Dual boot xp/2k arghhhh...

[boguing]

OK.

Machine has 4 drives in a Raid 0/1 array, and (this is the problem) an ide drive in a pull out for backups. What makes you think I'm paranoid about data?!

So, it was a 2k box, with 2k in one partition of four, but I've now got XP on another partition.

I had hope to find it automatically create a dual boot menu that I could use until XP has everything loaded.

And it looked promising. After a few XP instigated reboots I then had to reboot for AVG or Zonealarm, can't remember which. Come back to desk and I've got the 2k logon. Thinks 'goody it's dual booting'. Do a restart expecting to find the menu with 2k as the default.

But no. no menu, just 2k.

Yep it's gone and put the boot files on the pull out ide.

So, can I get around this, or do I ditch the XP install and do it again with the ide pulled out?

Thanks folks.

John

[jaclaz]

Most probably you have not correctly setup the NTLDR/NTDETECT.COM/NTBOOTDD.SYS/BOOT.INI

Read my post here:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=14250&hl=

and related links.

If you still have problems, please post a DETAILED list of info on how BOTH 2K and XP are installed, i.e. which drive, which partitions, etc. and I might be able to help you further.

jaclaz

[boguing]

OK. The raid array has four partitions.

Seen as CDEF by win2k. There's an optical seen as G, the pull out ide as H and another optical seen as I.

2k is installed on F, with it's boot files on C.

Now, XP sees the IDE pull out as C, and is installed on D (the first partition of the array). It has it's boot files on C (the pull out).

So with the bios set to boot from the raid, the xp bootloader doesn't get read, the array one does and so I'm into 2k.

If I changed the bios to boot from ide, I'd be in XP.

Messy, and the purpose of the pull out is just backup and file transfers to another computer (miles away with no broadband) so sometimes it's not here!

EDIT

I'm thinking that it'll be easier to ditch the xp and start again.

Can you tell me if the XP clean install (not upgrade) will create a dual boot ini?

Edited October 27, 2005 by boguing

[boguing]

Don't worry - have ditched and reinstalled XP as it should be.

Thanks for advice.

John

[jaclaz]

Happy it worked one way or the other.

Just for the record, from your configurations it seems like you installed XP without giving it it's "Press F6 to install driver" (which then becomes - renamed - NTBOOTDD.SYS), so that setup chose FIRST ACTIVE PARTITION of the IDE drive as C:.

I presume that even with the IDE disk in, if you had the ACTIVE flag on the partition set to off the install would have been correct.

Or maybe the flag on that partition in the IDE drive is set to 80 Hex that means Drive 128 decimal, which means to many Microsoft - and not only Microsoft - apps, that THAT is the FIRST drive on the system.

jaclaz

[artichoke]

I have a somewhat similar problem.

I am working on my daughter's laptop the HD of which was trashed, likely by a virus (all files were crosslinked!!).

I am trying to create a dual boot XP system on the same physical HD (on different primary partitions). I have installed XP-Home (the default system), and XP Pro (for recovery) and all functions well. I now want to hide the XP Pro partition from the XP Home partition so as if another virus attack takes place if would not be affected. Partition Magic running from the XP-Home hid the XP-Pro partition but when I tried to boot from XP Pro I got to a Windows XP screen and it just hung there. I had to unhide the XP-Pro partition again it for it to run. I also tried to limit access to the XP-Pro partition by limiting share and security rights, but the settings are greyed out.

Any ideas?

TIA

Arti

[jaclaz]

If you have TWO primary pertitions AND use a bootmanager, you must install XP with the "other" partition ALREADY hidden, otherwise System drive letter will change and one of the two won't boot.

Example:

XP Home on First ACTIVE PRIMARY PARTITION (gets letter C:\)

XP Pro on Second Primary Partition (gets letter D:\)

Everything works.

Then you hide the First partition and set the second active through the bootmanager.

Thus previously second partition becomes the FIRST one and gets C:\ as drive letter, unfortunately most of the XP install will search for its files on D:\ which is nowhere to be found.

jaclaz