Ohhh OSS

Discussion in 'Acronis Disk Director Suite' started by Tumetot, May 29, 2007.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Tumetot

    Tumetot Registered Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2007
    Posts:
    5
    Hi,

    after 4 weeks war with acronis support...the impression DD10 and OSS must be froma another company... no, there is no Problem known about OSS

    OK,first attempt: I tried to make 3 WinXP Partition bootable. With DD10 an "system-copy" the boot.ini Problem and I dont know what else make it impossibel to boot the second and third one, neiter with DD10 nor OSS

    Know second attemt: I installed 3 x WinXP "from hand" and I can boot every one with DD10 but not with OSS... In the OSS menue I viewed every partition
    and perhaps I detect a problem: if I tried to choose in OSS to boot the second or third partition, they rest hidden/ hidden is set and greyd out, I can't change it. I read about the bootwitz-Problem, but I can't understand it...

    Please help me

    Thank you for a solution

    Tumetot
     
  2. MudCrab

    MudCrab Imaging Specialist

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2006
    Posts:
    6,483
    Location:
    California
    This is a big "BUG" with OSS. There is a simple solution, so try that first.

    Boot into the one of your Windows that works properly. You can use DD to do this if OSS doesn't work correctly for any of them.

    Make sure you have windows explorer set to show hidden & system files. Open My Computer and browse to the drive that OSS is installed on. It will be in a hidden folder named "BOOTWIZ". Note that OSS puts this folder on all drives, but the one you're looking for will have a lot of files in it. Use Notepad to open the file named "bootwiz.oss". This is the one you need to edit.

    Scroll down through the file until you find the section that starts with <oses>

    This is where the menu items for the installed OS's are listed. You should see entries like this:
    Code:
    		<id1605370137 boot_as_ms71="0" boot_as_os2="0" boot_cd_entry="0" boot_partition="811448379" bootname="bootsect.sys" icon="icon_sys_win" language="english" lba="1" multi="multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS" name_template="XP - Games" nthide="0" os_type="ntxp" uninstall_info="1" use_manual_disks_order="0" write_boot="1">
    			<partitions>
    				<id3178522466 hidden="1" />
    				<id811448379 active="1" />
    				<id1002412294 hidden="1" />
    			</partitions>
    		</id1605370137>
    What you need to do is to edit each entry so that none of the "active" partitions also have a "hidden" value set. In other words you DO NOT want it to look like this:
    Code:
    <id811448379 active="1" hidden="1" />
    You want it to look like this:
    Code:
    <id811448379 active="1" />
    Your actual "id" numbers will be different, of course, so don't change those. The active partition is the one you're booting. It will be different for each OS. It should not be marked as "hidden", but OSS does this when it finds hidden partitions when it is installed. Once you're done, save the file and restart the computer. You should now be able to correctly edit the settings in OSS for each XP setup you have.

    I hope this helps you. Post back if you have any problems.
     
  3. mangoman

    mangoman Registered Member

    Joined:
    May 22, 2007
    Posts:
    66
    MudCrab,
    I was wondering if you have ever used the old XTREE or the current ZtreeWin, I use them for every file operation, great to view and edit bootwiz.oss, set attributes, even hex edit files (it does everything). I was just looking at my bootwiz folder and getting ready to try a vista\win98 dual boot on the new Pavilion notebook. I will probably need your help.

    ZtreeWin v1.60 is very reliable Vista compatable shareware and easy to try out from his website.
     
  4. MudCrab

    MudCrab Imaging Specialist

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2006
    Posts:
    6,483
    Location:
    California
    No, I haven't used the old XTREE or current ZtreeWin programs, but I'll take a look at them. Thanks.
     
  5. Tumetot

    Tumetot Registered Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2007
    Posts:
    5
    Hello MUdCrab,
    about 20 hours of frustration, now 3 minutes an the problem seem to be solved - Thank you very much.
    It looks quite good, now the second one boots without problems with OSS (I only wondered that the the monitor was set on 600 x 800 Pixel - Grafic - Card was installed well - before it was set on 1200x10xx) , the third one I dont know why told me I must aktivate WinXP (second one and third one are installed at the same time since two days) also the third one showed me 3 users - (I installed 3 users on the first one and second WinXP - as I installed the third one, I installed only one user...?). OK perhaps thats Windows...

    Now I am encouraged to try it again with Disk Copy from DD10, which circumstances I have to pay attention to....is the boot ini on every boot partition or only on the first one?... Perhaps you can tell me step by step...


    In any case Thank you for your first help

    Tumetot
     
  6. MudCrab

    MudCrab Imaging Specialist

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2006
    Posts:
    6,483
    Location:
    California
    Tumetot,

    I'm glad you got it working (at least a lot better than previously). I know exactly how you feel. I spent an entire Saturday trying to figure out how to fix the grayed out hidden/active bug. I did finally get it and my solution was a lot more complicated than what I posted above. That solution was from another poster after I had done it the hard way. I still learned a lot, though, so I'm not complaining.

