Windows 7/XP Dual Boot-Boot MGR Missing every restart.

Skeetzy

Skeetzy

Member
I'll start with what I'm trying to get done, and then what's going wrong. I'm looking to Dual Boot with Windows 7 and XP, while having 7 installed first. I have two SATA HDD's, one is a 1TB, and the other is a 640GB. I'll refer to the drives by their size from now on, to avoid confusion. I originally used this guide to help me install this.

Originally, I wanted to leave my 640GB as a backup drive, so I partitioned the 1TB into two halves, leaving Windows 7 on one. I installed XP to the second partition, and kept running into errors. Boot MGR missing, ntoskrnl.exe missing, etc. The only way I was able to get around that, after several startup repairs, was the oddest procedure. I would tell the system to boot from my Windows 7 OS disc, and then ignore the "press any key to boot to CD" prompt, which would then prompt me to choose what OS I wanted to boot into. If I didn't do that, it just got stuck at whichever "____ is missing" screen it decided too.

Okay, so got fed up with trying that configuration, as I had a feeling my boot files were being put on wrong partitions, or whatever was going wrong. Imaged back to my clone I made right before this whole mess. So I decided to do it what I considered a slightly easier configuration. Keep Windows 7 on the 1TB, and partition the backup 640GB drive to have XP and my backup drive. I was able to install XP no problem, get .net Framework installed, downloaded EasyBCD. I was prompted with the "Windows 7 BCD cannot be found" prompt, and wasn't able to edit the BCD in XP. So after a few startup repairs, was able to get into Windows 7, install EasyBCD, add the XP menu option, and check out the settings. I noticed my NST folder was pointed to the backup partition on the 640GB, so I moved the folder to the right partition, and used EasyBCD to tell it where it was. Then I restart, and am prompted by the BOOTMGR is missing. I disconnected the 640GB, booted into the Windows 7 disc, and I've tried 3 start up repairs, and then a manual repair via command prompt and /FixMBR, /FixBoot, /RebuildBCD, with a restart in between each. I shutdown after the final try, reconnect the XP drive, boot up, and hello BOOTMGR missing.

Where am I going wrong? As of right now, I can't get into either OS. I have hands on all installation discs, as well as another computer if need be.

Thanks ahead!

Edit:

Almost forgot, I do have BIOS set to boot from the 1TB first out of all devices. And as of right now, I got the boot loader menu showing, allowing me the option to choose which OS it boots into. But I have a feeling BOOTMGR is going to go missing anytime now. So let's keep addressing this as it's not fixed. Ill update again if I fixed it myself! Thanks!
 
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"..........my NST folder was pointed to the backup partition on the 640GB, so I moved the folder......."
There's your problem.
The install, (or EasyBCD depending on how you set up the dual-boot) put things where they have to be. If you go moving them, the boot won't work.
A Windows install will put its boot files in the "active" partition of the highest priority HDD in the BIOS HDD boot sequence no matter where you put the rest of the OS. If you want them in a particular place, you must make sure it obeys the above rule as you are doing the install.
If you didn't, setup will put them where they have to be in order for the subsequent boot to work.
If you then move some of them without making sure that the "active" flag, the rest of the boot files and the BIOS also reflect that change then you'll break the boot.
Put W7's HDD at the top of the BIOS HDD boot sequence. boot your W7 DVD, and run startup repair (do that 3 times)
Boot W7, start EasyBCD, delete any previous entries for XP.
Add a new XP entry, let EasyBCD auto-configure it.
Don't change what it sets up.
 
Terry60 said:
"..........my NST folder was pointed to the backup partition on the 640GB, so I moved the folder......."
There's your problem.
The install, (or EasyBCD depending on how you set up the dual-boot) put things where they have to be. If you go moving them, the boot won't work.
A Windows install will put its boot files in the "active" partition of the highest priority HDD in the BIOS HDD boot sequence no matter where you put the rest of the OS. If you want them in a particular place, you must make sure it obeys the above rule as you are doing the install.
If you didn't, setup will put them where they have to be in order for the subsequent boot to work.
If you then move some of them without making sure that the "active" flag, the rest of the boot files and the BIOS also reflect that change then you'll break the boot.
Put W7's HDD at the top of the BIOS HDD boot sequence. boot your W7 DVD, and run startup repair (do that 3 times)
Boot W7, start EasyBCD, delete any previous entries for XP.
Add a new XP entry, let EasyBCD auto-configure it.
Don't change what it sets up.
Click to expand...

I appreciate the prompt response. I'm aware of what moving system files around does, but didn't see it being an issue as the program allowed me to adjust what folder it was to look at for those files. I do see how that caused myself an issue though. But what ended up fixing this was similar to what you suggested. After I moved the NST folder back to the XP partition, I restarted the system, and was prompted by BOOTMGR missing. Here's my steps I took to getting it to dual boot properly(and with no issues up to now!). I wish I had paid more attention to which partitions were marked Active, so I could include that in my steps, but I had adjusted them a day or two prior. My apologies.

1) Powered down, disconnected the XP drive, leaving the Win7 drive connected.
2) Boot into Windows 7 DVD.
3) I ran 3 start up repairs, with a reboot in between each. Then, after another failed reboot, did a Command Prompt repair.-/FixMBR, /FixBoot, /Rebuild Bcd. One more failed reboot, one more manual command prompt repair.
4) Voila, successful boot into Windows 7.
5) Shut down, reconnect all drives, and reboot.
6) Booted into Windows 7, ran EasyBCD. Now due to the startup repairs, it lost my settings for the XP entry. I re-added the XP entry, adjusted it to wait for user selection instead of 30 second countdown(a timesaver if you ask me, I hate rebooting because I was A.D.D. and looking away from screen), and re-wrote the MBR/BCD back into the Win 7 Bootloader.
7) Reboot, and VOILA. I am now prompted to go to either of the OS's I like. I have tested both several times, and it's working wonders.

Hopefully this helps someone who may be having the same issue! As a word of advice, follow what Terry volunteered for info, as he has a bit more experience. Don't move system files around!
 
"Don't change what it sets up"
Sorry, didn't mean to imply no customization of the boot menu.
Of course you're free to change timeout and menu item descriptions to whatever you want.
The above only referred to where it puts things, and where it tells you they are ( a lot of people are confused by the fact that the BCD XP entry doesn't point to XP, but to the "system" partition (where the boot files have to be), and will insist on going to the advanced options and "fixing" the "mistake" they perceive).
Slightly confused by your point 6).
Just to clarify for future readers of this thread. It is only necessary to "add entry" from the "add new entry" screen to effect a new item in the boot menu.
Write MBR is another thing entirely and should never be used unless you've lost the Vista/7/8 boot by overwriting it with XP or Linux.
 
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