Windows 7 How to get back my w7 dual boot on w8

[vsrawat]

I had working w8 on a 1TB HDD and a working w7 on 40 GB HDD

I had to format hdd and reinstall w8 due to some problems. It got installed without a hitch and is working correctly on 1 TB.

However, the dual boot option is gone, and now it is working only on w8 on 1TB.

There is an intact w7 on 40 GB but that is not booting, not even showing option, if I make that HDD the boot drive, it just stops right at the boot and says "no boot partition found" so I have to go back to w8 from 1TB.

As there is an intact w7 on 40 GB, how do I get back it to make w7 dual boot on w8?

Thanks.
--
Rawat

 

[patcooke]

Try easybcd, free version from here:

http://neosmart.net/EasyBCD/

 

[vsrawat]

Try easybcd, free version from here:

http://neosmart.net/EasyBCD/

Thanks for replying.

I already have EasyBCD latest installed and working.

When I tried Change boot drive in it, it made the 40 GB drive as boot drive for w8 (current is 1 TB to w8). so it was booting from w7 hdd but was booting only into w8 that was on other HDD. so I reset it to boot w8 from 1 TB.

It still didn't make possible to boot into w7 on 40 GB.

What I needed is ability to boot into w7 whether from 1TB or from 40 GB hdd.

Thanks.

 

[patcooke]

You don't want to change the boot drive, you just need to add a new entry for the 40gb drive - have you tried that?

 

[vsrawat]

yes, I need to make my 40 GB HDD bootable. w7 is already into it. but it is not booting.
what kind of entry to add where?

 

[Saltgrass]

There may be some confusion about exactly what you need. Is it you want to be able to choose just the Windows 7 install from the Boot Device Menu and thus need that drive bootable, or just select Windows 7 from a Boot menu after the system boots?

Could you attach a snipping tool picture of your Disk Management window using the "Upload a File" option at the bottom of the reply window?

 

[vsrawat]

When I make w7 40 GB hdd as first boot device, it just doesn't boot and there is message that system not found.

There was a working w7 64 bit installation within this hdd, but reinstalling w8 on other 1 TB hdd has removed (hidden) the Boot record on 40 GB HDD so I can't boot from 40 GB hdd nor can go to w7.

As there is only w8 1TB installation visible to my system, there is no boot menu appearing that shows w7.

So, I just want to correct that boot entry of 40 GB hdd having w7, so that windows can present a boot menu having w8-w7, and can boot from either of 40 GB or 1 TB HDD.

Thanks.

 

[Saltgrass]

Maybe a little background, in case you are not familiar.

Assuming this is a MBR configured system, Windows will boot to the first active partition it encounters with boot files. Which drive is primary is very important in this configuration.

When installing an OS, the boot files will go on the primary drive and that partition will be made active. The OS files will go whever you tell it to install. Installing other OSes will use the same active partition for its boot files. Hence, you cannot boot to the small drive because it does not have the boot files.

To make that drive bootable, or add the boot system to the small drive, you will need to make a partition on it active and then run the startup repair 3 times. It is highly suggested you disconnect the other drive so there is no confusion as to which drive is primary.

The only reason you would need a boot system on both drives (independent installs) is if you wanted to choose one or the other during the initial boot using the Boot Device menu or you wanted to remove the other hard drive.

I don't normally use EasyBCD so I cannot tell you the procedure using that, maybe Pat can.

It would really help to have the picture of the Disk Management window, so I will wait for that.

Edit: If you just want a boot menu with both OSes available, you can run EasyBCD from within Windows 8 and add another OS. There is another way using Bootrec.exe, but you already have EasyBCD working...