    The boot.ini file will be on each booting XP primary partition and must be edited to point to the correct partition, otherwise it will look at a different partition. Check them all and make sure they are correct. This is assuming you want isolated XP installs and you are hiding all other XP partitions from the booting XP (this is the best way, in my opinion).

    The boot.ini file should look something like this:
    Code:
    [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" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
    If you are installing on the first hard drive (the default), then you just need to edit the "partition(#)" to be correct for that partition. The second one will be "2", the third "3", etc. There are two places to change this, so make sure to get them both. It's probably best to edit the boot.ini files right after doing the DD copy. That way they are correct when OSS sees them. It also might be good to set different background images for each XP boot. That way you can verify they are not "cross-linked". I think that's what's happening with the 3-user problem.
     
  7. Tumetot

    Tumetot Registered Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2007
    Posts:
    5
    OK, I am a step further and as I sad more encouraged ...**** program I will you...;)

    1) I restore - with true Image 9 - my first partition WinXP (without installed DD10 or OSS), concerning the scond one, I left the old WINXP - installed by hand version (also without any DD10 TI9) and create the third one(Win XP) by using true Image and an Image from partition one (I want to say I installedthe exact copy from the first partition on the third one.

    2) Bevor the first boot I used the self-created boot-CD from DD10, jump into the DD10 menue, set the first partition "activ" and unhidden, the second and the third one also "unhidden" and restart with the boot CD and...

    3) ...installed OSS, jump into the menue ... now without the "hide-problem"....but when I look for the attributes\partition, under the first on, it was set as boot & systempartition, the second on (installe by hand) also, but the attributes\partition from the third on show me the first on as bootpartition, the third on only systempartition.

    4) Now in the OSS-Menue I edit the boot.inis and ..

    5) I unhide ech partition from another and

    6) tried my first boot from the third one - it works.
    The first and the second one is bootable too,

    ...but I am insure because concerning the third one. If I understand right OSS tells me that if I boot the third one, OSS uses the first one as boot partition and the third one as systempartition.

    What does it mean? Is this correct or the hint, that I create a boot-(partition)-mix because I installed OSS, with 3 unhidden systempartitions, edit the boot inis at the false moment/after installing/starting OSS the first time?

    What would be the better step by step solution?

    Thank for any answer
     
  8. MudCrab

    MudCrab Imaging Specialist

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2006
    Posts:
    6,483
    Location:
    California
    Optimally, the boot.ini files should be edited before installing OSS. That way it will see them correctly.

    You have indeed created a boot-(partition)-mix, as you put it, by doing it the way you did.

    You also shouldn't boot into any of the XP's while the other XP partitions are visible. They should all be hidden from eachother.

    Up to step 2 in your procedure you did okay. From there, you should have booted DD from the cd and edited the boot.ini files to be correct. Make sure all the partitions are visible (not hidden). Then you should have rebooted from the cd and installed OSS (I'm assuming you included OSS on the rescue cd). Once OSS boots up, it should detect your XP installs. Don't boot into any of them at this point. Instead, go to each of the XP menu items and edit the partition properties so that when XP1 boots - XP2 and XP3 are hidden; when XP2 boots - XP1 and XP3 are hidden; when XP3 boots - XP1 and XP2 are hidden.

    Then you can try booting into them and see if it works.
     
  9. Tumetot

    Tumetot Registered Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2007
    Posts:
    5
    Hello MudCrab,
    Thank you again for your assistance. Before I proceed: In which way I can edit the boot. ini with DD10?
     
  10. K0LO

    K0LO Registered Member

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2006
    Posts:
    2,591
    Location:
    State College, Pennsylvania
    Tumetot:

    While running DD10, click on the partition that contains the boot.ini file that you want to edit. From the Operations menu choose "Explore" to view the files on the partition. You should see the boot.ini file in the root of the drive. Right-click on the file and choose "Edit" to view and edit the contents as shown.

    This is one of the really useful features of DD10. You can edit files in a variety of formats (FAT, NTFS, ext3, etc.) while running the recovery mode version of the program. Very useful while setting up a multiboot environment.
     

    Attached Files:

  11. Tumetot

    Tumetot Registered Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2007
    Posts:
    5
    Boys, I thank you, I experienced some sensibilities in the teamwork of DD10 OSS and TI 9 again - unbelievabel - but with your help until now it works fine - three WinXP bootable.

    Have a good time, Tumetot
     
  12. Kritker

    Kritker Registered Member

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2007
    Posts:
    71
    Have these difficulties been resolved in the current build, 2160, of DD 10?
     
  13. MudCrab

    MudCrab Imaging Specialist

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2006
    Posts:
    6,483
    Location:
    California
    Kritker,

    I have used build 2,160 since it came out and as far as I know, these problems still exist. It's just another "bug" that Acronis doesn't fix.

    I say "as far as I know" because I can't remember if I ran any tests with 2,160 or only with the previous build. It's been too long ago. Build 2,160 was released 03-01-2007 (for Vista support) and people have been posting with this problem since then. If I do run a test, I'll post back with the results.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.