Seven: problem to restore it in an other partition

Here the problem:

my actual situation:

partition C ( primary, active ): XP SP3
partition D ( logical ): data
partition E ( primary ): Seven SP1

what I want to do:

partition C ( primary, active ): Seven
partition D ( logical ): data
partition E: XP

I formatted C and E with Acronis Disk from cdrom, then I restored an Acronis disk image of Seven and the MBR in C = no boot, " ntldr not found ".

So I restored the disk image of Seven in E and I installed Seven - with his installation cd - also in C = boot, but from previous MBR, that of Seven in E ( how I know it ? because it show me the two options in the sequence previous established by Seven in E ).

To don't waste time I leave out other trial, the end was always the same: I can install/restore Seven in C, but ntldr is always not found so no boot.

I don't want format all my hard disk, so what should I do ? ( may be that the solution is very easy and I too confused to see it ).

 

blacknight,

You have a Microsoft dual boot system. What are the drive letters when you are booted into Win7? You are showing drive letters when booted into WinXP.

 

Well, in XP and in Seven the drive letters was different. But the dual boot, before my moving system trials, was the dual boot of Seven, and it said only: " Seven " and " previous Windows version ".

Naturally, when I was in XP "C " was the letter for XP, and in Seven "C " was the letter for Seven. But the order in my hd it is what I posted previous:


partition C ( primary, active ): XP SP3
partition D ( logical ): data
partition E ( primary ): Seven SP1

 

blacknight,

I need to pin you down on this.

When you boot into WinXP, WinXP is C: drive.

When you boot into Win7, Win7 is C: drive.

Forgetting drive letters, the partitions are in this order on the HD....

WinXP
Data
Win7

Is the above correct?

Edit.... A Microsoft dual boot may not necessarily have drive letters similar to above. Depending on how the dual boot was installed, one OS may never be C: drive.

 

Correct

I know it.

 

May be that I was not clear: this configuration, " my actual situation " works on my pc. The problem is that I 'm not able to do, starting from this situation, " what I want to do ", that is:

partition C ( primary, active ): Seven
partition D ( logical ): data
partition E: XP

 

Your Win7 booting files are in the WinXP partition and that's why WinXP is always the Active partition. You need to "separate" the OS so they can boot independently, using their own booting files.

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=324 (it can be done without using BIBM)

After the OS are independent you can restore their images to the HD in any order. You will need a boot manager.

 

Thanks for the explanation and for your solution Brian K .

 

And if I eventually decide to format the whole hard disk and install Seven ( in the new C ): then to restore in another partition the acronis image of XP I need only of EasyBCD ?

 

Sounds reasonable.

 

Thanks.