Home » Questions » Computers [ Ask a new question ]

Boot in Windows 7 after installing Windows XP in second partition

Boot in Windows 7 after installing Windows XP in second partition

I installed Windows XP on a second partition on a machine already running Windows 7. Now, I do not get a boot menu. The machine always boots in Windows XP. How can I restore the Windows 7 boot menu? Once I can boot in Windows 7, I'll be fine working with BCDEDIT.

Asked by: Guest | Views: 327
Total answers/comments: 2
Guest [Entry]

"Found the answer myself. Just boot from the Windows 7 DVD, select ""Repair computer"" (after language screen), then ""Command Prompt"". Copy files NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM located in the root of your C: drive to the root of your D: drive. Then type those two commands:

bootrec /fixMBR
bootrec /fixBoot

Reboot. Other solutions out there don't mention copying those two files, and that's why it failed for me every time.

You still won't see your Windows XP partition. Use BCDEDIT to add XP to the boot menu. The series of commands depend on if you already have {ntdlr} in the list. Let's assume not.

bcdedit /create {ntldr} /d ""Windows XP""
bcdedit /set {ntldr} device partition=D:
bcdedit /set {ntldr} path \ntldr
bcdedit /displayorder {ntldr} /addlast

After that, you should see both Windows 7 and Windows XP in your boot menu, and both should work."
Guest [Entry]

"Slimcode,

To restore the Windows 7 bootloader, please boot from the Windows 7 DVD and opt to run a Windows startup repair.

Should you require additional assistance and feedback, Microsoft does have an official Windows 7 Support Forum. It is supported by product specialists as well as engineers and support teams.

Jessica
Microsoft Windows Client Team"