[How-to] Vista + OSX native dual boot on a PC w/ Vista multi-boot method by cbmkgd

[cbmkgd]

I've verified that the procedure I outlined in the second post works with VistaRTM.

 

I didn't do anything different.

 

We can help you dmk if you inform us better about your setup. A disk can't have more than one active partition; and a logical partition can't be made active, it's reserved to primary partitions. So there's some ambiguity about your description. And its ntdetect.com, not ntdetect.exe.

 

Apart from OSX's own boot manager, Vista's own bootmanager, and AOSS, there are other options, like the one PsychoSync suggested, as well as GRUB/WinGRUB, etc. No need to make life harder than it should be

 

/edit: if after some tinkering you get problems with osx booting (hsf+ errors), check this page: http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=33216

[dmk]

Hey, hope this helps.

 

DISK 1

 

Partition Flags Capacity Free Space Type

 

NTFS (C:\) Pri 19.53GB 11.23 GB NTFS

Common (D:\) 29.29 GB 28.86 GB FAT32

None Pri, Act 42.93 GB 0xAF (ShagOS Swap)

 

This is what Acronis Disk Director reports from inside Vista.

 

I deleted my boot.ini, since it wasn't working. Shouild I put it and the ntdetect.com and ntldr files back? They didn't seem to work but I'm sure I can put them back.

 

Is there another place I can get partition info from that would help?

 

This is all one hard drive inside my laptop.

[cbmkgd]

I used dilnalomo's guide and got a problem =(

After installing Vista RC2 successfully, I followed the guide here: (Using Acronis Disk Suite) http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=11339

to install the second OS, OSX!

 

I am using the AMD 10.4.8 OSX version.

 

However, after I installed OSX, the Acronis OS Selector did not startup as it should have (Step 6 in the second guide). Instead, the Darwin boot loader loads up with two options: Windows and Mac OSX. The OSX option boots up fine. However, when I select the Windows option, I get the error "Vista cannot boot because \Windows\System32\winload.exe is either missing or corrupt.

 

I ran a cmd line through Vista repair, and it shows that winload.exe is there... What happened?!?!?

Since darwin booted at startup, it seems you installed osx in a primary partition (which is quite ok) and it overwrote the mbr (ok also). You should then get the Acronis bootable CD, boot on it and reactivate A.OS Selector to get it to boot first again. If you didn't make that bootable cd, make it on another system and proceed. Maybe you'll get a good Vista again.

Otherwise, use the Vista dvd to recover your vista install.

Good luck.

[cbmkgd]

@dmk:

Since you have installed diskdirector, do this for me: run diskdirector (full mode), and right-click in the upper part of the table (where it's written Partition, Flags, Capacity, Free, Space, Type, etc). You'll see a list of other tags, and choose "Number"; this will only make the partition number show up.

And write back here those numbers for each partition.

Or, to make it quicker, if your vista partition number is "1", then the boot.ini should have partition(1) (like in my example).

[For example, I installed my VistaRTM on third primary partition, and had number '3'; so had to put partition(3) in my boot.ini; otherwise aoss wouldn't have found it]

 

If that doesn't work, well, stick to darwin! Or wait 'til Acronis move their butts and produce a new version! I guess they'll do it when Vista is officially out for people (which isn't, let's remember that).

 

(i assume your "Common" partition is primary too?)

[dmk]

Actually COMMON is my Fat32 common partition used by both. I believe I set this up as a logical partition inside my Vista NTFS partition.

 

 

Numbers of partitions in Acronis (wow, this is weird!)

 

C: NTFS Pri = 3

Common D: (Nothing in flags column) = 5

None Pri, Act (This is OSX86) = 2

 

Does that help give you any ideas I can try? If you still want me to re-run Vista rescue, I can.

 

I've had OSX installed on this drive a while now, and have since reformatted and reinstalled in the Vista partition quite a few times.

 

Ever since I messed with the bcdedit command, it seems Acronis hasn't been able to see my Vista partition, even after a full reformat (but only of the Vista partition, I haven't reformatted OSX or common).

 

Ideas?

[cbmkgd]

So try with aoss, putting back in vista's root the files ntldr, ntdetect.com, and a boot.ini with partition(3) !

 

When doing installs, reinstalls, repartitioning, etc, the number can increase... If you'd start from scratch, the numbers would begin again at 1.

 

What color is the bar in "Common"? purple=logical, yellow=primary.

 

/edit: ah! Common number=5, so this is a logical partition. Some people have reported problems with osx placed after the extended partition... but because it's partition number is below your extended partition's number (which is 3, but not shown), all went well...

I reported this behavior here; don't mind the conclusion of the first part, i'll have to update it as i've done a few tests since.

 

/edit2: come to think of it, your extended partition number is now probably 1, not 3!

[joe75]

If your using Vista RTM, I would just fdisk in terminal on mac and that would give you Darwin loader and just use that, forget about some pretty pictures. If you set your Timeout correctly, you should have it boot up w/out having to F8.

[dmk]

It's purple! I'm going to try this now...Just need to put those files back -- Who knew that the number went up like that? Thanks.

[cbmkgd]

If your using Vista RTM, I would just fdisk in terminal on mac and that would give you Darwin loader and just use that, forget about some pretty pictures. If you set your Timeout correctly, you should have it boot up w/out having to F8.

I proposed to stay with darwin since my first answer to his problem. It's his choice.

 

But it's true that once aoss is removed he might have a problem with his osx install.

