Dual Boot with XP and Vista no longer working

VinnieD711 · 11-30-2008, 09:52 AM

Dual Boot with XP and Vista no longer working:

Hello, and thanks in advance for your help here. I have 2 partitions on my hard drive (300G drive split in half) with XP on one and Vista on the other. At startup, I used to get a black screen in which I could select either XP or Vista and boot either; both had worked fine up until last week. I had originally used TweakVI/EasyBCD to do this as I had trouble getting it to work correctly.
However, after encountering a virus (see http://www.techsupportforum.com/secu...-hijacked.html) I had to wipe out and reload XP on the C:/drive. Now the computer loads straight to XP without offering me the option to choose Vista.
When I go to My Computer I still see a C:/ and a D:/ drive (XP on C and Vista on D), so D:/Vista is still 'there'. Also, when my computer starts up I do get a black screen now, but the only two choices are Windows XP and Microsoft Windows Recovery Console (installed on reccomendation from the virus issue noted above). I will post the current entry from the boot.ini file below.
Is there is anyway to [safely] modify the boot.ini file so that I will once again be offered the choice to boot to XP or Vista (or Recovery Console)?
Again, thanks in advance for your help with this issue.

========================================================
OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 3 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name *****************
System Manufacturer Dell Inc.
System Model Dell XPS710
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 15 Stepping 6 GenuineIntel ~1862 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Dell Inc. 1.4.1, 5/7/2007
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume2
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.5512 (xpsp.080413-2111)"
User Name *****************
Time Zone Eastern Standard Time
Total Physical Memory 1,024.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 555.13 MB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB
Page File Space 2.40 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys

========================================================

BOOT.INI reads as:

[boot loader]
timeout=3
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Media Center Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

**sobeit** · 11-30-2008, 10:21 AM

use vistabootpro to get your bootloader back...

http://www.vistabootpro.org/

**jenae** · 11-30-2008, 09:07 PM

Hi, since you have reinstalled XP it has ovewritten the Vista BCD. Boot from the vista dvd and select "repair this computer" run startup repair. Now when you reboot it will boot to Vista not XP. Use easybcd from within Vista to create what you had before a black screen with the option to boot Vista or XP with Vista as the default.

VinnieD711 · 12-01-2008, 04:08 PM

sobeit & jenae-

Thanks for responding and for the suggestions. I am in the process of fully backing up all files on the d: (vista) drive, just in case. I am guessing that if I do what jenae suggests that the c: drive will still contain whatever files are on it, but will probably back all those up too just to be safe. Thanks.

11-30-2008, 09:52 AM	#1 (permalink)
VinnieD711 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 6 OS: Windows XP Media Center Edition	Dual Boot with XP and Vista no longer working Dual Boot with XP and Vista no longer working: Hello, and thanks in advance for your help here. I have 2 partitions on my hard drive (300G drive split in half) with XP on one and Vista on the other. At startup, I used to get a black screen in which I could select either XP or Vista and boot either; both had worked fine up until last week. I had originally used TweakVI/EasyBCD to do this as I had trouble getting it to work correctly. However, after encountering a virus (see http://www.techsupportforum.com/secu...-hijacked.html) I had to wipe out and reload XP on the C:/drive. Now the computer loads straight to XP without offering me the option to choose Vista. When I go to My Computer I still see a C:/ and a D:/ drive (XP on C and Vista on D), so D:/Vista is still 'there'. Also, when my computer starts up I do get a black screen now, but the only two choices are Windows XP and Microsoft Windows Recovery Console (installed on reccomendation from the virus issue noted above). I will post the current entry from the boot.ini file below. Is there is anyway to [safely] modify the boot.ini file so that I will once again be offered the choice to boot to XP or Vista (or Recovery Console)? Again, thanks in advance for your help with this issue. ======================================================== OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 3 Build 2600 OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation System Name *************** System Manufacturer Dell Inc. System Model Dell XPS710 System Type X86-based PC Processor x86 Family 6 Model 15 Stepping 6 GenuineIntel ~1862 Mhz BIOS Version/Date Dell Inc. 1.4.1, 5/7/2007 SMBIOS Version 2.3 Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32 Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume2 Locale United States Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.5512 (xpsp.080413-2111)" User Name *************** Time Zone Eastern Standard Time Total Physical Memory 1,024.00 MB Available Physical Memory 555.13 MB Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB Page File Space 2.40 GB Page File C:\pagefile.sys ======================================================== BOOT.INI reads as: [boot loader] timeout=3 default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS [operating systems] C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Media Center Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect __________________ Thanks in advance, VinnieD711

11-30-2008, 10:21 AM	#2 (permalink)
sobeit TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: NEAR Posts: 7,433 OS: windows/linux	Re: Dual Boot with XP and Vista no longer working use vistabootpro to get your bootloader back... http://www.vistabootpro.org/ __________________ there's been global warming since the ice age

11-30-2008, 09:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
jenae Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,308 OS: XP & Vista	Re: Dual Boot with XP and Vista no longer working Hi, since you have reinstalled XP it has ovewritten the Vista BCD. Boot from the vista dvd and select "repair this computer" run startup repair. Now when you reboot it will boot to Vista not XP. Use easybcd from within Vista to create what you had before a black screen with the option to boot Vista or XP with Vista as the default. __________________

12-01-2008, 04:08 PM	#4 (permalink)
VinnieD711 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 6 OS: Windows XP Media Center Edition	Re: Dual Boot with XP and Vista no longer working sobeit & jenae- Thanks for responding and for the suggestions. I am in the process of fully backing up all files on the d: (vista) drive, just in case. I am guessing that if I do what jenae suggests that the c: drive will still contain whatever files are on it, but will probably back all those up too just to be safe. Thanks. __________________ Thanks in advance, VinnieD711