Solved Problems adding new MBR entries

[SimpLe SI]

[FONT=&quot]ok, I partitioned my hard drive, installed Linux, added it to the boot loader and everything was fine.
I updated my Linux kernel and rebooted, but because I hadn't configured the Linux LILO bootloader properly i couldn't boot into anything.
Eventually I managed to uninstall LILO and use the HP Vista Recovery on my laptop to use "bootrec.exe /fixmbr" command which proceeded to restore my default Vista MBR.

Since I used that command, my boot loader comes up with Windows Vista and the HP Recovery of which both work. The problem I'm having now is that I cannot add the Linux partition or any other new OS to my boot loader.
Vistabootpro doesn't have the capabilities to add Linux to the MBR, so I used EasyBCD and set my added a Linux entry EXACTLY how it had worked in my previous MBR, yet when I boot up the entry is just not there.
I then proceeded to use cmd in admin mode and use the bcdedit commands to add the information myself.

This is what my current MBR looks like {working Vista, working Recovery but Backtrack not showing up} :

[/FONT]

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier              {bootmgr}
device                  boot
description             Windows Boot Manager
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {globalsettings}
default                 {current}
displayorder            {current}
                        {572bcd60-ffa7-11d9-aae0-0007e994107d}
                        {d9d4316d-6007-11dd-8b43-8943620ecd66}
                        {d9d4316e-6007-11dd-8b43-8943620ecd66}
bootsequence            {d9d43140-6007-11dd-8b43-8943620ecd66}
toolsdisplayorder       {memdiag}
timeout                 4

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier              {current}
device                  partition=C:
path                    \WINDOWS\system32\winload.exe
description             Vista
osdevice                partition=C:
systemroot              \WINDOWS
resumeobject            {7048b5a5-5fb4-11dd-8f22-806e6f6e6963}
detecthal               No
usefirmwarepcisettings  No

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier              {572bcd60-ffa7-11d9-aae0-0007e994107d}
device                  ramdisk=[boot]\sources\boot.wim,{ramdiskoptions}
path                    \windows\system32\boot\winload.exe
description             HP Vista Recovery
osdevice                ramdisk=[boot]\sources\boot.wim,{ramdiskoptions}
systemroot              \windows
detecthal               Yes
winpe                   Yes
ems                     Yes

Real-mode Boot Sector
---------------------
identifier              {d9d4316d-6007-11dd-8b43-8943620ecd66}
path                    \NST\nst_grub-7A4ABD950939370EBE03D6A65E90A89E.mbr
description             BT3

Real-mode Boot Sector
---------------------
identifier              {d9d4316e-6007-11dd-8b43-8943620ecd66}
path                    \NST\nst_grub-7A4ABD950939370EBE03D6A65E90A89E.mbr
description             BACKTRACK3

[FONT=&quot]

Thats with a working Vista and working Recovery yet no entry appearing for Backtrack3 even though it is clearly there and installed properly. Ive also tried using bcdedit commands to copy and paste the backtrack entry hoping that it will appear on the boot loader but it just will not.


I can revert back to an older MBR which my Backtrack shows up on the boot loader and will load fine, but then the HP Recovery partition does not boot up.
This is what my old MBR looks like {working Backtrack and Vista but broken HP Recovery} :

[/FONT]

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier              {bootmgr}
device                  unknown
description             Windows Boot Manager
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {globalsettings}
default                 {current}
displayorder            {current}
                        {d9d4316c-6007-11dd-8b43-8943620ecd66}
                        {d9d43161-6007-11dd-8b43-8943620ecd66}
toolsdisplayorder       {memdiag}
timeout                 4

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier              {current}
device                  partition=C:
path                    \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description             VISTA
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {bootloadersettings}
osdevice                partition=C:
systemroot              \Windows
resumeobject            {e8709fb7-fa5f-11db-be4d-e219ece5282e}
nx                      OptOut

