Phatmass Technical Support Corner

[Innocent]

Seeing that there's already a [url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/topic/90003-caths-corner/"]Home Remedies/Household Tips[/url] thread, I thought we might have one for technical quandaries.

Okay, let me get the ball rolling:

I've been trying without success to get Windows XP to dual boot* on a PC already running Windows 7. Does anyone have any experience with this?


Arfink? L_D?


[size=1]*If I succeed in this, the next step is to set up a triple-boot with either Fedora 16 or Slackware added after this. [/size]

Edited February 19, 2012 by Innocent

[MIKolbe]

you need to reverse the polarity between the flux capacitor and the warp core.

MY GOODNESS, HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW THIS??????

[Papist]

Don't need a thread for this. A simple web search usually does the trick. Be careful.

[url="http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/8057-dual-boot-installation-windows-7-xp.html"]http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/8057-dual-boot-installation-windows-7-xp.html[/url]

[url="http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/8790/dual-boot-your-pre-installed-windows-7-computer-with-xp/"]http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/8790/dual-boot-your-pre-installed-windows-7-computer-with-xp/[/url]

[MIKolbe]

LMGTFY!

[Papist]

No need. That is what I did.

[bernadette d]

On a similar note can any of you tell me why when I copy and paste from "Word" I have to re-format everything?........thanks in advance

[MIKolbe]

because you are not only copying the text, you are copying the format that the text was in. i normally paste-special and do not copy the formats, then it will copy into the format you are in

[Innocent]

[quote name='Papist' timestamp='1329665047' post='2389349']
Don't need a thread for this. A simple web search usually does the trick. Be careful.

[url="http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/8057-dual-boot-installation-windows-7-xp.html"]http://www.sevenforu...ndows-7-xp.html[/url]

[url="http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/8790/dual-boot-your-pre-installed-windows-7-computer-with-xp/"]http://www.howtogeek...mputer-with-xp/[/url]
[/quote]

I found those guides plus several others a couple of weeks ago, and have been through all those steps meticulously, after which I am stuck.

System Specs:

OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit.
uP: Pentium Dual Core 3GHz.
RAM: 2GB.
HDD: Seagate 500GB.
Motherboard: Asus P5G 41TM LX3

What I have been doing this past fortnight:

(First, the system setup i'm attempting to create is Win 7 in C:\ [already exists and works fine] and Win XP in D:\ [now attempting to install] )

Used Windows Disk Management and created D:/ , a primary partition (also created an ext3 and a swap partition for Linux in advance).

Formatted as NTFS.

Slipstreamed Driver Packs SATA drivers into Windows XP cd. (Turns out that I didn't need them after all.)

Booted from Windows XP cd, went through installation steps.

Tried all possible combinations: use exisiting filesystem, delete partition, create new partition, format as NTFS, quick format/slow format.

Setup copies windows files.

But when it restarts, it doesn't go into the XP setup completion stage. Instead I get:

Black Screen #1:

[CODE]
Invalid Boot.ini file
booting from C:\windows

[/CODE]

Next Black Screen:

[CODE]
Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
<windows root>\system32\ntoskrnl.exe.
Please re-install a copy of the above file.
[/CODE]

I scoured the net, and read through several forum posts.

Downloaded EasyBCD.

Added Windows XP to boot menu.

[CODE]Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {9dea862c-5cdd-4e70-acc1-f32b344d4795}
device partition=C:
path \bootmgr
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
default {c41230ae-5a03-11e1-8102-f7075d69a90d}
displayorder {c41230ae-5a03-11e1-8102-f7075d69a90d}
{466f5a88-0af2-4f76-9038-095b170dc21c}
timeout 30

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {c41230ae-5a03-11e1-8102-f7075d69a90d}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7 Ultimate (recovered)
locale en-US
recoverysequence {c41230af-5a03-11e1-8102-f7075d69a90d}
recoveryenabled Yes
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {62ddab8b-59d8-11e1-8009-806e6f6e6963}

Windows Legacy OS Loader
------------------------
identifier {466f5a88-0af2-4f76-9038-095b170dc21c}
device partition=D:
path \ntldr
description Microsoft Windows XP[/CODE]

Reboot and expect to continue with setup. Same black screens as above. No dual boot options appear.

