Having trouble triple booting WinXP & Win7. Please help.

Nine_Lives

"but you only listed 2 OS" you say. I know

I know this can be done as i've ran it for years. In the past 3 years i've had to format 2-3 times & each time i've had problems doing this, but managed to stumble through. I can't seem to do it any more.

Basically, i want 1x WinXP installed & 2x Win7 installed (please let's not get into why 2 lots of Win7 as it's not important).

I installed WinXP first, then Win7, then Win7 again.
Ran EasyBCD on the final Win7 install, arranged the boot order - didn't work. Wrote to MBR - didn't work.

Both Win 7 partitions boot but not WinXP.
When I select to boot to WinXP it tells me:
Windows failed to start.
File: \NST\ntldr
Status: 0xc000000f
Info: the selected entry could not be loaded because the application is missing or corrupt.

I don't know how key this is but this morning i noticed a difference:
last time, WinXP & one Win7 install were on the same physical HDD - just split into 2 partitions. The other Win7 install was on a separate physical SSD.
This time however, each install is on it's own separate physical disk - both Win7s on their own SSD & WinXP on it's own HDD.

So this morning i re-install WinXP. This means i can only boot to WinXP - the bootmenu is not "seeing" either Win7 install. However when i try to start up EasyBCD in WinXP - it's a no go. Nothing "lights up".

I also wondered this morning what order in BIOS the physical drives should be in. Right now in order it's pointing to:
Win7 install 1 SSD
WinXP install HDD
Win7 install 2 SSD.

If i point it to 1) WinXP 2) Win7 #1 3) Win7 #2 then it doesn't like it & nothing boots.


If i have to start all over again then so be it, but i just want this fixed. I know it can be done, but not sure how.

bluesnake

Unless there is a very specific need, I would use VirtualBox on windows 7 instead, but you could use it on xp.

doing it your way gains some extra cpu cycles and bespoke hardware benefits, but looses on disk space and ease of use, rollback, isolation, multiple computers, and generally harder to fix.

I have never used easybcd but have used fdisk you will need to make 3 partitions normally of different sizes as then it is easier to know exactly what that partition relates to.

Xp will need sata drivers, and possibly ssd software.

Nine_Lives

bluesnake wrote: »

Unless there is a very specific need, I would use VirtualBox on windows 7 instead, but you could use it on xp.

doing it your way gains some extra cpu cycles and bespoke hardware benefits, but looses on disk space and ease of use, rollback, isolation, multiple computers, and generally harder to fix.

I have never used easybcd but have used fdisk you will need to make 3 partitions normally of different sizes as then it is easier to know exactly what that partition relates to.

Xp will need sata drivers, and possibly ssd software.

Hi

What would VirtualBox gain me? Do you mean to run WinXP? If this is anything like MS Virtual PC then it's really not needed.

I know this isn't your 'normal way' of doing things, but i should stress: I've had this working for the past 2-3 years. So it's possible.

The only thing i can think of that is different is beforehand Win7 was on it's own SSD whereas WinXP & the other Win7 were both installed on the same physical HDD (just 2 different partitions).
This time however there are 3 separate physical drives entirely - each Win7 on their own SSD & the WinXP on the HDD.

I'm not sure which should be the default boot drive either in BIOS.

If WinXP is default - only WinXP boots
If Win7 #1 is default, i get the triple boot menu, but only the Windows 7 (both) will boot
If Win7 #2 is default then nothing boots & i get an error.

I don't need to create partitions as i have 3 separate physical drives.



I was considering the following:

* disconnect final Win7 SSD
* install WinXP
* install Win7
* run EasyBCD
* re-connect final Win7 SSD
* install Win7 on it
* hope it works.

2 problems with this though:

1) I'm still not sure what "should" be the default drive in BIOS
2) If that is not likely to fix the problem then that's going to be a good few hours wasted.

debitcardmayhem

Is the SSD a new purchase ? if you had W7 on the normal disk then the boot directory will be on that

RobTang

K_P83 wrote: »

If i point it to 1) WinXP 2) Win7 #1 3) Win7 #2 then it doesn't like it & nothing boots.


If i have to start all over again then so be it, but i just want this fixed. I know it can be done, but not sure how.

Windows 7 and 8 creates a special 100mb boot partition, this contains the bootmanager which then forwards it to the respective OS.
Your bios needs to point at the drive with the boot partition.

This is labled as "System Reserved" in the Disk Management MMC.

You don't strictly need BCD edit, if you just installed win xp, then 7 then 7 again (custom install) it should give you every option on the boot menu

debitcardmayhem

Just noticed you have 2 SSDs , have you tried using using system repair from your Win7 Disk install dvd? .