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier              {d9d4316c-6007-11dd-8b43-8943620ecd66}
device                  ramdisk=[boot]\sources\boot.wim,{ramdiskoptions}
path                    \windows\system32\boot\winload.exe
description             HP Recovery
osdevice                ramdisk=[boot]\sources\boot.wim,{ramdiskoptions}
systemroot              \Windows
detecthal               Yes
winpe                   Yes
ems                     Yes

Real-mode Boot Sector
---------------------
identifier              {d9d43161-6007-11dd-8b43-8943620ecd66}
device                  partition=C:
path                    \NST\nst_grub-5F6A92CF71032E4FDDA8EB8D0E76CEC9.mbr
description             BACKTRACK 3

[FONT=&quot]
At the moment I'm staying with the MBR that has the working recovery entry cause its too risky to loose it. Ive tried to add the Linux entry into the bootloader in so many different ways but just cannot get it to work.

Maybe I'm missing something somewhere, but Ive gone over and over this and cannot seem to find whats wrong. Could someone please explain to me why this is so, and how I could possibly fix this.
Thanks





[/FONT]

 

[johngalt]

OK, I saved both of your bootconfigs to separate files, and I noticed something right away:

In the one with the worknig HP, you have a separate identifier string that is completely different from the default Windows boot identifier - but in the one where it dose not work the identifier for both Vista and the HP recovery are the same - hence your problem in not being able to load the HP Recovery console.

Try this:

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device boot
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {current}
displayorder {current}
{572bcd60-ffa7-11d9-aae0-0007e994107d}
{d9d4316d-6007-11dd-8b43-8943620ecd66}
{d9d4316e-6007-11dd-8b43-8943620ecd66}
bootsequence {d9d43140-6007-11dd-8b43-8943620ecd66}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 4

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {current}
device partition=C:
path \WINDOWS\system32\winload.exe
description Vista
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \WINDOWS
resumeobject {7048b5a5-5fb4-11dd-8f22-806e6f6e6963}
detecthal No
usefirmwarepcisettings No

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {572bcd60-ffa7-11d9-aae0-0007e994107d}
device ramdisk=[boot]\sources\boot.wim,{ramdiskoptions}
path \windows\system32\boot\winload.exe
description HP Vista Recovery
osdevice ramdisk=[boot]\sources\boot.wim,{ramdiskoptions}
systemroot \Windows
detecthal Yes
winpe Yes
ems Yes

Real-mode Boot Sector
---------------------
identifier {d9d43161-6007-11dd-8b43-8943620ecd66}
device partition=C:
path \NST\nst_grub-5F6A92CF71032E4FDDA8EB8D0E76CEC9.mbr
description BACKTRACK 3

 

[Spd2Last]

With EasyBCD, did you try using NeoGrub? It's EasyBCD's own bootloader that searches for /boot/grub/menu.lst (or wherever Lilo may put the file) in the Linux partition and displays the choices. Because Vista behaves a bit weird with me if booted from Grub, I used EasyBCD to give me 2 choices: Vista or Neogrub. Upon choosing Neogrub, then it loads my menu.lst and am able to boot into Linux or OSX.

Hope this helps

 

[johngalt]

Booting Vista from GRUB just takes a bit of patience and the *absolutely* correct settings.

However, I had forgotten about NeoGRUB - thanks for pointing that out.

 

[Spd2Last]

Booting Vista from GRUB just takes a bit of patience and the *absolutely* correct settings.

Which is something I didn't feel like wasting time on . While I was able to get Vista to boot, the clock would always be off when it was booted and I wasn't able to put it in Standby or Hibernate after having been in either Linux or OSX. So in the end, i just let NeoGrub handle the other OS's outside Vista's bootloader...

 

[SimpLe SI]

thanks guys for your help.
ya, had tried every option with EasyBCD but nothing was working. johngalts post gave me an idea tho. I used my MBR with the working Vista and Recovery and then I added an entry with Vistabootpro using the Legacy bootloader. Then in cmd used bcdedit to change the details and specify my linux and grub settings in that new entry. This seems to have done the trick.

Thanks for your help guys.
Is really appreciated