[bigaldoc]

Apologies if this is not in the correct board. For a few years I've used the old (free) Vista Boot Pro to triple boot. I have XP MCE on the C: drive and Vista and Win7 on a second physical drive. All has been well in that environment.

I needed to replace the primary drive (C:) and so, in fear, I uninstalled Vista Boot Pro, fearing a multi-boot might interfere with my replacement of that primary boot drive. I've now completed that installation and have purchased DualBoot Pro in order to resetup my multi-boot setup.

However, DualBootPro reports that I have three OSs on my system but all three are called Recovery Environment and I don't know where to go from here.

Can someone advise me, please?

[yeshuas]

Are you able to get the computer to boot into any OS, and if so which one or ones

You replaced the C drive, which OS or OSes did you reinstall on it

[bigaldoc]

I removed the old Vista Boot Pro, inserted a NEW hard drive in the C: position and restored its backup from my Shadow Protect backup images. So, the new drive has, as did the old, Win XP MCE and boots just fine to that single OS since dual boot was removed prior.

After buying and installing DualBootPro and seeing those three "Recovery Environments" in the window of OSs, I was afraid to re-boot fearing a crash and burn. So, I have once again uninstalled DBP and rebooted this morning (for a different reason) and XP boots up fine.

I saw in another thread in this forum system where someone was advised to delete a recovery environment entry in the OS window and I don't know if that's the approach in my situation. And if so, how do I then get DBP to recognize that I have three OSs present on two physical drives?

[bigaldoc]

While I'm waiting for your review and possible suggestions, I thought I'd add this. I ran BCDEDIT on both my Vista and Win7 partitions and saved the outputs to a text file. The two are exactly the same, and I don't know if this output will help you evaluate my problem.

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {da846ba0-e037-11dd-907e-fec34239aa44}
device ramdisk=[H:]\Recovery\da846ba0-e037-11dd-907e-fec34239aa44\Winre.wim,{da846ba1-e037-11dd-907e-fec34239aa44}
path \windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows Recovery Environment
inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice ramdisk=[H:]\Recovery\da846ba0-e037-11dd-907e-fec34239aa44\Winre.wim,{da846ba1-e037-11dd-907e-fec34239aa44}
systemroot \windows
nx OptIn
detecthal Yes
winpe Yes

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {da846ba4-e037-11dd-907e-fec34239aa44}
device ramdisk=[H:]\Recovery\da846ba4-e037-11dd-907e-fec34239aa44\Winre.wim,{da846ba5-e037-11dd-907e-fec34239aa44}
path \windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows Recovery Environment
inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice ramdisk=[H:]\Recovery\da846ba4-e037-11dd-907e-fec34239aa44\Winre.wim,{da846ba5-e037-11dd-907e-fec34239aa44}
systemroot \windows
nx OptIn
winpe Yes

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {da846ba8-e037-11dd-907e-fec34239aa44}
device ramdisk=[H:]\Recovery\da846ba8-e037-11dd-907e-fec34239aa44\Winre.wim,{da846ba9-e037-11dd-907e-fec34239aa44}
path \windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows Recovery Environment
inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice ramdisk=[H:]\Recovery\da846ba8-e037-11dd-907e-fec34239aa44\Winre.wim,{da846ba9-e037-11dd-907e-fec34239aa44}
systemroot \windows
nx OptIn
winpe Yes

Windows Memory Tester
---------------------
identifier {memdiag}
device unknown
path \boot\memtest.exe
description Windows Memory Diagnostic
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
badmemoryaccess Yes

[bigaldoc]

Since I mentioned the BCDEdit, I don't know if a shot of my drives will help in anyone's thinking and haven't uploaded an image here, so let me try, just in case.

[yeshuas]

are you able to boot into Windows 7, or Vista?

[bigaldoc]

No, I don't even know how to try! Since DBP doesn't show any of my three OSs, I don't understand if one of those "Recovery Environment" entries could be a legit OS with a bad name.

There must be some way to start over and do as I did a long time ago: install DBP, have it recognize the three OSs and let me choose which one is to be at the top of the boot list. I pray that you don't tell me that the only way is to blow away those two partitions (Vista and Win7) and re-install them.

This morning I even restored from an image backup the D: and H: drive to a time BEFORE I started replacing the C: drive. That didn't do anything to change the DBP screens.

[yeshuas]

more than likely the file, Bootmgr and folder BOOT, you needed for Windows 7 and Vista were on the C drive. You can check to see if they are in another location, you will have to get into folder options and unhide the hidden system files and folders to see them.

this guide should be of help also
www.pronetworks.org/forums/reformatted- ... 14759.html

[bigaldoc]

this guide should be of help also
reformatted-and-reinstalled-xp-lost-boot-to-windows-7-t114759.html

I've gotta tell ya, you are a PRINCE for your guidance, help and direction, and I can't THANK YOU enuf and LOUDLY enuf!

The referenced article was PERFECT, step-by-step, exactly as written! I now have not only my XP and Win7 but Vista as well restored and bootable, thanks to your help and that excellent tutorial...

Thanks again. The small fee I paid for Dual Boot Pro was worth every bit of it. Mark this one as CASE CLOSED!!!

Al Hoffman

[yeshuas]

it is my pleasure to have aided you, as I. was aided some years ago.

Daniel