Boot Manager

  • Thread starter Thread starter GuessWho
  • Start date Start date
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GuessWho

I just did a custom install of Vista from a MS DVD. I installed it on a
second HDD (D)with XP Pro installed on the C drive.

Everything works fine and I'm posting this using Vista. However on boot I
can't do anything in Boot Manager and after 30 sec the machine goes on to
load XP.

Could someone suggest where the problem might be and if there is a fix short
of starting over.

TIA,

Wayne
 
Hi TIA,

How are you able to post from Vista if the bootloader goes into XP?

When you get into Vista try:

1. control panel
2. system
3. advanced system settings
4. advanced tab
5. startup and recovery
6. settings
7. under system startup you should be able to adjust the boot loading info.

Let me know how you make out.

Jeff
 
Jeff,

Vista installed itself as the second boot OS with Vista pre-selected and I
can't make any changes in Boot Manager. I couldn't boot directly from the
Vista DVD and had to load Vista from within XP.

I used a free program called VistaBoot Pro (?) to modify the boot option in
boot manager so that XP is now the selected OS, but I still can't make any
changes in the Boot Manager at startup.

A couple of weeks ago I downloaded XP x64 and burned it to a CD and it won't
boot but I just assumed I screwed up somewhere but haven't bothered to
pursue the issue. I just ordered Vista DVDs from MS.

Since my original post I've discovered that my system doesn't recognize any
authentic MS bootable OS discs ( XP Pro, XP Home, Vista x32 or Vista x64).
When the "press any key" option comes up, no matter what I do my machine
just continues on to boot the OS selected in Vista Boot Pro.

However, my system does recognize a bootable CD of the Linspire version of
Linux that I downloaded and burned to CD a couple of years ago. At the
"press any key" option the Linspire loaded comes up.

Wayne
 
Hmmm... almost sounds like your Vista DVD isn't bootable? How did you get
the downloaded file from your hard drive to the DVD? Do you remember an
option to make sure the disk was bootable?

I'm assuming that when you have you vista DVD in you changed the BIOS to
boot from CD?

Just a few thoughts.

Jeff
 
Jeff,

I've checked the BIOS boot sequence and the DVDs should be bootable. I
purchased the DVDs directly from MS. I received a 32 bit DVD and a 64 bit
DVD and neither is bootable, nor is my original XP Pro or my wife's XP Home.

There seems to be some corruption in the Boot Manger, but until I can boot
from a CD/DVD I can't fix the problem. I might be able to wipe both drives
but it is very time consuming to format and reinstall everything.

Wayne
 
it sounds like your keyboard is not being recognized by the BIOS. check in
CMOS and if you have an USB keyboard ensure that it is on. or try a p/s2
keyboard.
 
Thanx Alejo.

Enabling the USB keyboard fixed all the problems. I never thought about the
USB keyboard/mouse because they were both enabled when I first started using
them, and everything was working program wise. However, I flashed the BIOS
a couple months ago and this set all the BIOS settings back to the default
values.

I should have suspected something so simple because I recently had to reset
the boot sequence.

Wayne
 
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