Can't get simple boot f Vista to work how?

[Albert Kallal]

I will try and make this short. Suffice to say I spent a LOT of time trying to get the OSS loader to simply boot on my notebook.

I saved the OS on my Vista to a backup drive (Acronis® True Image Home® version 10.0 (build 4,942)).

I formatted the notebook (to remove all weird factor install stuff - there was about 3-5 partitions).

So, formatting…cleaned the whole disk drive.

Created ONE partition (a bit smaller then the original Vista).
I restored the image from my external backup drive (but, as mentioned left 4 gigs extra space, since I plan to make a 100 meg OSS partition, and also add a windows xp partition of about 2 gigs).

How can I get the OSS loader to recognize vista, and have it show up in the list of available boot options? Once we can get Vista showing in the OSS boot menu, then I should be home free, and then can attempt to install additional OS’s.

So, I just clean formatted, and I just restored the Vista partition. Vista boots fine.

If I now install OSS to an 100 meg OSS partition I create (or even to Vista partition), OSS can not find Vista. In fact, if I use the Acronis DD suite to disable the OSS boot, then vista at that point don’t boot either (I simply just restore the MBR using true image, and I back up and running). No Bios settings for boot record stuff is enabled (I doubled checked). Nor is there any virus software is running on the computer.

It seems to me that my setup is VERY common, and I am simply trying to boot a partition that I restored using Acronis True image. I really am at a loss as to why an OEM vista install is so problematic with the Acronis DD suite?

I tried everything I can think of (even installing windows xp, and making a copy of the xml file bootwiz.oss, and editing it directly. Never the less the still OSS can’t find the oss. I given up on this approach. Is there a copy of bootwiz.oss I can download somewhere with a vista example?

I now have of course now re-formatted, and simply restored the vista so I can go back to work.

Regardless, virtually any documentation or ANY suggestions on how to get the one simple task of one OS booting via OSS would REALLY be appreciated.

Albert D. Kallal (Microsoft MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
kallal@msn.com

[MudCrab]

Is your "OEM Vista" a standard Microsoft OEM DVD? If not, then that's the problem. OSS has a known bug (supposedly corrected be Acronis, but no update yet) that won't properly detect brand-name OEM Vista installations.

Take a look at this thread: Vista disappeared in dual boot (http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=192957) (post #14 in particular)

If you need any further help, post back and I'll try my best to help.

[Albert Kallal]

Thanks for the link. In fact, it was that link I used to try and edit the bootwiz.oss

With only vista installed, I don’t get any entries to edit to start with, and that’s much the problem. I did install windows XP as a 2nd partition, and OSS does see windows xp now.

Thus, I was able to “add” a new section for vista to the bootwiz.oss, but no matter what I did, the Vista part refused to boot. Perhaps I am editing bootwiz.oss wrong (since now I get a LTR missing, or was it BOOTMGR missing – done so many re-installs in the last 3 days…I have lost track of which error messages I been receiving).

I going to see if booting with a vista cd, and using the repair console mode of vista to see if I can get OSS to see the partition. I

JUST found the new Vista command called:

Bootrec /fixboot

Failing the above, I think try removing the bootwiz directories that are now in both of the Vista, windows xp, and the OSS partitions I created. (and, being saved with the images I making via true image). When I first started playing with OSS, I was installing to the actually os partitions, and I likely should have ONLY installed into my 3rd partition via "custom" install for this purpose.

I have a feeling I am being bitten by the fact that bootwiz directories are now in all 3 of the partitions I have, and that is likely messing things up.

I spent a whole day on this now, but I will give it another shot tomorrow and see what happens.

I tip my hat to your help, and I WILL post back as to how this went…

Albert D. Kallal
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
kallal@msn.com

[MudCrab]

-{ Quote: "With only vista installed, I don’t get any entries to edit to start with, and that’s much the problem." }-
You should have still been able to add the Vista entry.

-{ Quote: "JUST found the new Vista command called: Bootrec /fixboot" }-
This will rewrite the current Primary partition's boot sector to the Vista default.

-{ Quote: "When I first started playing with OSS, I was installing to the actually os partitions, and I likely should have ONLY installed into my 3rd partition via "custom" install for this purpose." }-
When you install OSS for the first time, you'll need to specify the OSS partition. Any additional installations should be installed using the automatic mode and should find the existing installation.

-{ Quote: "I have a feeling I am being bitten by the fact that bootwiz directories are now in all 3 of the partitions I have, and that is likely messing things up." }-
Depending on what you did, you may have indeed messed something up with OSS. However, OSS will put a BOOTWIZ folder on every partition. This does not mean that OSS is installed on every partition. The main OSS BOOTWIZ folder contains many files and usually several sub-folders. The other BOOTWIZ folders usually only contain one file to "tag" the partition.