Re: Reinstalling fresh XP into XP/Vista dualboot

When you installed Vista, the boot manager installed previously by XP was replaced with the one that comes with Vista. This does not use the boot.ini file in the root of the "system" partition, but instead uses the the "BCD database" in the folder named "boot" in the root of the system partition. Well, actually, if you select "Earlier version of Windows" from the Vista boot manager menu, the content of boot.ini will be used to list the installations of "older" versions of Windows, if there is more than one (if there is only one entry in the boot.ini, the list of older (e.g. XP) installations won't display - the single entry will be used and it will be booted).

If you do a new install of any Windows version prior to Vista, the boot manager for Vista will be replaced with the boot manger from that version of Windows (e.g. Windows XP). This will mean that you can no longer "boot to Vista".

However, there's a way to preserve, then restore the Vista boot manager.

First, you need to know which partition is your "system" partition - Computer Management, Disk Management will tell you this.

Usually, when one installs XP, it installs in the first partition on the first disk and that partition will be the "system partition". If this is the case and you intend to format this partition to do your new, clean install of XP, and you still want to be able to boot into Vista afterwards, you need to save the content of the "boot" folder currently in the system partition somewhere else. If you have a third (e.g. data) partition, that would be a good place to copy the boot folder to. Failing that, create a folder in the Vista partition, but not directly under the root. Or you could copy it to a USB drive (stick).

If you are going to install XP in a partition that is not the "system partition" you can skip the saving and restoring of the boot folder.

After you've installed XP, you can restore the Vista boot manager - here's the steps:

1. Make sure that in Explorer, Tools, Folder Options, View, you have no check mark in "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)" and that the "Show hidden files and folders" radio button is selected (click Apply to Folders if you make any changes here).
2. copy the boot folder from the system partition somewhere safe where you can retrieve it later
3. install your clean copy of XP
4. while XP is running, copy the saved boot folder back to the root of the system partition
5. put the Vista installation DVD into the DVD drive
6. ignore the (auto run) window that opens
7. open a Command Prompt window (e.g. Start, All Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt)
8. in the following, use the drive letter for your CD/DVD reader - I've assumed it is d: - key the commands:
d:
cd d:\boot
bootsect /nt60 SYS

This should restore the Vista boot manager and allow you to boot either the newly installed XP or the previously installed Vista.

If you actually destroy the "BCD database" (e.g. by formatting the system partition without saving the boot folder), you can re-create it, but that's messy and complicated - you don't want to go there!

--
Bruce Sanderson
http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders

It is perfectly useless to know the right answer to the wrong question.



"DJ_Jones" <david.stemper@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:fd670e9f-ee91-437e-a24c-246add4be38e@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I have a computer with both XP and Vista (each on separate drive). The
dualboot menu is governed by XP (since Vista was added later). Now,
I'd like to reinstall a fresh copy of XP (replacing the old one),
however I am afraid it will remove the dualboot menu and I will have
no access to my Vista. Any idea how to solve this?

Thanks

.