Windows 7 Windows 7 boot manager

[pb2525]

Hi

I have installed W7 RC as a subsequent install to XPSP3. All was well. I need to reinstall XP however I do not want it to kill the boot manager. Any advice on how to proceede?

Paul

 

[ickymay]

personally I would install XP then recover win7 with the "recovery disc" and run EasyBCD to reset the boot manager

If you want to use Easy BCD in XP you will need to download and install Link Removed and EasyBCD

for details on managing dual boot systems i don't think there is a guide on this forum but there are some great guides out there on the net, maybe try google

 

[pb2525]

Thanks ickymay

I have found EasyBCD and I think it will do the job. Why do you think W7 would need recovering, personaly I was just thinking i would need to fix the boot manager.

Cheers Paul

 

[ickymay]

Thanks ickymay

I have found EasyBCD and I think it will do the job. Why do you think W7 would need recovering, personaly I was just thinking i would need to fix the boot manager.

Cheers Paul

well the XP install takes over the boot so I prefer to get back into win7 then find XP with EasyBCD

 

[pb2525]

Thanks ickymay, I can see that is a safe approach, have not used the recovery console in W7, so I was not sure.

Are you doing this as a dual-boot scenario? Cus, if I follow this correctly... you had XP, added Windows 7 but, lost BOOTMGR... Now you have 7 & want to put XP back. Would be spell it out for me before I attempt offering you any (maybe helpful) comments. Thanks.

I have been through installs of 7 for multi-boot set up & had the BOOTMGR disappear & had to fix it/get it back. Still I need a better, clearer understanding of your scenario before I offer anything more.

Regards,
Drew

"A scan a day keeps the nasties away."

Hi Drew

OK, I had XP, Installed W7, all is still good. I have not lost the boot manager. However I want to reinstall clean XP and I know it will grab the boot manager, so I was looking for an easy way to reinstall XP that reinstate the bootmanager to its current state (dual boot)

Cheers

Paul

 

[SIW2]

Ickymay,

Have you actually done that - and did 7 startup repair do it automatically - so you could boot straight back into 7?


I take it startup repair didn't add XP into the boot menu , and you needed to do it from within 7?

 

[ickymay]

Ickymay,

Have you actually done that - and did 7 startup repair do it automatically - so you could boot straight back into 7?


I take it startup repair didn't add XP into the boot menu , and you needed to do it from within 7?

yes but I didn't say anything about "startup repair"

I used the windows "recovery disc"

once back into win7 i then use EasyBCD to find the XP install

I have done this many times with 100% success rate running a triple boot system previously across two hard drives but currently all on one hard drive in multiple partitions

 

[SIW2]

Thanks for the response.

I take it you mean the recovery disc that you create with recdisc.exe ?

Those are the same system recovery options that are on the dvd.

That's what I meant by startup repair, LOL. Sorry if it wasn't very clear.

It automatically searches and attempts to fix startup errors. I.E. the first thing it does is to go into Startup Repair automatically.

It also finds the installed o/s, you then highlight the one you want, click Next and select startup repair, cmd prompt, system restore, restore a previously created pc image, etc.

Interesting it rewrites the NT6 bootsector and a Vista/ Win 7 mbr automatically.

The Vista startup repair won't do that - you need to select cmd prompt and use bootsect.exe and fixmbr commands.

Fascinating if that is what it does.

I hope I understood you correctly?

 

[pb2525]

I have done this many times with 100% success rate

Hey. that was not becouse you had to fix mistakes by your teenage son was it????

Paul

 

[ickymay]

Hey. that was not becouse you had to fix mistakes by your teenage son was it????

Paul

lol no moving from beta to beta and of course tweaking it until it broke

 

[ickymay]

Thanks for the response.

I take it you mean the recovery disc that you create with recdisc.exe ?

Those are the same system recovery options that are on the dvd.

That's what I meant by startup repair, LOL. Sorry if it wasn't very clear.

It automatically searches and attempts to fix startup errors. I.E. the first thing it does is to go into Startup Repair automatically.

It also finds the installed o/s, you then highlight the one you want, click Next and select startup repair, cmd prompt, system restore, restore a previously created pc image, etc.

Interesting it rewrites the NT6 bootsector and a Vista/ Win 7 mbr automatically.

The Vista startup repair won't do that - you need to select cmd prompt and use bootsect.exe and fixmbr commands.

Fascinating if that is what it does.

I hope I understood you correctly?

yes but you do have pretty much the same thing for Vista where you simply use the recovery disc as described here

If you use startup repair in Vista or Win7 you do get an option to select cmd prompt for using bootxect.exe etc but the recovery disc is a more automated process using a pre created or downloaded ISO to make a CD