Vista Bootfiles on wrong partition

Z

ZuM

Member
Hello there!! :smile:

Obviously Vista has installed the bootfiles on a wrong Partition...i have a 160GB SystemHDD (SATAII) divided in two partitions (C: = Windows XP Prof, D: = Windows VISTA Home Premium) + another SLave HDD (IDE, empty).

After the installation of vista i wondered why my computer still only boots XP without any possibility to choose between the two OS.

I finally found these files on my slave disk:

$WINDOWS.~LS (=directory)
$DRVLTR$
BOOTSECT.BAK

When booting from C:, Windows XP starts immediately, but when booting from SLAVE (!) my Vista comes to life...

Now the question is: How can I get the DualBootmanager on my systemdisk without destroying any of my OS? Is this realizable with EasyBCD? What will I have to do?

I´m really thankful for your help! (Sorry for my bad English, I do have to read a lot of english/american journals and books at university, but i cannot USE the language anymore... :smile: )
 
Hi Zum, welcome to NST
I don't know how the Vista bootloader ended up on your IDE disk, (I can only think it is marked "active" and was detected before the SATA disk) but you should be able to correct the situation fairly easily.
If you temporarily disconnect the IDE disk, boot your Vista DVD and select "repair startup" when offered the choice, it should put the Vista bootloader back on your SATA disk with an automatic dual-boot menu.
(you may need to do it more than once - it seems to repair the boot in stages).
When you've got the Vista boot back, you can reconnect the IDE drive.
 
Hey Terry!

Thanks for your help! :smile: But there´s a bigger problem coming up now: right, the vista bootloader has been repaired by the repairtool from the installationDVD now and vista starts fine...but there´s no dualbootmanager, i can´t start my XP :frowning: :frowning:

What do i have to do now?? I´ve heard a lot about problems with installing XP after Vista and i could imagine that this is the same situation now...
 
Just use EasyBCD to add an entry for your XP system.
Start here if you don't know how
http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD/Add+and+Remove+Entries

Don't worry, you're almost there.
If after you've added the entry, you have trouble with the XP boot, just follow the XP troubleshooter link.
All known problems are listed there, and they're all easy to fix.
 
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