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Support > Windows Vista Dual Boot errors

With the introduction of Windows Vista in the market, many users prefer to install Widows Vista along with the Windows XP so that they can continue working with both the operating systems, until they are comfortable with the new one. Many users also, install dual-boot systems when they have only one PC but need to work on both the operating systems. Here, we are going to discuss causes and solutions of some of the error messages that may be displayed when you install a Windows XP and Windows Vista dual-boot system.

Problem 1: You are unable to boot into Windows XP after Windows Vista installation in a dual-boot configuration.

This problem usually occurs when Windows Vista is installed in an unallocated disk space that exists in front of the partition on which Windows XP is installed. What happens is that when you install Windows Vista on this unallocated disk space, a new partition is created in this space. Now, because this new partition is in front of the Windows XP partition, Boot.ini entry in the Windows XP points to an invalid partition.

For instance, consider that before you installed Windows Vista, your Windows XP was installed on disk0 (hard disk label) on a p partition (1) (partition label) that has some unallocated space in front of this partition. When only Windows XP existed on the system the Boot.ini pointed to the partition as disk(0)partition(1) for startup files. When Windows Vista was installed a new partition is created before this partition. Now, Windows Vista partition becomes disk(0)partition(1) and Windows XP partition becomes disk(0)partition(2). However, this change is not reflected automatically in the Boot.ini file, and this is the reason why you may receive an error message similar to the one given below when you try to start your system into Windows XP:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe. Please re-install a copy of the above file. To resolve this error, you need perform the following steps:

Boot your PC with Windows Vista.
Open Start menu and select Explore.
Next, open the Organize menu and select Folder and Search Options.
On the Folder Options dialog that opens, select the View tab, and then in the Advanced settings section, do the following:

               Select Show hidden files and folders check box.
               Clear the Hide extensions for known file types check box.
               Clear the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) check box.

Select Yes to confirm that you want to display operating system files in the Windows Explorer window and then select the OK button.
Now, open Windows Explorer and then navigate to the Windows XP system (boot) drive. In this situation, if Windows Vista is installed in the C drive then Windows XP files would most probably be in the D drive.
Locate Boot.ini file in the root folder of Windows XP, right-click on it and select Properties.
In the properties box that opens, open Security tab, and then select Advanced.
Next, on the Owner tab, select Edit.
If prompted, enter the password of the user with administrative rights to the system or select Continue.
Next, in the Change owner to list, select your alias, or let the Administrators option as selected and the click the OK button four times.
Now, right-click on the Boot.ini file and select Edit.
Now, if Windows Vista is in Partition(1) and Windows XP is in Partition(2), modify the ARC path to:
      multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
      or
      multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home" /fastdetect
Finally, save and close the Boot.ini file.

Problem 2: On Windows XP and Windows Vista dual boot PC, you are unable to start Windows XP after you format or delete the partition on which Windows Vista was installed.

This problem occurs when Windows Vista is installed on the active partition. When you format or delete this active partition, the startup information stored on it also gets removed, preventing Windows XP from loading.

To fix this problem you will have to repair the current Windows XP installation by performing the steps listed below:

Boot your computer with Windows XP installation CD.
On the "Welcome to Setup" screen, press Enter to setup Windows XP.
Scroll down the "Windows XP Licensing Agreement" screen and press F8 to accept the License Agreement.
Select the Windows XP installation you want to repair and press R.
Finally, follow the screen instruction to repair the current Windows XP installation.

Note: When you restart your PC after repair, you may have to activate Windows XP again in order to start using it.

Support > Windows Vista Dual Boot errors