Installed Vista dual boot, think I screwed up!

Thanks Colin.

--
Don

 

John:
I tried the registry entry that Colin wrote and it's easier to do than
setup BitLocker. Have a great day.

 

http://www.eggheadcafe.com/software/aspnet/31709611/installed-vista-dual-boot.aspx

Hi
I am at this same point.. I installed XP on a 36 raptor SATA 2, had 74 raptor plugged into SATA 3, installed xp first (clean install), then installed Vista ultimate 64. These are on 2 different HHD.. I had this b4 but was on 2 36 raptors..36 is to small for Vista.
Got it all done could only boot from bios to what ever OS I needed.. No boot menu.
So called Microsoft for help.. I am still at this point, they put on Vistabootpro we worked at it for over 12 hrs..and still not working..
Ok so I found that link above.. I read it all.
Problem is I have same problem as Don, I read all of what Colin said and others but so much to read got confused.
This is what I have now: I see the boot menu. I can boot to Vista, when I try to boot to XP I get 2 window in there: 1. Windows (Default) 2. Windows XP Professional (I put this one in at the VistaBootPro) and is doesnt work at all.. the other #1, says when I try it: <Windows root>\system32\ntoskrnl.exe says to reinstall it copy of: (How)
I am willing to reinstall all over if You:
Could start this setup again step by step so I can follow it easily..
However, I had the same problem. 2 hard drives, 2 OS, XP Pro 32 and Vista Ultimate. Installed XP first with SATA's plugged in to install Vista when XP was finished..
Thanks
Sherrie

 

Sherrie:
It sounds like after installing XP, when you went to install Vista
you changed hard drive order in the bios. If that's what was done, when I
did the same thing I re-installed Vista with the XP drive set as the boot
drive. The following articles
"http://apcmag.com/the_definitive_dualbooting_guide_linux_vista_and_xp_stepbystep.htm
and http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926185" may assist in straightening out
the problem.

 

Hey Sherrie,

I think Dennis may be on to something on your hard drive boot order, in the
bios.

I had really struggled with this, and eventually got it working using Easy
BCD Creator, but I believe not having my hard disk boot order, ie not
booting from the drive XP resides on, was what was causing me a lot of
grief.

I fairly recently, updated the bios on my motherboard. The next time, I
tried booting into XP Pro, after that bios update, it would not boot into
it, it would just restart. It would boot into Vista just fine.
Finally I remembered this, and went into the bios ( as it posts, my system
gives a message to press escape to enter the boot menu), I did so, selected
the drive XP is on, and it did just fine, giving me the choice to boot into
Vista , or XP.
I then went into the hard disc boot priority, in the bios, and saw that the
drive Vista resides on, had moved up above the drive XP resides on.
I then changed, the hard disc boot priority, to move the drive XP resides
on, to the top of the boot priority, my system once again dual boots with
Vista Ultimate 64 bit and XP Pro just fine. ( although I find myself rarely
going into XP any longer ).

If this is not it, then I am sure those links Dennis provided should help
clear some things up for you. I still am not sure I totally understand all
of this, all I know is I somehow got it working properly .

 

Sounds like the rdisk() number in boot.ini on the Vista drive is
incorrect. Try changing it from rdisk(0) to rdisk(1). In addition to
boot.ini, the root directory of the Vista drive must also contain the
Windows XP files ntldr and ntdetect.com/

 

If the drives were changed in the BIOS the XP boot files would be on the XP
drive. ndldr is already being read so the BCD is pointing to the correct
drive for the XP boot files leaving the boot.ini entry the problem. You are
right about the odds being the rdisk. Number could go either way.

 

Good to have you back John!


Tony. . .

 

Good catch, I missed it.

We've missed you, John...

 

Thanks, Charlie - but I won't accept any heroism on my part. After all, it's
'bullseye' on John's subject. Could anyone here calculate the number of
people, I wonder, who managed to iron out the wrinkles, over the years of
transition, with the combined help from John&Darrel?

I seriously doubt it!


Tony. . .