Currently running a dual boot set-up on the home PC - XP & Vista 64.

Was having some trouble with Via drivers on XP so decided to unload one of them.

Trouble is the Via loader seems not to have updated the pointer list after te removal. Consequently, XP starts to boot and then resets, presumably at the point in the loader list where the Via pointer was.

Can't use the Recovery tool on the XP disk, because XP can't see the MBR as it sits in Vista.

Tried to run the bootcfg in windows/system 32 directory of XP using the / rebuild command in the command prompt window - came up with error saying it needed 32 bit OS to work.

Is there a way round this ? Or is the XP installtion stuffed ?

Nick,

10/05/08

Hi m8,

I run XP and Vista dual booting but Vista is 32 bit, not 64 bit. I installed XP on the first partition then Vista on the second. If you install Vista first then XP, the XP install overwrites the Vista MBR.

If you can boot into Vista you might be able to download and run Vista BootPRo to sort the bootloader.

Am i making sense or confusing matters?

No. There is a 64 bit version of Vista and that's what I've been using.

Software » Operating Systems - Overclockers UK

That said, not all the component dlls and sys files are 64 bit.

I installed XP second and used a similar shareware program to the one you used, Easy BCD, to create a revised MBR to access both partitions. I undertsand that this revised MBR sits, by default in the Vista partition.

On start-up, I am given the choice between XP or Vista. If I select XP, the MBR link in Vista takes me to the XP bootloader, the XP logo appears and the system starts to load the XP system files and then, at the point where it used to load the particulat Via drivers, it generates an unmaskable interrupt and resets the system.

The software recovery program on my MS XP disc looks for a complete MBR in XP format, and can't see it because the XP partition does not contain the full MBR data code, as part of it is sitting in the Vista partition. Hence it reports OS not found. Its not written to follow the Easy BCD links from the Vista to the XP partition.

I'll have to find the original installtion docs and see if the installation process can be reverse/re-engineered.

Nick

XP is a bit finnickety about its boot partitions.

By the sounds of things you want to do a "repair" install of XP?

in order to do a repair install you just boot the normal xp installation and select install to the same partition that XP is on.. if you dont format it, it will delete all the standard XP os files, and then re-install XP. so when you boot up it has kept all your programs and data.. although in theory it never works perfectly.. especally when you have a un Servicepacked CD and your old XP was servicepacked

I'm afraid since my last post, I've dug the hole a little deeper.

I decided to reverse the dual boot installation process by removing the Easy BCD revisions to both MBR entries. So, I was left with just two partitions, with one containing Vista and the other XP.

I then tried a reboot to see if anything would load-up.

Vista came-up and loaded no-problem - it had been installed first originally. The Vista DISKPART function showed the VISTA and XP partitions intact, as originally installed.

Obviously, no sign of XP in a straight boot to the Hard Disk.

But when I tried to access the XP partition on the hard disk using the only available method, the XP CD, the functionality of the installed XP had now degraded to the point where, on boot it wouldn't even recognise the Hard disk, either under the repair or new install options - pressing F6 and invoking the load additional SCSI drivers option had no effect.

So it appears, that in removing the Easy BCD MBRs, that I've removed the reference to the modified ATAPI entries in XP partition necessary to access SATA drives - which mine is.

Vista has built-in SATA drivers and so still loads, whereas these were only available to XP, from service pack 1, as add-in options.

So, I'm now envisaging that I'll have to prepare a slipstreamed XP + XP SP 1 CD just to get access to the XP hard disk installation, so that I can then go on and repair the XP installation !

Or is there a quick way round this ?

I must have encountered this when I first installed XP, I can't for the life of me remember how I got round it - I'll have a look at my earlier posts.

Nick,

11/05/08

Hi m8,

I run XP and Vista dual booting but Vista is 32 bit, not 64 bit. I installed XP on the first partition then Vista on the second. If you install Vista first then XP, the XP install overwrites the Vista MBR.

If you can boot into Vista you might be able to download and run Vista BootPRo to sort the bootloader.

Am i making sense or confusing matters?

Sorry mate, I meant to say that the Vista i run is 32 bit, not 64 bit! Going to read the other posts now to see if i can come up with anything.

No. There is a 64 bit version of Vista and that's what I've been using.

Software » Operating Systems - Overclockers UK

That said, not all the component dlls and sys files are 64 bit.

I installed XP second and used a similar shareware program to the one you used, Easy BCD, to create a revised MBR to access both partitions. I undertsand that this revised MBR sits, by default in the Vista partition.

