Windows 7 Unremovable "Windows 7 x64" Entry in the boot menu (Not even with EasyBCD).

[navienavnav]

Alright,

A few days ago I tried installing a 64 Bit version of Windows 7 Ultimate on my computer on a different partition. Now the installation itself didn't give any trouble and both the windows i.e The old 32 bit and 64 bit can boot without problems.

However today I decided to get rid of the Windows 7 64 Bit as I wasn't really using it and was just eating up space. So I opened up Easy BCD to get rid of the entry for the 64 bit one. But no matter what I do (Deleting it, re-making the boot files, resetting the bootloader) the entry doesn't go away. When I reboot, it's still sitting there after anything and everything I try.

I need to get rid of it. Please enlighten me as to what can be done.

Thanks.

 

[davehc]

The problem is possibly that when you installed 64Bit, as a second OS, it set up the new dual boot menu as it own, on that partition. You should be able to sort it out with EasyBCD. There is the option to reqwrite the MBR. How have you tried it? Otherwise, insert your 32Bit DVD in, boot up, and do a startup repair.

 

[navienavnav]

Thanks for your reply.

Yes, I have already tried all the available option in EasyBCD...

I have tried,

"Reset BCD Configuration"
"Recreate/repair boot files"

But after doing this, the entry of the 64 Bit OS doesn't show up in EasyBCD BUT it's still there when you boot the computer.

 

[Saltgrass]

Open an administrative command prompt and type bcdedit which will show your boot menu. If you want to take a picture and attach, use the paperclip, but bcdedit will delete entries in the bcd store. Commands are available with the /? switch. Try this command to get an example to remove an entry.

bcdedit /? /delete

Something I find useful when working in the Command window is the copy and paste ability. It works in a little different manner than you might be used to, but it does work. If you have to copy the instance you want to delete, that makes it much easier.

EasyBCD (version 2 or above), as davehc recommends, should have been able to remove the entry, if you are looking at the correct bcd store.

 

[navienavnav]

This is what bcdedit is showing me...

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\nav>bcdedit

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=C:
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {current}
resumeobject {4f5620b4-f163-11dd-80e6-0021853b9ac0}
displayorder {current}
{current}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 10
displaybootmenu No

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {current}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7 x86
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence {4f5620b6-f163-11dd-80e6-0021853b9ac0}
recoveryenabled Yes
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {4f5620b4-f163-11dd-80e6-0021853b9ac0}
nx OptIn

Which one is the entry that I am using? That is the one I am on? That is the 32 bit one? And precisely what command should I use to get rid of the 54 bit one?

Thanks again.

 

[Saltgrass]

You only have one boot option, the first set of entries is the boot manager, and the second is the boot loader. If you had 2 installs to which to boot, you would have another entry like the second one.

How do you get to the x64 install? Do you get a boot menu, or are you choosing to boot from different media?

 

[navienavnav]

I get a boot menu.

It shows two options, both with the same name. But one boots me into the 64 one and the other one boots me into the 32 one.

Another thing..when i try to rename the one that is being shown (i.e. the 32 bit) and when I reboot the computer i find that both the entries in the boot menu have been renamed. I tried to rename my x86 entry to "Windows 7 x86" so that one could differentiate between the two entries while booting but both the entries get renamed to "Windows 7 x86".

Thanks.

 

[kaos]

rebuilding ther bcd only repairs " Boot Config directory"

if you go to start, type msconfig, select boot, at the top you should hopefully see the one you want to delete

to rewrite the mbr, there its two commands when trying a repair

bootrec.exe /fixmbr
bootrec.exe /fixboot

try these and let me no

 

[navienavnav]

Hello kaos,

This is what I am seeing under "boot" in msconfig...

Windows 7 x86 (C:\Windows) : Current OS; Default OS
Windows 7 x86 (C:\Windows) : Current OS; Default OS

That is, I am seeing the same entry twice. How do I know which one is the one that I want deleted?

 

[Saltgrass]

Are both of these installs on the same hard drive? Davehc brings up you may have separate BCD stores for some reason. You might check if bcdedit produces different results based on which OS you boot into. Since there can only be one active partition on each hard drive, and you cannot have duplicate folders, it does not seem likely you could have this situation on one drive.

You might also set your system to view both hidden and system file and look for a Boot folder. This is where the BCD store is kept.

Maybe a picture of your Disk Management details would help. You can use the snipping tool to take the picture and attach.

I do notice two things which mean you are familiar with the boot system. You do not have the System Partition Windows 7 normally installs unless you pre-format the drive and you show a "do not show boot menu" entry in the BCD store.

The only other thing I could even imagine is that somehow the bcd store has become corrupted and replacing it as you tried did not actually remove the corrupted one. Or the boot manager is directing you to another boot menu

To replace the boot files, you can use the BCDBoot.exe utility.

A command to replace the store would be:

bcdboot C:\Windows

Have you used any other OSes on your system that might have left traces, and are you sure the boot menu you are seeing is a Windows 7 one? Any External drives installed?

 

[kaos]

it SHOULD be the same as when your pc on the one u selected


when u boot your pc it comes with a black screen and one to select, so if you selected the top one and the other one is the one you dont want then you would delte the bottom one within the msconfig screen

HOWEVER

that IS how you remove it, i will not be responsible if you delete the wrong one,

 

[navienavnav]

Yes, both are on the same hard-drive but different partitions.

Yes, the boot menu that I am saying is the windows one. I had once had Ubuntu 10.10 on my machine but I had no trouble removing it and I had never used grub. I always used windows bootloader.

Here's the screenshot of my Disk Management Utility.

Link Removed

There is this one thing I'd like to mention here. The drives as visible above in the screenshot are what I see from the perspective of the x86 install. What I mean to say is that when I had decided to install the x64 version, I installed it in the "E Drive". BUT, when I boot in the x64, I notice that the same "E Drive" is now shown as the "C Drive" in "Computer" and accordingly, all the drive letters get changed. And when I boot back into the x86 one, everything is still the same as it used to.

I don't get it, what does that mean? Obviously the partitions aren't exchanging content. Then why are the drive letters changing and E becoming C drive in the 64 bit OS?

And yes, I do have an external hard disk now but I didn't have it when I had installed the x64 one.

 

[Saltgrass]

The OS will always be C:, because the registry is set up that way. Sometimes it is better to talk about the partition number as opposed to its letter.

If you know the x64 install is on E: or your third partition, can you format it to clean it off. I do not know if having logical partitions is adding to the problem, but if you cannot change the name on one of the boot options, it is probably some type of mirror entry.

Is there some reason you have logical partitions instead of primary?

 

[navienavnav]

Even if I format my third partition and get rid of all the files on it, isn't the entry still going to be there in the boot menu? Or will it automatically be removed? And what do you exactly mean by a "mirror entry" ?

I have no idea why have logical partitions instead of primary

 

[kaos]

then delte the one you dont select from msconfig when you boot

 

[navienavnav]

I see.

I'll take a complete system backup on my external hard drive (System Image) and then I'll go with your suggestion Kaos. If everything is well, I should boot up just fine. If not, I can restore my system back to the original state. I'll let you guys know what happened.

Thanks.

 

[navienavnav]

@Saltgrass.....

YOUR METHOD WORKED!!!

The bcdboot.exe one !

@Kaos, I couldn't delete the way you told me because the delete option for both the entries was greyed out.

Thank you everyone!!!! I wish you all good day and a handful of cute babies in the future!