Dual boot XP to Vista
Need some help. Got a new machine with Vista Home Premium installed. Attempted to load Partion Magic 8.0 to no avail. Used Vista to partition the HDD. Loaded Windows XP on the new partition and "lost" Windows Vista? Could not see the partition, only the partition with XP. Formatted the HDD and installed Window XP Professional. I could now "see" the partition that once housed Vista. I installed Vista Premium 64 bit on said partition. Problem is that I can not access XP. I can "see" the "D" drive housing XP, and I can open up files in it, but I can not load it? When I get to the boot screen, if I choose "Earlier version of Windows" I end up with a blue screen that reads: stop:0x0000007b (0xf789e63c,0xv000000e,0x00000000,0x00000000). If I choose Windows Vista, Vista loads perfectly. I have tried "Easy BCD 1.7.2", and "VistaBoot Pro 3.3.0". My configuration is: C: Vista Ultimate 64 bit, D: Windows XP Pro, and E: Boot Magic (which isn't so "magic"...smile...). Thank you in advance for your help. I have already invested three days trying to get this to work. Next project is my new laptop...
Answers
Hi,
Please understand that Windows Vista will always regard itself as Partition C even if it is installed on another partition.
To configure a dual boot system, I suggest using the following method:
1. Format the entire drive
2. Create at least two partitions.
3. Install Windows XP on the first partition (Partition C) and install Windows Vista on the second partition (Partition D).
After that, you can boot into both Windows XP and Windows Vista.
It is expected that in Windows Vista, the Windows Vista partition shows as Partition C.
Please try the above steps and let me know the result.
Tim Quan - MSFT
All Replies
Hi,
Please understand that Windows Vista uses different startup files and procedures. It is recommended to install Windows XP first and then install Windows Vista. After that, we can boot both Windows XP and Windows Vista. If you install Windows XP after Windows Vista is installed, Windows XP will boot properly but Windows Vista will not. You can try the following method to make Windows Vista boot again:
1. Insert the Vista disk into DVD-ROM.
2. Click Start, click Accessories, right-click the command-prompt shortcut, and then click Run as Administrator.
3. Type the following command at a command prompt and press Enter:
Drive:\boot\Bootsect.exe /NT60 All
In this command, Drive is the drive where the Windows Vista installation media is located.
Note The boot folder for this step is on the DVD drive.
4. type the following commands at a command prompt and press Enter.
Note In the commands below, Drive is the drive where Windows Vista is installed.
Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /create {ntldr} /d "Windows XP"
Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /set {ntldr} device partition=x:
( Note: x: is the drive letter for the active partition. For example, if Windows XP is installed on C drive, device partition=c: )
Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /set {ntldr} path \ntldr
Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /displayorder {ntldr} /addlast
3. Restart the computer.
For more information, please refer to the following article:
Windows Vista no longer starts after you install an earlier version of the Windows operating system in a dual-boot configuration
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/919529/en-us
Hope this helps.
Tim Quan - MSFT
Hi Tim,
Thank you for your help. I should have been more clear in my post. After everything that I had tried failed, I did format the hard drive (again...)and install XP Professional first. It was at this point that I was able to install Partition Magic along with Boot Manager and I thought that it would be clear sailing from that point on. It has been a few days since I did all of this and it is starting to get a little fuzzy, but as I recall when I went to format the HDD the second time around I couldn"t see the partition that had originally housed Vista Ultimate. All that I could see was the approx. 130 GB's that I had partitioned for XP. It was on this partition that I reinstalled XP, then put in my Vista Ultimate disk and when I got to the screen that asked where I wanted to install it, I then saw my approx. 350 GB's, did another format and install Vista. I did just notice something however. Vista is on my "C" drive and XP is on my "D" drive. The "C" drive must not have been visable to me when I tried formatting all 500 gigs. At any rate, I can open up folders in my "D" (XP) drive but I can not boot to it. I can only boot to Vista. If I understand your instructions correctly, my situation would be reversed? Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated. Again, thank you for trying to help.
Hi,
Please understand that Windows Vista will always regard itself as Partition C even if it is installed on another partition.
To configure a dual boot system, I suggest using the following method:
1. Format the entire drive
2. Create at least two partitions.
3. Install Windows XP on the first partition (Partition C) and install Windows Vista on the second partition (Partition D).
After that, you can boot into both Windows XP and Windows Vista.
It is expected that in Windows Vista, the Windows Vista partition shows as Partition C.
Please try the above steps and let me know the result.
Tim Quan - MSFT
Hi Tim,
Thank you again for your reply and help. I installed XP on another PC (so that I can use my contact manager and financial program) for the time being. I need to get some "real work" done before I can take the time to back up the HDD on this PC and start the process from scratch. I am hoping that I will be able to get to it this weekend. I will let you know the results.
- Tim Quan said:
Hi,
Please understand that Windows Vista uses different startup files and procedures. It is recommended to install Windows XP first and then install Windows Vista. After that, we can boot both Windows XP and Windows Vista. If you install Windows XP after Windows Vista is installed, Windows XP will boot properly but Windows Vista will not. You can try the following method to make Windows Vista boot again:
1. Insert the Vista disk into DVD-ROM.
2. Click Start, click Accessories, right-click the command-prompt shortcut, and then click Run as Administrator.
3. Type the following command at a command prompt and press Enter:
Drive:\boot\Bootsect.exe /NT60 All
In this command, Drive is the drive where the Windows Vista installation media is located.
Note The boot folder for this step is on the DVD drive.
4. type the following commands at a command prompt and press Enter.
Note In the commands below, Drive is the drive where Windows Vista is installed.
Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /create {ntldr} /d "Windows XP"
Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /set {ntldr} device partition=x:
( Note: x: is the drive letter for the active partition. For example, if Windows XP is installed on C drive, device partition=c: )
Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /set {ntldr} path \ntldr
Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /displayorder {ntldr} /addlast
3. Restart the computer.
For more information, please refer to the following article:
Windows Vista no longer starts after you install an earlier version of the Windows operating system in a dual-boot configuration
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/919529/en-us
Hope this helps.
Tim Quan - MSFT
I followed these instructions and managed to get the boot manager to come up upon restart but only had the options, Windows Vista or Load an earlier version of windows, When I selected Load an earlier version of windows the computer just restarted.. ?
