Vista replaces MBR - is there an option to disable this???

Hi,

I've written a boot manager (www.sadevelopment.com) that allows you to boot
up to 256 operating systems with logon security. It uses a custom MBR to
launch itself, but when this customer boots Vista, Vista replaces the MBR.
I only have this with one customer. I've installed Vista myself as numerous
other customers have with no issue.

Way back when the Vista beta was out I saw this behavior. I have to think
there is some option or setting in Vista that was enabled during the beta
that did it and that this customer must have that option enabled somehow.
He says it is not running beta, but he says it has SP1. Does anyone know of
an option or registry setting like this?

Thanks,

Alan

terca novie;941012 Wrote:
> how about using vistabootpro to see what the bootmanager is up to
>
> you can even uninstall and reinstall the vista bootmanage
>
> 'VistaBootPRO Download - Softpedia
> (http://www.softpedia.com/progDownloa...oad-40162.html
>
> select a mirror to downloa
>
> "Default User" <nospam38925@xxxxxx> wrote in messag
> news:0074c9bc$0$23773$c3e8da3@xxxxxx> > >
> > > Hi
> >
> > > I've written a boot manager ('www.sadevelopment.com
> > (http://www.sadevelopment.com)) that allows you t
> > > boot up to 256 operating systems with logon security. It uses
> > custo
> > > MBR to launch itself, but when this customer boots Vista, Vist
> > replace
> > > the MBR. I only have this with one customer. I've installed Vist
> > mysel
> > > as numerous other customers have with no issue
> >
> > > Way back when the Vista beta was out I saw this behavior. I have t
> > thin
> > > there is some option or setting in Vista that was enabled during th
> > bet
> > > that did it and that this customer must have that option enable
> > somehow
> > > He says it is not running beta, but he says it has SP1. Does anyon
> > kno
> > > of an option or registry setting like this
> >
> > > Thanks
> >
> > > Ala
> > > > >

VistBootPro is a ripoff of the actual original program called EasyBC
by Neosmart Technologies. 'Download EasyBCD 1.7.2 - NeoSmar
Technologies' (http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1

When installing multiple OSs or simply different versions of Window
each should already be installed since each installer will see it's ow
new entries placed in the boot drive's mbr replacing others. Any 3r
party boot loader is the last thing to be installed

--
Night Hawk

Hi Night Hawk,

> When installing multiple OSs or simply different versions of Windows
> each should already be installed since each installer will see it's own
> new entries placed in the boot drive's mbr replacing others. Any 3rd
> party boot loader is the last thing to be installed.

My product keeps each OS in its own SEPERATE partition, so they don't mix
and are hidden from each other, and they are installed normally.

I am still looking for an answer to my original question.

Thanks,

Alan

Hi,

So no one knows of a ini option or registry setting that enables/disables
this??

Thanks,

Alan

Hi,

I suspect your user has the mbr (I'm assuming your utility is installing to
its own small volume?) marked as their "system" or "active" volume and not
the installation (or "boot")volume. When Vista is loaded, it is detecting
and repairing its "system" volume. To fix it, I'd think they would have to
redesignate their "boot" volume as also being the "system" volume via the
recovery console.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

"Default User" <> wrote in message
news:00608d82$0$10092$...
> Hi,
>
> So no one knows of a ini option or registry setting that enables/disables
> this??
>
> Thanks,
>
> Alan
>

Hi Rick,

Thanks, I'll look into that.

Alan

"Rick Rogers" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Hi,
>
> I suspect your user has the mbr (I'm assuming your utility is installing
> to its own small volume?) marked as their "system" or "active" volume and
> not the installation (or "boot")volume. When Vista is loaded, it is
> detecting and repairing its "system" volume. To fix it, I'd think they
> would have to redesignate their "boot" volume as also being the "system"
> volume via the recovery console.
>
> --
> Best of Luck,
>
> Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
> http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
> Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
> My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com
>
> "Default User" <> wrote in message
> news:00608d82$0$10092$...
>> Hi,
>>
>> So no one knows of a ini option or registry setting that enables/disables
>> this??
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Alan
>>
>

Hi Rick,

I'm still trying to figure this out.

Customer is running x64 version with the newer style boot mechanism
(bootmgr, bcd).

I did a fresh install of vista sp1 x64 and it does not do what the customer
version does. It replaced the MBR one time during setup, but once my boot
manager reactivated itself (putting its mbr back in), vista does not replace
the mbr again.

The customers pc is different, each time he boots vista, it replaces it.

I will have him report the attributes he has from diskpart...

Thanks,

Alan

A snip from diskmgmt.msc might help as well.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

"Default User" <> wrote in message
news:006b1167$0$11532$...
> Hi Rick,
>
> I'm still trying to figure this out.
>
> Customer is running x64 version with the newer style boot mechanism
> (bootmgr, bcd).
>
> I did a fresh install of vista sp1 x64 and it does not do what the
> customer version does. It replaced the MBR one time during setup, but
> once my boot manager reactivated itself (putting its mbr back in), vista
> does not replace the mbr again.
>
> The customers pc is different, each time he boots vista, it replaces it.
>
> I will have him report the attributes he has from diskpart...
>
> Thanks,
>
> Alan
>

Hi Rick,

Here it is:

http://home.earthlink.net/~alank2/DD.jpg

The first 8mb partition is where my boot manager resides. The third
partition may represent more partitions that are hidden from the WVista.

WVista (C is the problem child, when booted it will always replace the MBR
everytime...

Thanks,

Alan

Hmm, so it's definitely not what I thought might be the problem. I see no
immediate reason for Vista to be writing to the mbr to fix anything. Does
this system have boot-time protection enabled in the system BIOS?

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

"Default User" <> wrote in message
news:00077356$0$32675$...
> Hi Rick,
>
> Here it is:
>
> http://home.earthlink.net/~alank2/DD.jpg
>
> The first 8mb partition is where my boot manager resides. The third
> partition may represent more partitions that are hidden from the WVista.
>
> WVista (C is the problem child, when booted it will always replace the
> MBR everytime...
>
> Thanks,
>
> Alan
>