How can you load Vista using the XP bootloader (boot.ini)?

There is a reason I'm doing things in this peculiar way, bear with me
and tell if you know the answer, please tell.

The test system has one harddrive with 2 primary partitons:

- FAT 100MB
- NTFS 100GB
The 1. partition has DOS installed, and uses the old XP bootloader
The 2. partition has Vista Business 32bit installed, with the new Vista
Bootloader.

Using a partitioning program, I can make partition 1. hidden and
partition 2 active; now Vista boots using it's bootloader.

If I make partition 1. active, DOS boots.

Now for dual booting. I want to make partition 1. active and use the
XP bootloader to point at the Vista bootloader; thus being able to dual
boot between DOS and Vista.

This may very well be possible.
Here are tutorials which use first partition GRUB to jumpstart a second
partition Vista Bootloader.
Stands to reason that with the correct boot.ini settings I can make
this work.
So far my attempts have resulted in a blank screen, and a reboot.
If you know the answer, help me out.


--
Norsak

whats wrong with using the vista boot loader and pointing that to your
dos partition. just have a menu at startup to choose between them.
'BCDEdit Command-Line Options'
(http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l.../cc709667.aspx)


--
Fuzawuza

Maybe not the exact answer yo are looking for but if you want to Dual
Boot DOS and Vista this is quite possible using EasyBCD to control
Vista's Bootloader.

information here
'Legacy Windows Versions - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki'

Download Here
'Download EasyBCD 1.7.2 - NeoSmart Technologies'

There are links from the WIKI on the first link to guide you through
many other options including tweaking the Grub loader if you Have to use
that

hope this helps

Ok, the question is how to use the XP boot loader(boot.ini) to boot
Vista.
Not the otherway around, that's easy but of no use in my scenario.

The reason this can work, is that the second partition has a fully
functional Vista bootloader.

I have recently Installed GRUB/Linux on this second partition, and was
able to use the XP bootloader to start GRUB.

Boot.ini -----------------------> Grub---------------------->CentOS
[1st Partition boot sector]....[2nd Partition boot sector]...[2nd
partiton OS]

so why not

Boot.ini -----------------------> Vista Boot Loader---------->Vista
[1st Partition boot sector]....[2nd Partition boot sector]...[2nd
partiton OS]


--
Norsak

OK Norsak,

If you -have -to call the Vista bootloader to work your scenario I
think you will have to use Grub to chain the XP bootloader and the Vista
bootloader.

I don't think you will be able to chain the vista bootloader from the
XP one due to the simple fact that the XP bootloader has no point of
reference to work with as the vista Bootloader did not exist when the XP
bootloader was written.

Grub has the point of reference to chain both bootloaders. What you
need to do is install grub on your XP partition and use that to chain
the XP bootloader and your first OS and also to chain the vista
bootloader and your second OS.

Am not that familiar with the grub syntax but there are some good
sources of information try ..

'GRUB bootloader - Full tutorial'

'Grub4dos tutorial - Grub4Dos Wiki'

hope this helps

ntldr is actually able to do that. This is also how you you dual boot
with win9x. It works by extracting the boot sector you want to use, and
point boot.ini to it.

The problem in this case, is the location of the boot files. It will
look for bootmgr on the current partition.

Grub4dos was the missing puzzel piece!

I had read that you can use GRUB to chain the vista bootloader.
But since I was starting in DOS I didn't think that would be part of
the solution.

The working sequence is as follows:

----> grldr -----------------
| [file on 1st partition] |
| V
Boot.ini --- Vista Boot
Loader---------->Vista
[1st Partition boot sector]....[2nd Partition boot sector]...[2nd
partiton OS]


The steps were:

- download grub4dos, and copy all files (except config.sys) to first
partition
- edit boot.ini to read

timeout=10
default=c:\grldr
[operating systems]
c:\grldr="Vista Business 32bit"
c:\ = "Recovery Console"
- edit menu.lst to read

rootnoverify (hd0,1)
chainloader (hd0,1)+1
Easy once you know how.

