Windows 7 Dual Boot w/ Windows 8 - Help

[lghost]

Hello,

1TB Hard drive - Windows 7\Windows 2000 Dual Boot
2TB Hard drive - Storage
150 GB Hard drive - Windows 8
150 GB Hard drive - Fresh format, still has system restore partition from previous owner

I was given two VelociRaptor hard drives and formatted both of them inside Windows 7. One had a system restore partition that I was hoping would go away with the format but didn't. I used the one that didn't have the extra partition to install Windows 8 on.

I only did the Dual Boot Windows 7\2000 for fun and I actually want to remove 2000 but haven't yet as I read there is more to it than just deleting the partition. I was just holding it off for now.

So I placed the VelociRaptor in Sata 1 and unplugged the Windows 7\2000 hard drive to install Windows 8. Installation went great and after it was done, I shut down and plugged the Windows 7 hard drive back in but now I can't boot into Windows 8. Booting into Windows 7\2000 still works fine.

I get the error that says the Windows Boot Configuration Data is missing when trying to boot from the Windows 8 hard drive.

Thanks in advance

 

[photonboy]

Windows 8 modifies the Master Boot Record. In a system with two drives both with different Operating Systems, one of the drives is chosen to boot to FIRST, then you have the CHOICE as to which Operating System to launch to.

So Windows 8 made a change to the Windows 7 drive, you then removed that drive and thus have problems.

There are ways to fix this, but the EASIEST is to reinstall whichever Windows version you intend to use and avoid dual-booting completely as you run into issues like this. Stick with Windows 8.

Restore Partition:
The very best way to prepare a hard drive is this:
1) WRITE ZEROS to every spot on the drive http://hddguru.com/software/HDD-LLF-Low-Level-Format-Tool/

2) Add the drive (Disk Manager; create now Volume; MBR)

3) FULL FORMAT (not quick; a full format reads/writes and creates a bad sector table)

*It took 10 hours to write zeros on a 2TB drive, and 6 hours to do a full format.

 

[photonboy]

sorry about double-post. site isn't working correctly.

 

[lghost]

Thanks! I never even realized this topic was submitted as it kept telling me it was unavailable (still getting that error today) so I just gave up and tried other methods using google. I seen I posted this in a different forum on accident as well and I remembering trying to submit this many times. Sorry for not getting back to you

I had got it working somehow after messing with EasyBCD and the CMD prompt from the install discs but that was random as the error came back. I ended up giving up on that for a while to try out Windows 8 and came to realize it is the same as Windows 7 with a few different features so I said screw Windows 7 (as you suggested). Windows 8 is great! I plan on getting that Logitech T650 to really utilize it, although I may wait to see what the next version is like or even a competitor.

The only real annoying issue with Windows 8 is that sometimes I'm used to moving my mouse to corners when it is in the way (just habit) and the menus pop up, or like in Comodo Dragon (chrome) the menu button is at the top left corner and I will go to press it but the metro tabs pop up and ends up getting clicked instead.

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I don't care to go back to Windows 7 but there is a lot of stuff on that drive that I need and I don't want to format it, not now at least. I would like to remove the OS to create space if it wouldn't hurt anything else that may be installed on there. The Windows folder on the Win 7 drive uses 24 GB, could I just delete it or would it not be worth it and just wait until I can back up what I need and do a fresh format?

 

[lghost]

Best answer selected by lghost.