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windows 7/vista install from 2nd partition


Brandon Garner

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heres me menu.lst setup

title Install Windows 7

chainloader (hd0,2)+1

rootnoverify (hd0,2)

I get

view image

I copies the files from the windows 7 install iso, it works fine from the first partition but why cant I get it to boot from a second partition?

Brandon,

I had this problem a few times and I worked through it a few different ways. Currently to boot to a windows installer my Menu.lst looks like this

title Install Windows Vista Ultimate --TEST
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
makeactive
chainloader +1

rootnoverify tells Grub to make Hard Drive 0 partition 1 root (you can check this with an 'ls' command while in the grub command prompt. You should be seeing the windows installation files.

makeactive sets that partition as active so it can be booted from.

chainloader +1 instructs the computer were to start looking for a bootloader.

Make sure the correct partition is loaded (using the ls command) if it is and you are still getting the same message that partition may not be bootable. making it bootable is pretty simple:

on windows put in your installation dvd or mount the image

open command prompt

change to your disc drive (D:\)

move to boot directory (cd boot)

use this command to copy the boot manager: BOOTSECT.EXE/NT60 H:

(H: referrs to the drive where you have the intallation files located on your usb drive.)

Your drive should not be bootable.

Sorry if this seems a little rough i'm rushing back to work but please let me know how to you make out with this solution, and if you get the cd/dvd drivers error.

~Scott

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Brandon,

I had this problem a few times and I worked through it a few different ways. Currently to boot to a windows installer my Menu.lst looks like this

title Install Windows Vista Ultimate --TEST
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
makeactive
chainloader +1

rootnoverify tells Grub to make Hard Drive 0 partition 1 root (you can check this with an 'ls' command while in the grub command prompt. You should be seeing the windows installation files.

makeactive sets that partition as active so it can be booted from.

chainloader +1 instructs the computer were to start looking for a bootloader.

Make sure the correct partition is loaded (using the ls command) if it is and you are still getting the same message that partition may not be bootable. making it bootable is pretty simple:

on windows put in your installation dvd or mount the image

open command prompt

change to your disc drive (D:\)

move to boot directory (cd boot)

use this command to copy the boot manager: BOOTSECT.EXE/NT60 H:

(H: referrs to the drive where you have the intallation files located on your usb drive.)

Your drive should not be bootable.

Sorry if this seems a little rough i'm rushing back to work but please let me know how to you make out with this solution, and if you get the cd/dvd drivers error.

~Scott

ok well I can only acces the first partition on the usb in windows. the BOOTSECT.EXE is on the 4th partition with all the other windows 7 files.

so my menu.lst shows now:

title Windows 7
rootnoverify (hd0,3)
makeactive
chainloader +1

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ok well I can only acces the first partition on the usb in windows. the BOOTSECT.EXE is on the 4th partition with all the other windows 7 files.

so my menu.lst shows now:

title Windows 7
rootnoverify (hd0,3)
makeactive
chainloader +1

ok I got it working after copying all the files from windows7.iso to the 4th partition on my usb drive the working menu.lst setup I got is:

title Install Windows 7
chainloader (hd0,3)/bootmgr

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ok I got it working after copying all the files from windows7.iso to the 4th partition on my usb drive the working menu.lst setup I got is:

title Install Windows 7
chainloader (hd0,3)/bootmgr

Hurm.. You've got me interested in this solution. I didn't try that chainloader configuration when I was using a USB Flashdrive (my current solution works with a USB HDD). Have you actually been able to install windows7 off of the drive. Everything I tried with a USB flashdrive would allow me to boot up the installer but it would error out because it wasn't able to locate the files. My belief was that grub could see the multiple partitions of the drive but when the windows installer took over it wasn't able to. I even went as far as slipstreaming hacked drivers into the installation but that got me nowhere. Please let me know if you have actually installed the operating system from the flashdrive using this method.

ok well I can only acces the first partition on the usb in windows. the BOOTSECT.EXE is on the 4th partition with all the other windows 7 files.

so my menu.lst shows now:

CODE

title Windows 7

rootnoverify (hd0,3)

makeactive

chainloader +1

Yea, sorry I forgot to mention how I got past this. You can google instructions to create drivers that will let windows think the flash drive is a hdd and view all the partitions. This made it easier for me to work with the device.

~Scott

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Ok, Windows Vista/Windows 7 entry plain and simple. The installer gets booted using bootmgr, so...

title Windows Setup

find --set-root /bootmgr

chainloader /bootmgr

No bootsector/mbr fun required.

If you'd perfer it though (say for cases where you got Windows already on the system), use bootsect.exe /nt60 to install the proper bootsector.

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