Rescue Windows 7 using the Windows 7 DVD and system startup repair with the following:


[CODE]
bootrec /FixMbr
bootrec /FixBoot
bootrec /RebuildBcd

[/CODE]

Decide to edit the boot configuration manually.

Perform the following:

[CODE]bcdedit /create {ntldr} /d “Windows XP”

bcdedit /set {ntldr} device boot

bcdedit /set {ntldr} path \ntldr

bcdedit /displayorder {ntldr} /addlast[/CODE]

At least now I get a dual boot menu with Windows 7 and Windows XP options.

Windows 7 boots normally, but when attempting to enter XP, same black screen appears.

So attempt editing BCD again :

[CODE]bcdedit /create {ntldr} /d "Windows XP"

bcdedit /set {ntldr} device partition=X:

bcdedit /set {ntldr} path \ntldr

bcdedit /displayorder {ntldr} /addlast[/CODE]

There are some forums which say that the drive letter X above should indicate the partition where XP is installed, and some other forums that say it should indicate the partition that has Windows 7. So I try both, one after the other. Neither works. Same black screen.

So I boot into Windows XP installation CD again, and press R for repair and attempt to repair the boot:

[CODE]
ATTRIB -H C:\\boot.ini
ATTRIB -S C:\\boot.ini
ATTRIB -R C:\\boot.ini
del boot.ini
BOOTCFG /Rebuild *
CHKDSK /R
FIXBOOT

[/CODE]

[color=#ffa07a]* At this stage, I find out from Control Panel>Advanced System Settings>[/color][color=#ffa07a]Performance>Settings>Data Execution Prevention[/color] that this processor (Pentium Dual Core) supports Intel XD / DEP. So I enter the settings [b]/fastdetect[/b] [b]/noexecute=optin[/b]

exit and reboot.

Same old black screens.

Windows 7 Startup Repair once again. This time, using graphical mode from the rescue boot option.

Once again use Windows XP CD and enter Repair Console:

Try to restore ntoskrnl.exe

Detect CD drive using map. It's J:\

So I type:

[CODE]expand j:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ D:\Windows\System32\ntoskrnl.exe[/CODE]

exit and find no change, so for good measure, I also try expanding the file to C:\

[CODE]expand j:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ C:\Windows\System32\ntoskrnl.exe[/CODE]

Still no change. Able to boot Win 7 but same error message when attempting to boot Win XP.

Boot into Win 7. Select "Show system files" in Windows Explorer folder options.

I find the the following files in C:\

[CODE]
boot.ini
bootmgr
ntdetect.com
NTLDR
[/CODE]

They are also in the little 100MB System Reserved Partition that Win 7 creates when it installs.

For good measure, I also place a copy of these in D:\

Make backup of boot.ini.

Remove "Read-only" tick from properties window. Open boot.ini in notepad++.

[CODE]
[boot loader]
timeout=20
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Windows XP on D:\" /fastdetect /noexecute=optin[/CODE]

Everything seems as it should be, since

System Reserved 100MB Bitlocker partition = Disk 0, Partition 1
Windows 7 C:\ drive = Disk 0, Partition 2
Windows XP D:\ drive = Disk 0, Partition 3

But just in case XP boot manager does not recognise the Bitlocker partition, I try changing the partition(3) above to 2 in all the copies of the boot.ini and reboot again.

Once again, I'm greeted with Window 7's dual boot screen, which lets me boot Windows 7 but gives the same error messages when I try to boot Windows XP.

Well, now that you know what I've tried, any ideas?

Edited February 19, 2012 by Innocent

[Innocent]

[quote name='MIkolbe' timestamp='1329664039' post='2389346']
you need to reverse the polarity between the flux capacitor and the warp core.

MY GOODNESS, HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW THIS??????
[/quote]

Wait... I'll try this and get back to you.

