Tool for Configuring Windows Vista's Bootloader

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Computer Guru

EasyBCD [1] is a freeware utility that can configure the Windows Vista bootloader and manage dual-boots with previous versions of Windows and other operating systems.

If you need to rename entries, change drive letters, configure bootloader defaults and timeouts, or backup and restore bootloader settings, EasyBCD has one-click access to all these features.

EasyBCD also provides features that bring above the competition by supporting one-click automatic configuration of dual-booting Windows Vista with all versions of Mac OS X, Linux, BSD, and OS/2 among others without needing to use or configure another bootloader like GRUB or Darwin [2]. It can also configure advanced entry-specific settings such as disabling x64 signed-driver verification, customizing the amount of memory and CPU available to an OS, and debugging the boot process.

EasyBCD can be configured for different levels of expertise and offers features and interfaces suitable for those looking to configure their bootloader after upgrading to XP and for those looking to manage complex mult-tiered boot configurations for up to dozens of operating systems with minimal headache. It's also the tool of choice for IT administrators looking to move their company to Vista with the least amount of effort.

Unlike other Vista bootloader configuration tools, it's not just a pretty interface to bcdedit, but also fully-configurable bootloader in its own right, with profiles and modes for everyone.

[1]: http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1
[2]: http://neosmart.net/blog/2006/easybcd-15-multidual-boot-vista-linux-mac-os-x-bsd/
 
Can it hide partitions? Can it hide Vista from XP?


EasyBCD [1] is a freeware utility that can configure the Windows Vista bootloader and manage dual-boots with previous versions of Windows and other operating systems.

If you need to rename entries, change drive letters, configure bootloader defaults and timeouts, or backup and restore bootloader settings, EasyBCD has one-click access to all these features.

EasyBCD also provides features that bring above the competition by supporting one-click automatic configuration of dual-booting Windows Vista with all versions of Mac OS X, Linux, BSD, and OS/2 among others without needing to use or configure another bootloader like GRUB or Darwin [2]. It can also configure advanced entry-specific settings such as disabling x64 signed-driver verification, customizing the amount of memory and CPU available to an OS, and debugging the boot process.

EasyBCD can be configured for different levels of expertise and offers features and interfaces suitable for those looking to configure their bootloader after upgrading to XP and for those looking to manage complex mult-tiered boot configurations for up to dozens of operating systems with minimal headache. It's also the tool of choice for IT administrators looking to move their company to Vista with the least amount of effort.

Unlike other Vista bootloader configuration tools, it's not just a pretty interface to bcdedit, but also fully-configurable bootloader in its own right, with profiles and modes for everyone.

[1]: http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1
[2]: http://neosmart.net/blog/2006/easybcd-15-multidual-boot-vista-linux-mac-os-x-bsd/
 
I 2nd this question


Can it hide partitions? Can it hide Vista from XP?


EasyBCD [1] is a freeware utility that can configure the Windows Vista
bootloader and manage dual-boots with previous versions of Windows and other
operating systems.

If you need to rename entries, change drive letters, configure bootloader
defaults and timeouts, or backup and restore bootloader settings, EasyBCD
has one-click access to all these features.

EasyBCD also provides features that bring above the competition by
supporting one-click automatic configuration of dual-booting Windows Vista
with all versions of Mac OS X, Linux, BSD, and OS/2 among others without
needing to use or configure another bootloader like GRUB or Darwin [2]. It
can also configure advanced entry-specific settings such as disabling x64
signed-driver verification, customizing the amount of memory and CPU
available to an OS, and debugging the boot process.

EasyBCD can be configured for different levels of expertise and offers
features and interfaces suitable for those looking to configure their
bootloader after upgrading to XP and for those looking to manage complex
mult-tiered boot configurations for up to dozens of operating systems with
minimal headache. It's also the tool of choice for IT administrators looking
to move their company to Vista with the least amount of effort.

Unlike other Vista bootloader configuration tools, it's not just a pretty
interface to bcdedit, but also fully-configurable bootloader in its own
right, with profiles and modes for everyone.

[1]: http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1
[2]:
http://neosmart.net/blog/2006/easybcd-15-multidual-boot-vista-linux-mac-os-x-bsd/
 
Can it hide partitions? Can it hide Vista from XP?
At the moment, no.
But the NeoSmart Technologies team is researching for a solution, and we're talking to various parties in and out of Microsoft looking for the cleanest way of doing so.

Out of curiosity: why would you need to hide the Vista partition from XP?
Would you need to do so before or after Vista is installed? What purpose would it serve?

