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WIN XP disappeared 2

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Sunder2011

Technical User
Jun 12, 2011
28
IR
Hi All
Installed win7 along win xp on the same partition.the first time i saw the multiboot menu but it somehow vanished.I can not run win xp any more.but i can see the win xp folder.
Any help to get back to xp please.
thanks
 
WIN XP disappeared Hmmm?

Now if we could only do the same with Windows Vista!

RC Computer -> Properties -> Advanced System Settings -> Advanced Tab -> startup and Recovery -> Settings -> check

"Time to display list of operating system" -> set a time limit and the default OS you want. -> OK -> close System properties. -> reboot and select OS from list.

Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Time flies like an arrow, however, fruit flies like a banana.
Webmaster Forum
 
Well, my first thought would be why would you try to run two operating systems from the same partition, because that is just asking for trouble. If it was me, I'd save the data, delete the partition, and start over, with two partitions, one for each OS.
 
Hi Chris ,
Thanks for your reply.Went there and checked,only path to win7 exists with no edit button to modify the entry manually.Any other thoughts? a registry tweak may be?[ponder]

Hi Rclarke, i was looking for a solution to my current problem.However will keep in mind your advice for next time.[2thumbsup]


 
Now if we could do the same with silly fanboys who think they have the protection of mob mentality.

I far prefer working in Vista than in Win7.
 
I'd have to agree with rclarke here. 2 OSes in the same partition is just going to cause trouble.

In any case, we need a bit more information.

[ol]
[li]Which one was installed first?[/li]
[li]Did you by any chance upgrade WinXp to 7 rather than installing them side by side?[/li]
[li]Since both OSes install to the Windows folder, how did you separate them? [/li]
[li]Why did you install them on the same partition? [/li]
[li]If you boot off the Windows XP installation disc, and try to repair does it find a valid XP installation it can repair?[/li]
[/ol]

----------------------------------
Phil AKA Vacunita
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Web & Tech
 
See if running Startup Repair can help you.

Startup Repair.

Startup Repair is a Windows recovery tool that can fix certain problems, such as missing or damaged system files, that might prevent Windows from starting.

Startup Repair: frequently asked questions









If you can't sort it out checkout the correct way to dual boot.


See METHOD TWO. When Windows 7 is Installed First

How to Do a Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and XP



One known (minor) bug with dual booting XP with Vista or Windows 7, is the loss of System Restore points in the other operating systems after every XP boot.



If you want an alternate to Dual Boot have a look at the Virtual Machine and XP Mode.

Windows Virtual PC
Download Windows XP Mode

Windows XP Mode (Windows 7 only, but not any of the Home versions) "You are not eligible to download Windows XP Mode. You must have Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate to run Windows XP Mode". If you have an old XP CD (or other older Windows CD) available you can just download the Virtual Machine and skip the XP Mode download.

This covers the whole gambit of virtual machines in "Home" versions if you want to have a look at it. Of course you will need a licensed copy of XP to install and run in any of them (except XP Mode).

VirtualBox is an impressive VM contender
 
To Vacunita:Thanks for replying
1.Which one was installed first?XP
2.Did you by any chance upgrade WinXp to 7 rather than installing them side by side?No,I didnot
3.Since both OSes install to the Windows folder, how did you separate them?I did not
4.Why did you install them on the same partition? By mistake
5.If you boot off the Windows XP installation disc, and try to repair does it find a valid XP installation it can repair?[highlight #A40000]No it did not[/highlight]
To linney
Thanks for your comprehensive links
WIN XP fails to detect the XP installation and can not repair.Having different ways from the sites u have mentioned above,I have reached a stage that winxp pops the message"boot.ini" missing.
If I can not solve the dual boot problem,i,ll back up my data and reinstall on separate partitions.
Thank you all for your efforts.
Sunder
 
From your answers, it looks like even if you didn't want it to, you did an upgrade install from xp to 7. check the folder structure, is there a folder called windows.old? if so, that is your windows xp install. At this point, you can either do what I said before, start over and make 2 partitions, or you can keep the partition you have with win 7 and run xp in a vm shell.
 
Yup, looks like the Win 7 install overwrote XP, effectively updating it.

Your best bet at this point is to backup what you need and start over.
As rclarke said, make 2 partitions, and install XP first.

----------------------------------
Phil AKA Vacunita
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Web & Tech
 
See if on the C:\ drive there is a file called boot.saved, use notepad to open that and save it out as boot.ini... (you may have to show hidden files first to do so)...

now if there is a folder called Windows.old, you can change the setting in the boot.ini, change \WINDOWS to WINDOWS.OLD[/b]...

but it would be more prudent to just go ahead and back up your DATA, then delete the partition, create a smaller partition and install XP on that partition, then on the remaining space install Win7... (that is the set up I have at present and works flawlessly)...


Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"
 
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