On start-up, I am given the choice between XP or Vista. If I select XP, the MBR link in Vista takes me to the XP bootloader, the XP logo appears and the system starts to load the XP system files and then, at the point where it used to load the particulat Via drivers, it generates an unmaskable interrupt and resets the system.

The software recovery program on my MS XP disc looks for a complete MBR in XP format, and can't see it because the XP partition does not contain the full MBR data code, as part of it is sitting in the Vista partition. Hence it reports OS not found. Its not written to follow the Easy BCD links from the Vista to the XP partition.

I'll have to find the original installtion docs and see if the installation process can be reverse/re-engineered.

Nick

Hi NIck,

The problem lies with the way the OS's have been installed. XP does not know what Vista is but Vista knows what XP is.

When you install Vista 1st then install XP, XP overwrites the Vista MBR and you cannot boot back into Vista until you use BCD edit or VistaBootPRO in XP. Whereas if you install XP first then Vista you will be met with the screen to choose what OS you want at boot. I know that if you can boot into one and download VistaBootPRO you should be able to repair the non working OS.

I could be wrong though.

What can you boot into just now?

Chuck Linux on there. and you will end up with a new bootloader with 3 boot options. A quick fix if one is needed.

Chuck Linux on there. and you will end up with a new bootloader with 3 boot options. A quick fix if one is needed.

Thats true.

I once had XP, Vista and Linux.

The only thing was you got to make another partition first using GPARTED if i remeber correctly. I used PCLinuxOS. I found it very stable and it had a good repository of software. The only thing i had bother with was my wireless card in my notebook.

Hi NIck,

The problem lies with the way the OS's have been installed. XP does not know what Vista is but Vista knows what XP is.

When you install Vista 1st then install XP, XP overwrites the Vista MBR and you cannot boot back into Vista until you use BCD edit or VistaBootPRO in XP. Whereas if you install XP first then Vista you will be met with the screen to choose what OS you want at boot. I know that if you can boot into one and download VistaBootPRO you should be able to repair the non working OS.

I could be wrong though.

What can you boot into just now?

I can boot and load Vista directly from the hard disk. I can see the XP partition and file structure from Vista. I can access about 50 % of XP files from

Vista.

XP won't boot at all. If I go through the hard disk, the Windows Xp logo appears and then the machine resets. If I use the XP disc to boot the system and then try to repair it, it says it can't find the disk.

I think that this is happening because I damaged the reference on the XP hard disk to SATA drives (My disk is a seagate SATA) by removing the faulty Via Raid/SATA driver. Further XP did not support SATA drives until SP1(2003 ?) - the Windows XP disk I have is prior to SP1.

I recall that when, I installed XP as the second OS I had to press F6 during installation to install the appropriate Via SATA drivers from the disk supplied by the motherboard manufacturers (2002). Now that solution worked then, but when I tried to do that last night the system reported during the installation (Module linking ?) that an incorrect reference was being made by the Via SATA driver to the SP1 folder on the XP hard disk.

I think that this is so low level and subtle that I'm going to have to do a complete re-install. I've no guarentee that a slipstreamed start-up disk (XP + XP SP1) will work and it will take just as long to put together as a complete re-install.

Nick,

12/05/08

Hi Nick,

Its all getting confusing now and i bet for you frustrating. I have never had to install SATA drivers prior to OS b4 because all my notebooks have came preinstalled with SP1 or they have had PATA drives.

What PC do you have? What OS did it come with from the factory? I presume that you install the SATA drivers from a floppy?

Home built.

Based on an Asus A8V deluxe motherboard (Socket 939) (2006 ?), currently fitted with an AMD dual core running at 1.8 Mhz and 1Gb memory. Seagate 450Gb SATA hard disk.

Award BIOS flashed to most recent version, 1008.

XP software on the hard disk was fully upgraded to date, obviously including SP 1 + 2.

Nick,

12/05/08

Hi Nick,

So you installed XP first then Vista. You cannot access XP but you can access Vista. When in Vista you can see the XP partition. All correct so far?

If i was you try this before reinstalling everything.

Boot into Vista, download and install VistaBootPRO. On the sixth tab from the left labelled System Bootloader you have options to reinstall the bootloaders. Try this mate and keep fingers crossed.

Or......

Without looking at previous posts i cant remeber if you sid you have done this. Boot from your XP install disc by enabling BIOS to boot from CD-ROM. Select Recovery and it should ask you to install the disc you got if using a SATA drive. Foolow the prompts and it should reinstall the XP bootoader.

Only thing is is that the Vista Bootloader will now be overwritten. To overcome this download and install VistaBootPRO under XP and on rebooting you shall have the option again.