Thanks for posting back Norsak Glad to see you got it working how you
wanted it

(can you edit your first post to add Solved to the front of the title
to help future users find the solution Thanks)

Change the default operating system for startup (multiboot)

Easily Set Default OS in a Windows Vista and XP Dual-boot Setup

[Vani273]

I want to do the following, please help me out, if possible.
1) I want to change my default OS as XP from Vista
2) vice versa..
I want to automate a task, which requires booting to XP if in Vista and vice versa without human intervention. This i can do if i'm able to set the default OS and in "timeout" seconds, it will load that OS.

I just saw your request to automate without human intervention. I'll let
someone else handle the automation if that's possible. However, I want to
point out that while it's not the same thing as being in that particular
boot of Windows, you can sure quickly access any boot on your box while in
one of them:

For that just navigate, knowing the boot you are on in a multiboot or dual
boot will assume the drive letter of C:\ to:

Drive Letter of Other Boot you want to reach:\Users\User Profile\Desktop

and note that because of Vista's convention you need to type "Users" in the
file path.

If you're trying to reach the XP boot from Vista, just type in

Drive Letter:\Documents and Settings\Win XP User Profile\Desktop

and you'll access files and folders on the XP desktop.

You may have to tweak permissions to access the other desktop but this may
be a Windows 7 thing in multibooting. I can't remember if you have to using
Vista dual boots or a Vista/XP dual boot.

But if you do get locked out off one reaching one boot on the basis of UAC
simply:

Right Click the target drive>properties>security tab>edit>put a check in all
boxes>close>reopen and you should be good to go.

If for any reason you still can't open the folder that says desktop,

Right click the target drive>properties>security tab>Advanced button>Owner
tab>edit button>put a check in "replace subcontainers and objects">other
users button>type user name you want to have the perimission in the box or
simply "users">ok>apply>ok on the advanced security settings dialogue box.

Ya gotta love the way MSFT has simplified tweaking the UAC security settings
for "Lauren" the red headed babe who finds she's not cool enough to use
Apple in the commercials for Vista when "Lost" is on, as well as the 6 year
old who is using Windows to play with the pics. I bet both Lauren and the
six year old really appreciate the advanced users dialogue box, don't they
Darren Canavor, [MSFT] Program Manager on the UAC team?

The point I'm making is while after a while it becomes easy to use those
confusing terms in the advanced security dialogue boxes because of trial and
error, there are in fact very few MSFT MVPs who really understand each and
every term there and there are very few places that explain them. Ed Bott's
comprehensive chapters in his Windows Inside Out books makes an admirable
attempt, but that particular chapter in Ed's book is not the easiest reading
in the world through no fault of Ed's at all--it's the terminology the UAC
team has chosen to use.

[Vani273]

Hi CH,

Thanks for your reply.
I guess my exact problem was not conveyed by me, so here it goes.
1) Firstly, i want access my multiboot system remotely. so need to eliminate the "human intervention" part for my automation.
2) I do not want to access data from different OS, but i need to reboot in different OS, and do some driver testing. If i am in w2k3, and i want to test drivers for w2k8, i need to first boot into w2k8 and then i can test.
Now the exact problem is, from Vista, u can very well choose "Earlier versions of Windows" and set that as default. And when u reboot ur system, it will boot in w2k3. But from "earlier versions, eg, w2k3", you cannot find an entry in "boot.ini" for Windows Vista.
Now, if u add an entry of Vista in boot.ini, it doesnt serve the purpose.
U still can not load w2k8(vista). Manually, i need to go to the system (through KVM), and from the startup menu, i need to chose Vista, then it'll boot in vista.

I want to eliminate this, and want to find a way, where by i can somehow modify my bootloader and boot in Vista from Earlier versions of windows.

I hope i'm conveying my task properly.
Feel free to question me.. :)

Thanks

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.0.6000]
Copyright (c) 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

D:\Windows\system32>bcdedit

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=C:
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {current}
resumeobject {96425791-2a1d-11de-a493-b8e377c1f23c}
displayorder {ntldr}
{current}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30

Windows Legacy OS Loader
------------------------
identifier {ntldr}
device partition=C:
path \ntldr
description Earlier Version of Windows

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {current}
device partition=D:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Microsoft Windows Vista
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice partition=D:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {96425791-2a1d-11de-a493-b8e377c1f23c}
nx OptIn

D:\Windows\system32>bcdedit /set {bootmgr} default {ntldr}
The operation completed successfully.

