Windows 7 can't see WindowsXP

ChasUGC

Member
Hi, I created a new partition on my Windows XP drive (C:smile: for Windows 7(100GB). I installed Windows 7 on the new partition, but I can't get back to Windows XP. It is invisible in My Computer and this is what I wanted but, I can't boot to it. I see it in Disk Management and it shows as a healthy Partition. But, there is no option to boot to the WindowsXP partition when Windows 7 starts up. Along with EasyBCD, I installed iReboot too but it only recognizes one operating system. How do I get WindowsXP to show up in the dual boot scenario? Please Help. Thank You.
 
Right. But, when I do that I get this error message.
"Easy BCD failed to detect a valid installation of Windows NT-2003 on all mounted drives
and was unable to continue."

Yet, I see the partition in Computer management as a healthy partition. I guess the drive is unmounted because when I go to Bootloader setup in Easy BCD, it shows the XP partition as Partition 1 (0x17- 368 GB) and the Windows 7 partition as partition 2 (C:\ NTFS - 98 GB). When I try to "Install BCD" to the XP Partition it gives another error message.
"Easy BCD cannot make unmounted drives bootable. Please assign a drive letter to the selected drive, restart Easy BCD, and try again"

I'm perplexed and I don't want to ruin my healthy XP partition, I just want to be able to boot to it.
 
You can assign it a drive letter from Computer Management, then try again. If you don't want it to have a letter, just un-assign it afterwards.

Addendum:

Oh, and *don't* install the bootloader on the XP partition, that'll ruin everything. Just add the entry.
 
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I fixed it. The problem was that partition magic 8 had hidden the XP partition so that I couldn't add a drive letter. I had used its automation "to install a new operating system" and it didn't know I wanted a dual boot scenario. Then it wouldn't let go of the XP partition after I unhide it, so that I couldn't boot to it. Finally, I went to Win 7, after unhiding and assigning a drive letter and copied all the files from the XP partition that I needed and then I reinstalled XP to its partition. Rebooted and reinstalled win 7 to its partition, then I added the new entry for XP using Easy BCD, and everything is great now. The automated process in Partition magic 8 really messed things up. I should have just kept it simple, created a new partition, rebooted, and installed Win 7 to new partition.
 
Partition Magic and others were really cool and useful back in the day, but these days there are standard, documented ways of pulling off most of their features that won't break everything else :smile:

Glad you got it working, though.
 
what is magic 8 ? where can i find it ? coz im having the same problem only windows 7 is visible and i cant find my windows xp to add it in the entry ... help me pls

and also i installed EasyBCD in my windows xp too ... what will happen then ?
help me pls coz it didnt booted my windows xp at all
 
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