[sidemunch88]

this is to complicated for the lame board

[Innocent]

MiKolbe, you are an EVIL PRACTICAL JOKER. I tried what you said and it caused the plasma injectors to heat up and one of the dilithium crystals blew up right in my face. I am now reduced to the pitiful condition of having to browse where no browser has ever browsed before powered only by impuse drive. One half of my face is now disfigured by electro-plasma burns. You knew this would happen, didn't you?



[quote name='pvtmiller' timestamp='1329672393' post='2389377']
this is to complicated for the lame board
[/quote]

Don't take this thread too seriously. That's why I started it in the lame board.

I know that dedicated tech forums are the best place to ask for advice. I'm not really expecting to get an instant solution here. I only created this thread thinking it might help us to bond over common technical problems.

Edited February 19, 2012 by Innocent

[bernadette d]

[quote name='MIkolbe' timestamp='1329669763' post='2389366']
because you are not only copying the text, you are copying the format that the text was in. i normally paste-special and do not copy the formats, then it will copy into the format you are in
[/quote]

Thank you for that.....will do it that way next time

[MIKolbe]

[quote name='Innocent' timestamp='1329672795' post='2389382']
One half of my face is now disfigured by electro-plasma burns. You knew this would happen, didn't you?
[/quote]
well now it matches the other half of your face.

no need to tip me.

haveanicedaybye

[arfink]

Well, something you should know is that what you're attempting here isn't actually a dual boot... sounds more like you're attempting a triple boot. Win 7, XP, and Linux, yes?

I'm not an expert on Win 7 really, but I do know that Win XP will pretty much always clobber the boot sector when you install it. I suspect 7 will do the same. So, if you must triple boot, install Win XP first, Win 7 second, and Linux third. The GRUB bootloader that comes with most Linux distros like Ubuntu should just automagically configure things for you.

I am only suggesting this because otherwise, if you spend a ton of time setting up boot tables for Windows XP and Windows 7 your work will just be wasted. GRUB can boot all three.

My question is, why would you install both XP and Win 7?

Edited February 19, 2012 by arfink

[Innocent]

[quote name='arfink' timestamp='1329687110' post='2389558']
Well, something you should know is that what you're attempting here isn't actually a dual boot... sounds more like you're attempting a triple boot. Win 7, XP, and Linux, yes?[/quote]

Yes, but from my experience with GNU/Linux it seems to me that if I manage to get Win 7 to dual boot with Win XP then GRUB or LILO shouldn't have a problem adding both of them to its boot menu.

[quote name='arfink' timestamp='1329687110' post='2389558']
I'm not an expert on Win 7 really, but I do know that Win XP will pretty much always clobber the boot sector when you install it. I suspect 7 will do the same. So, if you must triple boot, install Win XP first, Win 7 second, and Linux third. The GRUB bootloader that comes with most Linux distros like Ubuntu should just automagically configure things for you.

I am only suggesting this because otherwise, if you spend a ton of time setting up boot tables for Windows XP and Windows 7 your work will just be wasted. GRUB can boot all three.[/quote]

Yes, I do realise that wiping the drive clean and then installing XP first and Win 7 after that would probably be the most painless way to go about it, but there are a lot of software I use for academic purposes that I've installed in Windows 7 over a long period of time, and so if I can avoid the hassle of having to hunt up my backup discs once again and install all that software once again from scratch, that's the way I'd be keen to go. That's why I'm trying to see if I can get away with installing XP alongside an existing Win 7.

[quote name='arfink' timestamp='1329687110' post='2389558']
My question is, why would you install both XP and Win 7?
[/quote]

Well, first, it's out of curiosity to find out if it can be done in this order. There are tutorials on the net that say it can, and I want to try them out, and probably learn something about the Windows boot process along the way.

Also, some software I use for academic purposes run best on XP. While it might be possible to run XP on virtualisation, I would prefer a real installation if possible.

But if this does not workout, I suppose I'll have to cave in and be satisfied with a virtual system installation, after all.