Vista - Boot Manager issue: dual boot vista 64 ultimate / windows 7 ultimate

Hi,

I have a HP pavilion laptop which came with 64 bit vista ultimate pre-installed.

I shrinked the OS partition (160 GB), created new partition (40 GB) for 64 bit windows 7 ultimate. After installation of Windows 7, I cannot see the vista ultimate boot option when I boot my PC.

When I boot into Windows 7, I still can see the vista partition. But instead of C: it is now displayed as E:

I used the HP Recovery Disc to repair windows vista but I can only see a blank blue screen with the mouse pointer.

How can I recover the vista?

Thank you,
Mahesh.

Hi Mahesh,

When you boot into Windows 7 Ultimate, any other partition that was the
true C: partition is assigned another Drive Letter by Windows 7 Ultimate
operating system. You made the mistake of not booting back into Windows
Vista after you shrank the Vista partition and before you installed Windows
7 Ultimate.

You also complicated the matter by running the HP Recovery option,
because it is based on the initial size of Drive C:, not the new size of the
partition.

I would start over completely.

Delete the Windows 7 Ultimate partition and increase the Drive C:
partition and rerun the HP Recovery option. Once you can get back into
Windows Vista, check operation.

Now redo the shrinking of the C: partition. Before you reinstall Windows
7, boot into Windows Vista to check operation.

After you boot into Windows 7 Ultimate, the Vista partition will have
another Drive Letter associated with it.

But, after you select Vista to boot into, Windows 7 Ultimate will be
another Drive Letter associated with it from the viewpoint of Vista.


--
thecreator



"mahesh_australia" <guest@xxxxxx-email.com> wrote in message
news:24d02502f6856532f8d869b1eb4d2c44@xxxxxx-gateway.com...

Hi 'thecreator'

Thank you so much for taking time in replying.

The recovery DVD didnt help because I updated the vista to SP1. I dont have the vista original installation DVD as I am just provided only with the recovery DVD.

Now, my PC displays the OS options in DOS as follows:
1. Windows 7
2. Vista Ultimate (Recovered)

Previously I was not able to see this screen as it was directly booting into Windows 7. I think the recovery DVD did something in the background because as I said earlier that inserting the recovery DVD just displays only the blue screen with the mouse pointer.

Do you think it is safe to delete the Windows 7 partition from Vista and extend the vista partition? After doing this will I get a error message that boot manager is missing or will I be able to log into vista directly.

Thanks,
Mahesh.

hehe mahesh... Ok.. Now I see...


Ok.. before you worry too much.. yes.. even with updating to SP1 you can still recover your Vista to AS IT WAS WHEN DELIVERED.. meaning the original partitions too! (THIS takes a long time and you WILL LOSE everything on ALL partitions)

BUT ! the good news is.. your problem is only a bcd problem (the boot loader of vista and W7)...

If you can in recovery console.. log into either W7 OR VISTA as I stated in your other post and run the commands I said.. try first the Vista partition for example (which should add W7 onto the vista partition) and then you should be able to dual boot fine. If not, repeat the bootrec/bootsect in recovery console on W7 partition. If that fails too, write back. (if it works, you could also drop a note by the way )

POST 2: mahesh... NO.. dont remove the partition yet.. be patient!!! A. first of all... if you say that the recovery DVD doesnt give you an option to go into a system recovery command prompt /console (to type things like dir, c: cd boot etc)

THEN since you have internet, find the site I was talking about.. I am sorry. I'm pretty busy myself right now with something and forgot the site.. but they let you download a recovery disc image for vista (x64 too) which I personally used to fix a problem similar to yours a few weeks back.

When you got that and made the disc and you can log in.. then like I say, try on Vista drive (you should recognise it not by letter but by content... by typing 'dir' at the prompt without quotes obviously).

bootrec /fixmbr etc etc.. when you rebuild, the bootsect program should find both vista and W7 and offer you to add them.. just click yes to both. and do it in the order I stated in the above post...


Good luck.

the creator... Windows 7 beta asn precisely that.. not a production release yet.. much can change... sure.. to get best feedback we are getting an equivalent evaluation as 'ultimate' but it's just confusing to call it that lol

Hello Mahesh,

You may find these useful :

Download: Windows Vista x64 Recovery Disc &#x2014; The NeoSmart Files

System Recovery Options

Recovering the Vista Bootloader from the DVD - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki

Hope it helps

SIW2

There ya go.. thats the disc I was on about... it would save you both W7 and Vista with minor trouble but ah well...

Even if you format W7 , your vista bootloader is corrupted and needs to be rebuilt as far as I can see. And I told you to be patient... To extend the vista partition when it is not* bootable , hence not stable is just adding to problems lol... but ah well... If you really don't care at all about that partition vista (you certainly don't seem to hold respect for it or you would listen hehe).. why dont you just install a factory image again dang

sighs

Hi SIW2 -> Thanks for the wonderful information.

hey Lakmilis, do you think that restoring to factory settings from Vista will delete the W7 partition and reinstate my PC to how it was when I bought it? If so, that will be the best option for me & I can install the vista SP1 + other softwares again.

sry for being a pain guys... I am a beginner and I've got only the Vista recovery DVD and NOT the installation DVD. This HP vista recovery DVD was working fine until I updated to SP1. So, I dont want to regret after its too late.

Thanks again,
Mahesh.

Mahesh.. the nice links provided by SIW2 are the ones I mentioned in the other post of yours... Yes had you tried them you would of been able to reinstall your bootloader (which is your problem)... By formatting W7 whilst you have a problem with either one of the operative systems leaves you with fewer options... thats is why I recommended you not* to do it till you fixed your problem.

Ok but to your question... yes.. even if you update to SP1 , what you are doing is upgrading your system.. just like putting on W7 , a different system. Hence when you tried your recovery discs.. they couldn't repair the SP1 apparently.

However... by choosing a complete reinstall to factory settings implies that the discs (regardless if your discs would have W7, Vista SP1, XP, Linux, etc etc) will be wiped clean and reinstalled with the images on them (image meaning a 'copy' of a system).

So yes... the vista recovery DVD and you choose a complete factory reinstall equates to a system you had at day 1.

NOTE... ALL your partitions and data will be lost.. (put anything of importance if you still can on external drives or so).

Let us know how it turns out for ya eh

But yes.. from the first post, I could see you aren't exactly experienced. Please do NOT install BETA OS on your laptop then... it IS asking for trouble