Dual-boot wont run either OS

[radddogg]

Hi,

I'm a bit stuck with an issue on my media PC.

Due to compatibility issues with Windows 8 I've had to install XP as a dual boot option. My PC has three HDDs. Disc 1 is C:\ and has Win8 installed. I had some unpartioned space on Disc 2 in which I created a 10GB partition (G:\) and installed XP.

Once installed it would boot into XP but did not give an option to load win8. So I used easyBCD and it listed windows 8 as the only bootloader, I added another entry for XP and rebooted.

Now it won't load anything. It tries to boot, fails, then pops up saying loading from c:\windows\ then comes up with an error 'load needed DLLs for kernel'. Is the issue because I've got the boot partitions on separate discs?

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thx

[agw_01]

Without looking into it, this sounds like it could be more hassle than it's worth. Install Windows 7 and be done with it IMO. 8 is useless anyway for anything other than a tablet.

The reason you don't have a Windows 8 option after installing XP, is because XP doesn't know about 8 and overwrites the bootloader. If you try to install Windows XP first and then 8, 8 will probably force you to upgrade the installation.

You could try it though and see if it lets you perform a custom installation with 8 and XP on separate drives.

[pengy_666]

Hmm, very odd.

Why go from xp to 8 and keep xp.


Well I'd say try fixing the MBR but setting up dual boot in a non working system is slightly trickier than

Fdisk /MBR

As said, bin both the os' and go to 7

I never liked xo and I am not convinced 8 is any better.

[Beaker]

If important things are set up as you like them you could try fixing the MBR.

Otherwise I would keep 8 ditch XP, and use something like virtualPC for compatibility issues with XP running within it.

[pengy_666]

Most programs will run in 7 using comparability mode.

You got a boot disc for xp? I found back in the day xp was easier to boot using a boot disc than 7 is/was. If you can boot in with it then you can manually repair the MBR in msconfig

[radddogg]

The reason I had to install XP was because I needed to load a driver that wasn't signed and no matter what I tried I couldn't get around it.

As the OSs are on separate drives I'll try disconnecting the other drives and trying to fix each install separately then take it from there.