In that case, whoever has similar problems, follow the instructions on this page: [Howto] Recover HFS+ partition error after Vista installation

[joe75]

It's nice not having to deal with the problems of the betas

[dmk]

Yep, I got Darwin working but still kinda prefer Acronis (I'm weird, I know). I like a pretty menu and unlimted delay, not the "press a key for options" nature of Darwin. For now at least.

 

So here's what I did. Put ntldr and ntdetect.com back. Put this boot.ini back in C:\ root. Re-enabled Acronis OSS (didn't re-install it tho, maybe that was my mistake).

 

Rebooted, Vista still not detected, OSX only OS that shows. Did I miss something?

 

BTW I noticed that even if I mark Vista active in Acronis during boot, when I get into Vista it's not active again. It's like Darwin/OSX makes itself active every time I boot (maybe that's normal).

 

Did I miss something simple?

[cbmkgd]

@joe: You know that with MS it's still somewhat a beta until SP1.

[joe75]

Does osx need to be active for Acronis OSS to load it?

 

@joe: You know that with MS it's still somewhat a beta until SP1.

[cbmkgd]

So here's what I did. Put ntldr and ntdetect.com back. Put this boot.ini back in C:\ root. Re-enabled Acronis OSS (didn't re-install it tho, maybe that was my mistake).

Rebooted, Vista still not detected, OSX only OS that shows. Did I miss something?

BTW I noticed that even if I mark Vista active in Acronis during boot, when I get into Vista it's not active again. It's like Darwin/OSX makes itself active every time I boot (maybe that's normal).

Re-activating aoss should have been enough. So you replaced partition(1) with partition(3) in my boot.ini example? Just making sure.

 

Acronis makes sure that the primary partition to boot is made active; since you have only osx, its partition is activated. Only one partition can be active.

 

Right now, 11.30pm here, out of ideas.

 

/edit: btw, I edited a previous post: your extended partition number is probably 1, and not 3 as stated. That merely means that in the partition table, your extended partition is on the top of the list, followed by osx's partition (2), and then vista's (3), even though physically they are in different order...

 

Does osx need to be active for Acronis OSS to load it?

Actually, no. For example, with the chain0 method, osx partition isn't active (unless there's something I don't know about chain0). In fact, there's a way to install osx in a logical partition (with some other requirements), so this partiticular logical partition can't be made active, and still it boots (but not with aoss).

/edit: oops, didn't answer your question really... Real answer is: aoss makes it active, if it's primary.

[dmk]

Ok, final post from me then unless you have other ideas:

 

I did re-install OSS with the repair option and it now detected Vista as a new "unknown os". When I select it, it says NTLDR is missing, even though ntldr is indeed in the root.

 

C:\ is my NTFS partition and #3 according to Acronis DD. My boot.ini:

 

[boot loader]

;timeout=10

default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS

[operating systems]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Windows Vista"

 

 

CORRECTION: BOOTMGR is missing, not NTLDR.

 

Should I just blank the Vista partition and re-install it and attempt to use Acronis the right way from the start?

[cbmkgd]

Well, it's an improvement!

boot.ini looks ok.

Bootmgr is missing? That's vista's file... is it really missing? should be in root too.

[dmk]

Oddly enough, it's there in the root, where it belongs!

 

I'm pretty stumped. I suppose I can re-install and try one more time from scratch. OSX was a pain to get on my lappy so I don't want to blank the whole drive.

 

I'll try and re-do Vista, then OSS with the proper 3 boot files from the start and see if it flies. I guess?

[cbmkgd]

And it boots fine when from darwin... without this error message. Odd.

 

/edit: Ok, in aoss menu, select "unknow" icon, click Operations>Properties on the left panel, go to partitions section and make sure the partition on which vista is installed is set to be active.

Try that.

[dmk]

Yep. it's set right. NTFS partition is checked as active for the Windows partition and for the OSX boot the OSX partition is checked. Looks right to me.

 

I guess I'll just reformat this NTFS partition and give it one more try. I'm not sure it's gonna fly tho. As I said, ever since I tried another thread and messed with the vista boot via the command line, it's gone haywire.

[cbmkgd]

(...) ever since I tried another thread and messed with the vista boot via the command line, it's gone haywire.

huh? did i miss something? I assumed you followed the guide I posted.

[dmk]

Well I did after a reformat -- But a week or so ago I ran a command line vista boot manager trick (I'll see if I can find the thread, it involved getting this long hex key and running a bunch of commands using that key afterwards) and ever since then the system's been funky. I figured blanking out the NTFS partition and then restarting would work, but no dice, it's been funky since. I think Acronis found both OSes just fine before I even did that. I was just trying to use the native Vista bootloader. Bad idea.

[cbmkgd]

Well, reinstalling vista on new partition should have been ok, and the mbr reconstructed. So, not sure that would be the problem.

 

But if you've had problems since then, that could be it.

 

I'll let you solve that part of the problem!

(if you find the thread, i'd be interested to read it tomorrow or later though)

 

Good night for now.

[Alucard!]

ok all works fine, but i problem still stays.

How can i insert Acronis Disk Director Suite serial key?

 

what do i have to do to own it?

 

please someone help me!! I am desperete

[cbmkgd]

ok all works fine, but i problem still stays.

How can i insert Acronis Disk Director Suite serial key?

what do i have to do to own it?

You can ask this kind of question at the Acronis Disk Director forum.

[Cowboy Mike]

Heyya, used this method and now I'm running Vista and OS X on my Notebook:

 

HP pavilion dv2175ea (C2D 1,66 GHz // 2048 MB RAM // 120 GB HDD // GeForce 7200 Go)

Windows Vista RTM // MAC OS X 10.4.8 JaS with semthex // React OS 0.31 //