Retroactive dual boot Win7 / Vista

C

clauswobbe

Member
I've run Vista Ultimate 32-bit for a couple of years and have now installed Win7 Ultimate 64-bit on a separate HD. I disconnected the old HD and simply did a complete Win7 install on a new HD. So, now I have a PC with 2 HD's and I can boot up in either by making the switch in the BIOS.

Is it possible to use EasyBCD to create a dual boot "retroactively", based on my current installation?

Thanks in advance.

Addendum:

I just tried the new v2 og EasyBCD and this was the result when I started it:

"There is one entry in the Windows Vista bootloader.

Default: Windows 7
Timeout: 30 seconds.
Boot Drive: C:\

Entry #1
Name: Windows 7
BCD ID: {current}
Drive: C:\
Bootloader Path: \Windows\system32\winload.exe"
 
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EastBCD 2.0 | Add/Remove Entries | Windows tab, Vista W7 dropdown | point the drive to whatever letter W7 sees the Vista partition as.
 
Wow! So it IS possible! :smile:

Should I boot in Vista and do the above, or should I boot in Win7 and do it? Or doesn't it matter?

Addendum:

When I boot in Win7 this OS is on drive C and EasyBCD says "Windows 7" under "Managing Existing Entries". When I boot in Vista, THAT OS is then also on C, since that drive has been switched in BIOS.
 
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The BCD doesn't use disk letters. It identifies partitions by UIDs.
EasyBCD translates those unintelligible UIDs into disk letters as seen by the version of Windows in which you're running it.
If you installed both systems independently, then they will each think of themselves as C:\, and see the other as notC:\, and EasyBCD will also see the system it's running on as C: and the other system as the same letter it has when you look at it in Explorer.
Run EasyBCD and add the 2nd system to the BCD on whichever system you wish to be in control of the boot (the 1st one in the BIOS boot sequence).
 
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