How to modify Windows 7 Boot Loader?
Yesterday, I had installed Windows 7 Beta Build 7000 on my Lenovo Ideapad S10 Netbook. The S10 netbook was pre-installed with Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition. So, I set up XP/ Windows 7 dualboot. The Windows 7 installer set the default boot choice to Windows 7 and renamed the XP as “Previous version of Windows”, also a timeout of 30sec set.
If you try to modify the boot options the oldfashioned with boot.ini file, you get the following warnings:
;Warning: Boot.ini is used on Windows XP and earlier operating systems.
;Warning: Use BCDEDIT.exe to modify Windows Vista boot options.
If you examine, Windows 7 doesn't have NTFS write permissions on XP system partition, even though it creates a "boot sector" inside it, cause it is the first one in line on the system disk, which is shared half on half by both systems.
So I booted into Windows 7, and run the following commands:
- By default Vista/Windows 7 open command prompt in user mode, so we need to change the permission. To do so, just execute this command:
Start Menu > All Programs > Accessories > (right-click & "Run as administrator") Command prompt
- bcdedit /set {legacy} Description "Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP3"
(Changes the text description of the "Legacy" OS line in the boot menu. The quotation marks must be included in the command) - bcdedit /default {legacy}
( Sets the legacy (Windows XP) OS as {default} boot item) - Running bcdedit /?
(shows all commands one is able to use)
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Just wound up with a Thinkpad where getting to the restore partition is part of the Vista/Win7 bootloader setup - as a matter of fact all the BCD stuff and bootloader were already made part of XP... So I decided to see how it will recover if the XP partition is erased - and as expected the system is no longer recoverable. The bootsectors have know knowledge about the recovery partition, and bcdrecover doesn't know about 'non' windows pieces - besides where should it build all the BCD files when there is no filesystem around? What brilliant design! So far the Windows boot setup for multiple OS was bad enough using some filesystem in some other OS for booting - and all the fun when this OS needed to be deleted. Now the recovery depends on the existence of some files in the very same OS that needs to be replaced...
Thanks a bunch, I just installed Win7 and was wondering how to do that.
Also, I am triple booting Win7-WinXP-PCLinuxOS, so I had to jump through another hoop to set that up, since Win7 install overwrites the MBR. Had to manually restore GRUB (initial boot menu used for Linux).
So far, Win7 is not bad though, maybe better than XP.
Glad, it helped you. If you won't mind, share your experience with Windows 7.
Hey thanks for this write up, I have XP SP3 installed as my main OS, and I installed W7 RC on another partition just to try it out and for testing purposes etc but I don't plan on making the switch completely until at least 6 months from now.
This little tutorial was exactly what I needed!
is it fast and smooth if it is dual boot?
Here is the Final realease , Tested and scanned , 100 % positive feedback , try it and see this before starting downloading other releases that might be old :
Windows 7 Loader by Orbit30 And Hazar 32Bit 64Bit v1.2 -1only
http://www.feedurbrain.com/for.....1only.html
and for other programs and downloads
here :
http://www.feedurbrain.com/forum/softwares/
and For win & all version and 64 x and 86 x : here :
[RS] Windows 7 Build 7600.16385 x86 And x64
http://www.feedurbrain.com/for.....6-x64.html
Thanks! That was really helpful!
Thank You dude!
kings 121
Win7 was on a separate drive that is no longer part of the raid array on this machine. I haven't tried what DG suggested because I'm very busy with work and school. When I do get time I'll post back the results. Thanks to both of you for your help.
@ David.......did u delete the partition that win 7 was on?....if not then u,ll have to delete that partition and bring the HD back to 1 full partition then re install the OS of ur choice