Re: Dual boot help please (Doing it right?).
- From: "dadiOH" <dadiOH@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 16 Aug 2009 15:40:33 -0400
EtherStreams wrote:
Hi. I've started to create a much needed multi-boot system of Windows
XP Pro, and would need to know if I am doing this correctly.(*Note;
using 3 s.a.t.a drives)
In my Computer Management\Disk Management, my system looks as follows:
Disk 0 Partition 1= C: Partition 2= D: (Original WindowsXP Pro
install) CDROM 0
Disk 1 Partition 1= F: (Secondary WindowsXP Pro install)
Disk 2 Partition 1= G:
My Boot.ini Disk 0 (original install) is as follows:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /usepmtimer
What I understand of the Boot.ini:
multi(0) = ???
disk(0) = logical unit
rdisk(0) = physical drive
partition(1) = partiton on physical drive
/noexecute=optin = Enables DEP for core system images. ???
/fastdetect = Default boot option for windows.
/usepmtimer = ???
What I've done is the following (*Note: Was suggested install
independantely): 1) I unplugged the power to Disk 0 and Disk 2.
2) On Disk 1, I installed Windows XP Pro (the install saw it as
installing
to C:) and
ran a Restore Backup to have a mirror image of Disk 0 in it's
"Virgin" state.
3) Pluged power to all drives and rebooted.
4) It was the secondary instance (most recent install) of windows that
loaded with
the Boot.ini as follows:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /usepmtimer
My goal is to have Disk 0 as my "Default", therefore, what I am
thinking is as follows:
1) Unplug power to Disk 1 and Disk 2. Power on.
2) Once Disk 0 Windows is loaded, edit the Boot.ini as follows:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /usepmtimer
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /usepmtimer
3) Power down, plug in Drive 1 and Drive 2. Power up.
4) At start up I would have a choice as to which WindowsXP to load.
Help to make the dual-boot work, would me MOST appreciated. Thanks.
You've mucked it up...
You said, "What I've done is the following (*Note: Was suggested install
independantely):
1) I unplugged the power to Disk 0 and Disk 2.
2) On Disk 1, I installed Windows XP Pro (the install saw it as installing
to C:)"
You should have *NOT* unplugged the drives, especially the one containing
your original XP install. Had you left it plugged in, the install would
have found it and given you the option of installing a new XP wherever you
wanted it. It also would have made you a proper boot.ini on drive C: (which
is where it must be).
When you unplugged your original drive C: and installed XP the drive to
which you installed properly became the boot drive and contains the boot.ini
which is why the new install booted after you plugged back in the drive
containing the original install.
I don't believe your original XP install drive is now bootable. IIRC, you
should be able to get it so by unplugging the drive containing the new XP
install (to be safe, unplug ALL drives except for the one that had your
original XP install), loading XP's repair console from the XP install CD and
then executing FIXBOOT and/or FIXMBR (see more info below sig).
If there is now a boot.ini on that drive, fix it so it points to the drive
with the original XP install; or, delete or rename it? (Don't recall if a
single, non-dual boot XP install has a boot.ini or not).
Shut down, plug in your drives and boot. Now delete the second XP install
on F:. Don't try to uninstall it, just delete it.
Now read this...
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sg_clean.asp
especially section #5.
Now start the XP install CD and follow the directions in the link above.
Suggestions:
1. Once you get the installs as you wish, modify the descriptions in the new
boot.ini so that you can distinguish them; for example, change
WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" to WINDOWS="XP Professional,
Main" for one and WINDOWS="XP Professional, Basic" for the other.
2. Change the timeout from 30 seconds to something more realistic - like 5.
dadiOH
____________________________
____________________________
FIXMBR is used to repair the Master Boot Record (MBR) of a harddisk.
There is only one MBR per harddisk.
FIXBOOT is used to repair the boot records of a partition. Every partition
has boot records and if the boot records of a partition is corrupt, you need
a tool to repair such boot record. For Windows Systems the tool is FIXBOOT
________________________
Fixboot fixes the drive boot record and if it is a system drive, rewrites
boot.ini.
Every formatted partition has its own boot record. It tells the operating
system how the partition is formatted, how big it is and the file system it
is using and if it is a bootable partition, a bit of code to get things
started.
Fixmbr fixes the master boot record of which there is only one for each
physical drive. The MBR contains information on how the drive is partitioned
along with the boot loader which is the very first thing that is read from
the hard disk by the BIOS when the computer is booted.
In short, partioning a drive writes the Master Boot Record. Formatting the
drive writes the drive boot record.
__________________________
fixboot [drive]
Parameter
drive
The drive to which a boot sector will be written. This replaces the default
drive, which is the system partition you are logged on to. An example of a
drive is:
D:
Example
The following example writes a new partition boot sector to the system
partition in drive D:
fixboot d:
Note
..
Using the fixboot command without any parameters will write a new partition
boot sector to the system partition you are logged on to.
**********************
Fixmbr
Repairs the master boot record of the boot disk. The fixmbr command is only
available when you are using the Recovery Console
fixmbr [device_name]
Parameter
device_name
The device (drive) on which you want to write a new master boot record. The
name can be obtained from the output of the map command. An example of a
device name is:
\Device\HardDisk0.
Example
The following example writes a new master boot record to the device
specified:
fixmbr \Device\HardDisk0
Note
..
If you do not specify a device_name, a new master boot record will be
written to the boot device, which is the drive on which your primary system
is loaded.
..
If an invalid or nonstandard partition table signature is detected, you will
be prompted whether you want to continue. If you are not having problems
accessing your drives, you should not continue. Writing a new master boot
record to your system partition could damage your partition tables and cause
your partitions to become inaccessible.
.
- References:
- Dual boot help please (Doing it right?).
- From: EtherStreams
- Dual boot help please (Doing it right?).
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