Nine_Lives

I don't know if this is causing a bit of confusion, but i started afresh. Yesterday, before i started all of this, i was running WinXP & 2x Win 7 no problem.
I then made a mistake with WinXP which resulted in me having to format that drive, so i essentially formatted everything & started again from new.

debitcardmayhem wrote: »

Is the SSD a new purchase ? if you had W7 on the normal disk then the boot directory will be on that

Yes the "final" Win7 SSD is a new SSD which i got yesterday.

RobTang wrote: »

Windows 7 and 8 creates a special 100mb boot partition, this contains the bootmanager which then forwards it to the respective OS.
Your bios needs to point at the drive with the boot partition.

Thanks. I noticed this - it's on the "old" SSD. Should i delete this 100mb partition & start again or will this make no difference?

You don't strictly need BCD edit, if you just installed win xp, then 7 then 7 again (custom install) it should give you every option on the boot menu

On each of the times i've formatted, i've always needed to use EasyBCD as WinXP wont boot without it. I get the option on the triple boot, but when selecting it it errors out.
In the past i've just pressed a lot of options in EasyBCD & it's somehow worked - when selecting WinXP on the triple boot it then enabled me to access it.

debitcardmayhem wrote: »

Just noticed you have 2 SSDs , have you tried using using system repair from your Win7 Disk install dvd? .

No i haven't. Which drive would i repair?

debitcardmayhem

It should search all of your disks (in theory) and will hopefully repair the bcd in the first system partition

Edited: if the first of your W7's is 64 bit and the other is 32bit then use the 64 bit disk

RobTang

K_P83 wrote: »

Thanks. I noticed this - it's on the "old" SSD. Should i delete this 100mb partition & start again or will this make no difference?

On each of the times i've formatted, i've always needed to use EasyBCD as WinXP wont boot without it. I get the option on the triple boot, but when selecting it it errors out.

If you can afford to just format everything I would just go that way.

EasyBCD is just a front end to a command line tool that comes with windows, in theory if you install windows 7 onto a machine with windows xp (not upgrading) it should setup the bootmanager for you, doing it the other way around (7 then xp) you need to use bcdedit or a gui for like EasyBCD.

what error do you actually get when starting xp ?

bluesnake

K_P83 wrote: »

Hi

What would VirtualBox gain me? Do you mean to run WinXP? If this is anything like MS Virtual PC then it's really not needed.

I know this isn't your 'normal way' of doing things, but i should stress: I've had this working for the past 2-3 years. So it's possible..

Virtualization is the industries preferred way of doing things, rather than my 'normal way' works pretty well, but not good for gaming and non standard hardware. 15 years ago I was doing the way you are doing it. Was done industry-wise then mostly to save on cost. Virtualization offers many benefits, including the difficulties you are experiencing.

There are at least 3 ways of doing it from your way, if supported.
(1) selecting the boot disk from the bios
(2) disk booting loader like fdisk, possibly easyBCD?
(3) same as 2, but letting windows be the loader.

Seen this http://apcmag.com/the_definitive_dualbooting_guide_linux_vista_and_xp_stepbystep.htm

Nine_Lives

debitcardmayhem wrote: »

It should search all of your disks (in theory) and will hopefully repair the bcd in the first system partition

Edited: if the first of your W7's is 64 bit and the other is 32bit then use the 64 bit disk

Both Win7s are 64 bit. WinXP is 32.

I went to the recovery section of the Win7 CD but when i chose to recover, only both Win7s were listed - yet these boot fine & surely it's the WinXP i'm wanting to repair? So i exited.

RobTang wrote: »

If you can afford to just format everything I would just go that way.

I have no files installed as they're backed up. All i'd lose is time - but that can be a good few wasted hours. I'm back at work tomorrow & i hate leaving things. I want this sorted asap.

EasyBCD is just a front end to a command line tool that comes with windows, in theory if you install windows 7 onto a machine with windows xp (not upgrading) it should setup the bootmanager for you, doing it the other way around (7 then xp) you need to use bcdedit or a gui for like EasyBCD.

IIRC i've always gone WinXP & then Win7

what error do you actually get when starting xp ?

This one:

K_P83 wrote: »

When I select to boot to WinXP it tells me:
Windows failed to start.
File: \NST\ntldr
Status: 0xc000000f
Info: the selected entry could not be loaded because the application is missing or corrupt.

I don't know how key this is but this morning i noticed a difference:
last time, WinXP & one Win7 install were on the same physical HDD - just split into 2 partitions. The other Win7 install was on a separate physical SSD.
This time however, each install is on it's own separate physical disk - both Win7s on their own SSD & WinXP on it's own HDD.

I have a backup via Acronis True Image. I was/am considering trying that in an attempt to get a bootable WinXP & then just format both Win7 installs (as 1 of them would be on the HDD) & start again by installing them on the SSDs.
Again, i don't know if that'd work & it isn't really the avenue i'd like due to the way it'd leave the HDD (1x Win XP install with 2 separate drives for 'storage space' rather than the 2 'storage space' drives being consolidated. I tried consolidating them yesterday which is what created this mess).