In other words, is hiding Vista the point, or is it a symptom of something else the EasyBCD team can try to address?

Support for EasyBCD is freely available at http://neosmart.net/forums/ if anyone comes across anything.
 
If you dual boot XP and Vista, every time you boot into XP it will erase
Vista's restore points and shadow copies. This is a known issue. The
only way to avoid this is to use Vista Ultimate or Enterprise and use
Bitlocker, or use a partition manager that can hide the Vista partition
from XP.

dom
Can it hide partitions? Can it hide Vista from XP?
At the moment, no.
But the NeoSmart Technologies team is researching for a solution, and we're talking to various parties in and out of Microsoft looking for the cleanest way of doing so.

Out of curiosity: why would you need to hide the Vista partition from XP?
Would you need to do so before or after Vista is installed? What purpose would it serve?

In other words, is hiding Vista the point, or is it a symptom of something else the EasyBCD team can try to address?

Support for EasyBCD is freely available at http://neosmart.net/forums/ if anyone comes across anything.
 
Computer Guru:
The reason for hiding the Vista partition from XP is due to a volsnap.sys conflict. The VSS files created by Vista are erased when booting XP since they are deemed corrupt. Currently BitLocker (only available with Enterprise or Ultimate) or using a third party boot manager are the only solutions for saving Vista restore points and shadow copies in a dual boot with XP.

--
Dennis Pack
XP x64, Vista Enterprise x64
Office2007
Can it hide partitions? Can it hide Vista from XP?
At the moment, no.
But the NeoSmart Technologies team is researching for a solution, and we're talking to various parties in and out of Microsoft looking for the cleanest way of doing so.

Out of curiosity: why would you need to hide the Vista partition from XP?
Would you need to do so before or after Vista is installed? What purpose would it serve?

In other words, is hiding Vista the point, or is it a symptom of something else the EasyBCD team can try to address?

Support for EasyBCD is freely available at http://neosmart.net/forums/ if anyone comes across anything.
 
Computer said:
EasyBCD [1] is a freeware utility that can configure the Windows Vista
bootloader and manage dual-boots with previous versions of Windows and
other operating systems.

If you need to rename entries, change drive letters, configure
bootloader defaults and timeouts, or backup and restore bootloader
settings, EasyBCD has one-click access to all these features.

EasyBCD also provides features that bring above the competition by
supporting one-click automatic configuration of dual-booting Windows
Vista with all versions of Mac OS X, Linux, BSD, and OS/2 among others
without needing to use or configure another bootloader like GRUB or
Darwin [2]. It can also configure advanced entry-specific settings such
as disabling x64 signed-driver verification, customizing the amount of
memory and CPU available to an OS, and debugging the boot process.

EasyBCD can be configured for different levels of expertise and offers
features and interfaces suitable for those looking to configure their
bootloader after upgrading to XP and for those looking to manage complex
mult-tiered boot configurations for up to dozens of operating systems
with minimal headache. It's also the tool of choice for IT
administrators looking to move their company to Vista with the least
amount of effort.

Unlike other Vista bootloader configuration tools, it's not just a
pretty interface to bcdedit, but also fully-configurable bootloader in
its own right, with profiles and modes for everyone.

[1]: http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1
[2]:
http://neosmart.net/blog/2006/easybcd-15-multidual-boot-vista-linux-mac-os-x-bsd/
Click to expand...

Do you have any knowledge of it working with Solaris 10 as well?

--
Priceless quotes in m.p.w.vista.general group:
http://protectfreedom.tripod.com/kick.html

Most recent idiotic quote added to KICK (Klassic Idiotic Caption Kooks):
"idiot... no one here reads gook, i mean chinese (oops) so please stop
posting your dumb shit"

"Good poets borrow; great poets steal."
- T. S. Eliot
 
Computer Guru said:
Out of curiosity: why would you need to hide the Vista partition
from XP?
Would you need to do so before or after Vista is installed? What
purpose would it serve?
Click to expand...

PMJI -- one reason I've encountered is on multiple user machines, I
might want access to say XP and VISTA but when someone else is using
the machine I would want XP hidden so that they did not accidentally
change anything on the XP partition or store something there.

I ran into this back in WIN95 days with PQ's BootMagic when for a
reason I forget (I think to do with an added hard drive in a desktop)
the user could see both systems and kept on storing files in the wrong
one.

As to when -- the more flexible the better! As the "expert" on my
machine I find it quite useful that I can access from VISTA into my XP
location and get files -- including the WINHlp32.exe that is missing in
VISTA <g>
 
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