Where is my boot configuration data store?

I

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Hello, I have windows 7 installed (but hidden from boot). I also have XP installed, and it is all I can boot into because I installed XP after I installed 7. I am following method 2 from this tutorial: Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and XP - Windows 7 Forums But whenever I run EasyBCD I get this error: The boot configuration data store could not be opened. The system cannot find the file specified. I have tried to search for anything *.bcd but all I find is one file in the folder where easybcd is installed. I do have hidden files showing as well as system files. Please help.
 
Check Disk Management for the "system" flag.
That's the location of all the boot files.
The BCD is inside the \boot folder. Everything else is in the partition root.
You will need folder options set like this to see them. Boot files are "super hidden".
Make sure you 're using the latest version of EasyBCD
 
Can you tell me how to check for the system flag please? I've looked through all I can in disk management and can't find it. I assume my windows 7 partition is what is needed to be flagged as system right?
 
I have attached an image of my disk management window. As you can see my flags are wrong, my XP and 7 drives are clearly labelled so you can see.

I don't know how to correct the flags though, I can't find any way to do it from within Disk Management. Where are the settings to change the flags?
 

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That's not wrong. It's just XP.
My screenshot was from Vista. Vista and W7 give you full information.
XP implies one flag with another and assumes you know that.
"system" implies "active" (the sytem files are IPL'd from the "active" partition), and "boot" must also be the "system" partition in the absence of it being anywhere else.
Navigate to C:\boot\BCD when you open EasyBCD.
Alternatively, change your BIOS so that the storage drive is not higher priority in the boot sequence than the OS drive.
That way the system will boot faster, and EasyBCD won't be confused about where you've hidden the BCD, and will locate it automatically.
 
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I have no boot folder on any drive, and there are no *.bcd files anywhere except one in the folder in which EasyBCD is installed. My folder options are set exactly as shown above, so these files/folders are definitely not there.

I assume these files are supposed to exist?

What do I do if they don't?

Addendum:

OK I've made some progress.

EasyBCD now works fine, and looking through it everything is set correctly. The bootmenu is set to display windows 7 then xp and they point to the correct drives.

However, when I reboot I still get no boot menu, it just goes right into XP still.

Addendum:

Isn't there a program that will look at my drives, see two windows installations, and then create a corresponding boot menu? Or is that too simple?
 
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Before you set up the entries in the BCD, you need to put W7 back in control of the boot.
At the moment you have the XP boot manager in charge, and that won't take any notice of the BCD. (It doesn't even know it exists).
EasyBCD > Bootloader Setup > MBR configuration options > "Install the Vista/7 bootloader ..." > Write MBR
AND CORRECT THE BIOS BOOT SEQUENCE FIRST !!!
 
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