D:\Windows\system32>bcdedit

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=C:
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {ntldr}
resumeobject {96425791-2a1d-11de-a493-b8e377c1f23c}
displayorder {ntldr}
{current}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30

Windows Legacy OS Loader
------------------------
identifier {ntldr}
device partition=C:
path \ntldr
description Earlier Version of Windows

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {current}
device partition=D:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Microsoft Windows Vista
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice partition=D:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {96425791-2a1d-11de-a493-b8e377c1f23c}
nx OptIn

D:\Windows\system32>

>2) vice versa..

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\ned>bcdedit

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=C:
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {ntldr}
resumeobject {96425791-2a1d-11de-a493-b8e377c1f23c}
displayorder {ntldr}
{96425790-2a1d-11de-a493-b8e377c1f23c}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30

Windows Legacy OS Loader
------------------------
identifier {ntldr}
device partition=C:
path \ntldr
description Earlier Version of Windows

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {96425790-2a1d-11de-a493-b8e377c1f23c}
device partition=D:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Microsoft Windows Vista
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice partition=D:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {96425791-2a1d-11de-a493-b8e377c1f23c}
nx OptIn

C:\Documents and Settings\ned>bcdedit /set {bootmgr} default
{96425790-2a1d-11de-a493-b8e377c1f23c}
The operation completed successfully.

C:\Documents and Settings\ned>bcdedit

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=C:
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {default}
resumeobject {96425791-2a1d-11de-a493-b8e377c1f23c}
displayorder {ntldr}
{default}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30

Windows Legacy OS Loader
------------------------
identifier {ntldr}
device partition=C:
path \ntldr
description Earlier Version of Windows

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {default}
device partition=D:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Microsoft Windows Vista
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice partition=D:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {96425791-2a1d-11de-a493-b8e377c1f23c}
nx OptIn

C:\Documents and Settings\ned>

[Vani273]

I guess BCDEDIT doesnot work with 2003 or XP..
Are u using any tool for that?
Because when i try BCDEDIT with 2003, what i am getting is this -

C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator>bcdedit
'bcdedit' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

I don't have a solution for you, but this may clarify what's involved.

BCDEDIT (as you speculate) only runs in Vista.
BOOT.INI is not used in the boot process and will be ignored in the dual
boot process.

The MSDN article below clarifies these points. Note particularly "BCD
replaces the traditional Boot.ini text file in BIOS-based systems." On my
dual system the BCD store in the C:\boot folder (and there is a sharing
violation if I try to view the file contents.)

Boot Options in Windows Vista
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa468626.aspx

The problem is how to modify the BCD store from XP. We know this can be
done (e.g. the EasyBCD gui program can be run in both Vista and XP to change
boot options). It should be possible to create a command line program to
do the same, but to my knowledge no one has as yet.
--

"Vani273" <Vani273.3qq87b@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message
news:Vani273.3qq87b@DoNotSpam.com...
>
> I want to do the following, please help me out, if possible.
> 1) I want to change my default OS as XP from Vista
> 2) vice versa..
> I want to automate a task, which requires booting to XP if in Vista and
> vice versa without human intervention. This i can do if i'm able to set
> the default OS and in "timeout" seconds, it will load that OS.
>
>
> --
> Vani273
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Vani273's Profile: http://forums.techarena.in/members/90476.htm
> View this thread:
> How can you load Vista using the XP bootloader (boot.ini)?
>
> http://forums.techarena.in
>

It works; you have to copy the program into a folder that's in your
path.

On Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:07:09 +0530, Vani273
<Vani273.3qs03b@DoNotSpam.com> wrote:

>
>I guess BCDEDIT doesnot work with 2003 or XP..
>Are u using any tool for that?
>Because when i try BCDEDIT with 2003, what i am getting is this -
>
>C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator>bcdedit
>'bcdedit' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
>operable program or batch file.