Best way to install Windows from same hard drive
Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 1:02 pm
Hello,
I am trying out Bootit-BM and am really enjoying it' s features and flexibility. Thank you! I am experimenting with a few installations/configurations and have some questions so I will post them separately.
Once I have installed BootIT on my hard drive, what is the easiest way to install Windows (any version) from a partition on the same drive? I am using Grub4dos on that partition as a multi-boot loader so that I can change things up quickly, without reformatting a USB drive each time. I will use Grub terms to describe the layout: I am NOT LIMITING PARTITIONS, and I am on a Netbook with no CD drive, and only 1 USB stick.
Configuration:
100mb hd0,0: (BING) Bootit EMBR
20Gb hd0,1: (GRUB_Multi) Grub4dos/BCD boot with Windows installations and ISO's
30Gb hd0,2: (Win7 Acer) Netbook's Original Win7x64
20Gb hd0,3: (Win7 Slim) Experimental Win7x86
20Gb hd0,4: (XP 64bit) Experimental XPx64
210Gb hd0,5: (My Files) Personal files
So, of course, when I install any version of Windows it analyses the current setup and puts the boot files (such as bootmgr and ntldr) on the partition where it found the current boot files. Since I cannot hide or "clear" GRUB_Multi during the installation, Windows puts the new bootmgr/ntldr there and overwrites that PBR.
It should be on hd0,4: "XP 64bit" (in this example.)
When I go back into Bootit, after Reactivating, it hasn't sensed any changes, and I can't figure out AN EASY WAY to give it the info. (Yes, I manually booted to Win7, unhid XP, moved the files, changed XP's MBR to Bootmgr (with BootICE externally,) added XP's Ntldr PBR, changed boot.ini, added the BCD entry, then added the Boot Editor entry in Bootit. (*Seriously, I'm out of breath!*)
When I put GRUB_Multi on a USB stick and installed from there, Windows XP did not try to overwrite its MBR or put the boot files on it. It isolated itself to the XP partition as I want it to all the time. BECAUSE ALL OTHER PARTITIONS WERE "cleared." But then I lose my USB recovery driver (as well as it's other uses.)
Is there something obvious I'm missing? Can I "hide" but still access Grub on hd0 somehow?
Thanks in advance!
I am trying out Bootit-BM and am really enjoying it' s features and flexibility. Thank you! I am experimenting with a few installations/configurations and have some questions so I will post them separately.
Once I have installed BootIT on my hard drive, what is the easiest way to install Windows (any version) from a partition on the same drive? I am using Grub4dos on that partition as a multi-boot loader so that I can change things up quickly, without reformatting a USB drive each time. I will use Grub terms to describe the layout: I am NOT LIMITING PARTITIONS, and I am on a Netbook with no CD drive, and only 1 USB stick.
Configuration:
100mb hd0,0: (BING) Bootit EMBR
20Gb hd0,1: (GRUB_Multi) Grub4dos/BCD boot with Windows installations and ISO's
30Gb hd0,2: (Win7 Acer) Netbook's Original Win7x64
20Gb hd0,3: (Win7 Slim) Experimental Win7x86
20Gb hd0,4: (XP 64bit) Experimental XPx64
210Gb hd0,5: (My Files) Personal files
So, of course, when I install any version of Windows it analyses the current setup and puts the boot files (such as bootmgr and ntldr) on the partition where it found the current boot files. Since I cannot hide or "clear" GRUB_Multi during the installation, Windows puts the new bootmgr/ntldr there and overwrites that PBR.
It should be on hd0,4: "XP 64bit" (in this example.)
When I go back into Bootit, after Reactivating, it hasn't sensed any changes, and I can't figure out AN EASY WAY to give it the info. (Yes, I manually booted to Win7, unhid XP, moved the files, changed XP's MBR to Bootmgr (with BootICE externally,) added XP's Ntldr PBR, changed boot.ini, added the BCD entry, then added the Boot Editor entry in Bootit. (*Seriously, I'm out of breath!*)
When I put GRUB_Multi on a USB stick and installed from there, Windows XP did not try to overwrite its MBR or put the boot files on it. It isolated itself to the XP partition as I want it to all the time. BECAUSE ALL OTHER PARTITIONS WERE "cleared." But then I lose my USB recovery driver (as well as it's other uses.)
Is there something obvious I'm missing? Can I "hide" but still access Grub on hd0 somehow?
Thanks in advance!