hit the RESET button on the pc and then boot to vista... no problems and i still have my restore point...lol
A bit of mucking around but it works....
 
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That reminds me: you can set it to auto-reboot:

Code:
# 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
# http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD

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
reboot

That should spare you a bit..
 
Hi Rock, welcome to NST.

How does it function ?

If it truly sets the partition "hidden" in the partition table as its name suggests, then it might make the system unbootable if you (deliberately or accidentally) hide the "system" partition.

If it's modifying the registry key(s) to make drives "offline" in the running system, then it's just an automation of the microsoft registry hack, which makes it a useful tool, but not necessarily an effective solution. (That technique is not always effective in all configurations, mine for example).

For PCs like mine, where the registry hack is ineffective at protecting system restore, the NST solution (Vista Hide 'n Seek (HnS)) (talked of as a future development in this old thread), has long been available.

It uses the technique of hiding partitions in the partition table, but does it dynamically at boot time.
 
I was asking how it hides it Rock. What technique it uses.
It makes a difference whether it would work for everyone, or whether it's dependent on system configuration.
When you hide one system from another, how does it appear in Explorer, and in Disk Management ?
 
That's the link I already posted Peter. The point being that it's a technique that doesn't work in all cases, so if that's what M Hide is automating, it's not a substitute for HnS.
If it's really setting the hide bit in the partition table, then doing that from a running OS, is not a safe or wise thing to do. (and probably too late to protect restore points anyway once XP has booted.
 
sorry for the misinformation

sorry for the misinformation

m hide drives does not work- it hides the xp partition from inside vista and the vista partition from inside xp but restore points are still deleted or lost.


to the fumbling fondler:
i have reloaded my system over 1000 times and many times because of beta program vista hide and seek. please contact me when stable
 
HnS has been stable at that build since August 2008 Rock, working perfectly.
Describe the problem you're having.
There's a description of how it works in an update to this old blog entry.
Are you using it correctly, and if so what's it doing that it shouldn't ?
 
thanks terry- for the last year i have just been using vista without restore points, it was easier to just reload. but i will have another go at it- thanks rocky

Addendum:

update: yet another failed attempt still counting 1001

same thing wont boot into vista or xp- i get hns screen then black screen with some error message about rebuilding partition blah blah blah fdisk compatible blah

i did notice my d and c drives switch

inside xp C is xp drive- D is vista
inside vista C is vista drive D is xp
 
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Disk letters are a figment of the imagination of the running system (entries in its registry). There is absolutely no reason why 2 different systems should see disk letters in the same way, unless you go to the lengths of making them identical by your own customization efforts.
That has absolutely nothing to do with HnS.
Please paste the contents of the HnS installation log (you'll find it in the same folder that you ran UI.exe from), so I can see what it did (or didn't) do. And a screenshot of your Disk management would be useful too.
 
Good evening Gentlemen. Thanks to you (Mahmoud and Terry) I'm confidently venturing forth into the murky undergrowth of the multi-boot. My reasons are simply to become familiar with multiple systems. Would it be mostly correct to say that with each new operating system installed, the area concerned with redirecting the boot process towards a partition is overwritten? My experience with Vista 32bit Ultimate, Ubuntu Linux (9.04) and WinXP SP3 (in that order) has required EasyBCD to reinstate its menu in that area every time.
Just a side note, the tutorial for Ubuntu that I followed perhaps pertains to an earlier version of the package? Having installed it twice (to be sure) I did not find any means in which to prevent GRUB from overwriting EasyBCD - i.e.: writing itself only to the partition associated with Ubuntu. Is this expected or did I misread or have they moved the posts again?
Much appreciating the information, software and help on this site. Many thanks
 
Hi Plants, welcome to NST.
Windows (since NT) will respect a pre-existing Windows installation, and generally dual-boot it automatically, provided that the later version is installed after the earlier .
By putting XP on after Vista, you broke the MS rule of "oldest first", so didn't benefit from the backward compatibility built in to each new system. That's why you had to repair the Vista boot.
Ubuntu will default to taking over the boot process, but is clever enough to recognize XP and Vista automatically and allow you to dual-boot them through grub.
If you allow it to take over, but you wish Vista's to be the controlling boot manager, you'll have to repair the boot yet again.
Ubuntu does at least have the facility to prevent grub from taking control. It's the "advanced" button on the grub installation page (steps 4 and 5 in the tutorial)
If you'd installed XP, then Vista, then Ubu with "advanced", you would have avoided the 2 Vista repairs.
 
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