Vista replaces MBR - is there an option to disable this???

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Default User

Hi,

I've written a boot manager (www.sadevelopment.com) that allows you to boot
up to 256 operating systems with logon security. It uses a custom MBR to
launch itself, but when this customer boots Vista, Vista replaces the MBR.
I only have this with one customer. I've installed Vista myself as numerous
other customers have with no issue.

Way back when the Vista beta was out I saw this behavior. I have to think
there is some option or setting in Vista that was enabled during the beta
that did it and that this customer must have that option enabled somehow.
He says it is not running beta, but he says it has SP1. Does anyone know of
an option or registry setting like this?

Thanks,

Alan
 
Hi Night Hawk,
When installing multiple OSs or simply different versions of Windows
each should already be installed since each installer will see it's own
new entries placed in the boot drive's mbr replacing others. Any 3rd
party boot loader is the last thing to be installed.
Click to expand...

My product keeps each OS in its own SEPERATE partition, so they don't mix
and are hidden from each other, and they are installed normally.

I am still looking for an answer to my original question.

Thanks,

Alan
 
Hi,

So no one knows of a ini option or registry setting that enables/disables
this??

Thanks,

Alan
 
Hi,

I suspect your user has the mbr (I'm assuming your utility is installing to
its own small volume?) marked as their "system" or "active" volume and not
the installation (or "boot")volume. When Vista is loaded, it is detecting
and repairing its "system" volume. To fix it, I'd think they would have to
redesignate their "boot" volume as also being the "system" volume via the
recovery console.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com
 
Hi Rick,

Thanks, I'll look into that.

Alan

Rick Rogers said:
Hi,

I suspect your user has the mbr (I'm assuming your utility is installing
to its own small volume?) marked as their "system" or "active" volume and
not the installation (or "boot")volume. When Vista is loaded, it is
detecting and repairing its "system" volume. To fix it, I'd think they
would have to redesignate their "boot" volume as also being the "system"
volume via the recovery console.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com
Click to expand...
 
Hi Rick,

I'm still trying to figure this out.

Customer is running x64 version with the newer style boot mechanism
(bootmgr, bcd).

I did a fresh install of vista sp1 x64 and it does not do what the customer
version does. It replaced the MBR one time during setup, but once my boot
manager reactivated itself (putting its mbr back in), vista does not replace
the mbr again.

The customers pc is different, each time he boots vista, it replaces it.

I will have him report the attributes he has from diskpart...

Thanks,

Alan
 
Hi Rick,

Here it is:

http://home.earthlink.net/~alank2/DD.jpg

The first 8mb partition is where my boot manager resides. The third
partition may represent more partitions that are hidden from the WVista.

WVista (C:) is the problem child, when booted it will always replace the MBR
everytime...

Thanks,

Alan
 
Hmm, so it's definitely not what I thought might be the problem. I see no
immediate reason for Vista to be writing to the mbr to fix anything. Does
this system have boot-time protection enabled in the system BIOS?

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com
 
Hi Rick,

A good thought, but it only happens when he boots vista. He has another OS
installed and can boot it and it doesn't replace the MBR.

I saw behavior like this back when Vista was in beta, the beta versions
would do it, but the issues all cleared up for the release version...

Thanks,

Alan
 
Hi,

I don't know then, as it has to be specific to how that system is
configured, or how he has your software configured. Vista only overwrites
the mbr during setup - perhaps his installation was interrupted and doesn't
think it's complete?

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com
 
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