Dual Boot XPSP3 & Windows 7RC1

OK those 2 extra entries are useless as when I click on the one called XP Professional it said it didn't find auto something or other and then rebooted back into OSS.
I am able to boot into the ones called XPSP3 and Win 7, but the duplicate entries is it possible to delete them from OSS within or outside of windows and then be done with? I don't want to hide them to be honest I want to be rid of them for good.

 

Okay. Try this file. I made a change to the XPSP3 entry too, so make sure it still boots. Hopefully, OSS won't add them back.

 

Wait... I need to make a correction to the file.

 

OK haven't done anything yet.

 

I've made the correction. Try the file in post #52.

 

OK I am in Win 7 now will update and reboot and let you know what happened.

 

Beautiful just the way I wanted it!!!!!!!!

I think I know why I got all the mess. If I have installed DD once I don't need to install it again and again in the event that I want to include new OS, do I?

It was when I installed DD in favor of Win7 that I got the duplicate entries and the X spot on Win7.

If I want to include another OS does the Bootwiz need to be revised or will OSS from the XP partition recognize new OS and be done with?
Thank you.

 

There shouldn't be a problem installing DD in the different Windows installations. However, OSS only needs to be installed once. It's possible to install OSS from the CD and not even have it in Windows. On the other hand, having OSS installed in Windows lets you reboot to another OS directly, skipping the OSS selection menu.

I think the problem is caused more by the "automatic" detection methods used by OSS. It's not usually too bad with Windows, but can get really irritating with Linux when it start detecting a "new" Linux installation every time you boot the computer.

When you install a new OS, the BOOTWIZ.OSS file will need to be updated manually only if OSS doesn't detect it properly.

 

Well I may be calling on your services yet again then!
I am thinking to install Vista Ultimate on my Dell since I have 1.5TB on 2 disks so it'll give me playroom to learn and stuff.

I'll probably come back to this thread though just to keep all things in one place. Thank you very much it's late here and need to get some shuteye.

 

OSS generally detects Vista if it's installed from a standard Microsoft OEM or retail DVD. It has problems detecting brand-name OEM Vista installations.

 

Actually this one will be a Full Retail edition, good stuff!

 

Well guess what happened, those 2 damn bogus boot entries returned
What if I delete them from one of the options offered in OSS? Won't they then permanently go away are they like dracula doomed to return for more grief?
Look if I have to hide them, well so be it, but lt me know if I can delete them.

BTW meant to tell you, Linux is still not for mass consumption. Maybe in my son's generation but not now yet. I had a guy in my office last year install on my personal notebook Ubuntu in a virtual machine, OUF my God what a pain in the ass that thing turned out to be and quirky!!!!!!!!

 

OK update on the Boot OSS. It appears OSS decided to render the previous items for XP and Safe mode as obsolete and substituted them with its own additions. So I deleted those other listings in OSS and now everything is good and no clutter of OS shown any more.

 

Here's the screenshot, please look at partition G: New Volume it says
FS: NTFS Partition: 0xE (FAT16 LBA)
Should I be worried if I try to reconvert this to NTFS? It worries me that it says FAT there.
Please let me know since this hinges on my being able to proceed with installing the 3rd OS. Thank you.

 

What happened to cause the change? Do you know?

Were all the partitions on that drive created with XP or DD or were any of them created with Vista or Windows 7?

Does Disk Management show the partition correctly?

How much data is on the partition and can you access it normally?

Can you post a screenshot of what DD's Disk Editor shows for the partition table? Right-click on Disk 2, then select Advanced >> Edit. From the editor, select View >> As partition table.

 

OK let me explain how things played out.
I install the 1TB WDC and then have DD recognize it and format it as NTFS.
Then I used the image I had and recovered it onto the WDC.
Indeed Disk Management shows it correctly and being Healthy.
Currently this partition does not hold any data whatsoever.
Per your request here's a screenshot of the edit table.

Can I go in that editor and tell it to recognize it as NTFS since now it shows it as FAT 16 LBA? It looks like XP is beginning to show limitations as to what i can do?

 

Since the partition is empty, it's pretty safe to try fixes.

You can change the partition type in the partition table to 07h NTFS, HPFS (as in the slot above) and save the sector. After you make the change, you may need to TAB out of the box or click into another box before the "Save" button enables. Then reboot and see if it's fixed.

You could also delete the partition (remove it) and then recreate it.

Another thing that might fix it is to just reformat the partition with XP's Disk Management.

 

Well I saved it in the Edit Table and sure enough DD shows it as pure NTFS.
I guess the real test is going to come now when I reboot to see if it's still so.

BTW what the heck happened? Did Acronis get greedy and needs to "move" this forum under their guise so they can start to $charge?

 

I don't know exactly what causes the problem. It's not that common. DD, XP, Vista/Windows 7 look at partitions in different ways. This thread has some information on it if you want to read through it.

As far as I know, the new Acronis forum is still going to be free and open.

 

OK but this URL will still exist or is it going to be like one of the automated phone purgatories where the URL gets changed and then we have to make new user/password blah blah

I am getting the impression that XP is starting to show its limitations
Right now and I need to reactivate OSS as I am updating Vista Ultimate from MS, I am going to be in 3-boot mode!!!!!!!!! XP, Vista & 7!

You have been a great assistance in all this and thanks!

 

I think that these threads will still exist, but in read-only mode (archived). I don't think they're being moved to the new forum.

 

OK I need to get this cleared before the forum is closed. I am going to post 3 screenshots.
The first one is disc management and showing some peculiar partition issues; the 2nd one is of OSS and how it's saying the Boot Partition is Missing for Win 7; and finally the bootwiz file in hope that it can rectify things.
In the slip of the moment after installing Vista I then installed DD. When it prompted me to install OSS instead of installing it anew, I said activate and this is where all heck broke loose.
Let me know what next. What an adventure this has been!

 

Can you post an updated screenshot of what DD shows (in Manual Mode) for your drives?

Also, which drive is the booting drive in the BIOS? I'm assuming it's the XP/Windows 7/Vista drive or that it should be. However, the XP entry now has the Disk Order feature enabled and Vista's entry says it's booting from the other drive.

Can you verify which drive is set as the booting drive in the BIOS?

 

I'll need to reboot to get into BIOS but meanwhile have a gander at this screenshot you requested.

I couldn't really find much info in there aside from the BOOT SEQUENCE which I am sure will not help any but the sequence of boot devices were 1) Diskette 2) CD 3) HDD C:
I am sure this is not what you're looking for but that's all BIOS had in terms of what you were looking for

 

I asked some other questions via PM.

Here is an updated BOOTWIZ.OSS file. See if it works. The problem of the second booting menu with Vista should be fixable.