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wtf boot problems. xp/vista plz help!

iceman845Jan 5, 2008, 9:46 PM

ok. so frustrated. I have a hard drive with what was a fully functional xp pro system installed. I decided to format my 2nd hard drive and put vista ult on it. Cool. that worked fine, not problems there. Now when i restart my comp, it doesn't give me the option of booting into xp.

I read up on the mbr and ntldr issues about installing one before the other/ and the other way around. So i had that right, the xp before the vista, because vista incorperates the xp bootloader into vistas newly "revamped" system. NOT the case.

Please shed some light on this... i have tried to remove the vista hd and boot just from the xp drive...something about corrupt ntldr so right now i'm in the process of mending that.

And by the way i'm able to access my hd from vista. it just doesn't recognize an os is installed...

5 answers Last reply Apr 11, 2010

More about boot problems vista help

ScotteqJan 5, 2008, 11:02 PM

Here's how to repair the boot manager: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=100672
iceman845Jan 5, 2008, 11:11 PM

problem in step 2.
# Install the previous version of Windows, e.g. XP or 2000

# Log on to the older operating system and restore the latest boot manager by running the following.
CODE
bootsect.exe -NT60 All

i can't log into the older operationg system period.

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Canuck1Jan 6, 2008, 10:15 AM

Didn't you just configure your operating systems so that you can go into your BIOS and choose which hard drive you want to boot from?

This is one of the reasons I never do it that way. If you have backed up your data and can redo things, I would install XP and Vista on one drive.

XP first and then Vista.

If you can't do this and want them on separate drives, I assume you have to go into the BIOS and choose which drive to be bootable. You can then boot to the OS on that drive (which you set up in the BIOS as BOOTABLE). I'm only guessing though as I haven't done it that way before.
ScotteqJan 6, 2008, 10:18 AM

OK... Next step: http://www.vistabootpro.org/ It's free.

iceman845Jan 9, 2008, 3:39 AM

hey guys thx, i just gave up, turned one of my hd's into a storage bin for vista ult 64 bit.

canuck1: when i changed to boot order to boot from the xp drive, it gave a ntldr not found. at that time i started reading about some vista problems w/ dual hds/xp and i found sometimes it messes w/ the mbr so i just said...no not going that route lol.

scotteq: i saw that program from some other forum and i installed, told vista that there was in fact another hd w/ another os on it, and when i restarted it gave me the option from which hd to boot! i was happy!...i selected xp....and ntldr problem....lol oh well.

thx for the help guys.

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