PC Tech heads I need help! Noobs need not look :(

[Keydogg]

I have just bought a new HDD. I have cloned my existing HDD (lets call this #1) to my new HDD (lets call this #2). #1 is C: and #2 is D: naturally. Now heres the problem - how the hell do I boot from #2?

Because #1 is assigned as C: and #2 is D:, windows refuses to boot from #2 if i make #2 master and #1 slave. Ive even tried removing #1 but #2 still wont boot! SO i put in the windows cd and it says that #2 is still D: (even though #1 is removed and #2 is now master on its own) and all it will let me do is delete the partition or quit.

I tried changing the 2 driver letters in regedit using a method i found on the web - great, the 2 drives are now swapped from c to d and vice versa - brill! that is until i try to boot up again. It turns out they have only changed IN windows, but when booting up #1 is still c: and #2 is still d:

I have no idea what I can do. Even if i take #1 out and completely start fresh with #2 by recreating a new partition and formatting, once i put #1 back in, i will have 2 C:'s and i reckon they will conflict in some way.

 

[V1NNY]

You will need to change it in the bios boot options to boot from hdd2 if its booting from hdd1

 

[AhmedRSi]

Are they IDE or sata?

 

[AhmedRSi]

I tried changing the 2 driver letters in regedit using a method i found on the web - great, the 2 drives are now swapped from c to d and vice versa - brill! that is until i try to boot up again. It turns out they have only changed IN windows, but when booting up #1 is still c: and #2 is still d:

That wont do anything lol

 

[Keydogg]

They are IDE, and yes I have tried changing from HDD0 to HDD1 to HDD2 and all other variants.

 

[AhmedRSi]

jumpers? also the actual ide cable configuration? master/slave?

 

[Keydogg]

yep, tried all different variations. I've tried cable select, or forcing master/slave. It still doesnt change the fact that #2 is D: and #1 is C:

 

[Dan07]

Jumpers, sort them or change the IDE cables round

 

[Greeny.]

In my old DFI NF3 bios there was an option to boot from all of my different HDD's, not the HDD0/1 etc but the HDD Product numbers.

As above, see what the jumpers are set to. A fail safe would be set one as master and the other as slave.

 

[AhmedRSi]

Have you actually changed the hard disk jumpers?

Also,

Have you actually physically switched there positions in the ide cable? as one is master/slave by default

 

[Keydogg]

I've tried all that! The point is my windows won't boot from a D drive, only a C

 

[Dan07]

I've tried all that! The point is my windows won't boot from a D drive, only a C

Right, take the BIOS battery out for 20 mins and do what i have said above, there is nothing else..

 

[AhmedRSi]

windows wont boot from D by default anyway! The problem is why your other hard disk keeps showing up as a slave (d if you say youve done everything above. it doesnt make sense.

 

[@Spoonie]

Windows will boot from any drive letter.

Keydogg, what are you trying to achieve here? Do you want to replace the old disk eventually or run with both?

 

[AhmedRSi]

Windows will boot from any drive letter.

Keydogg, what are you trying to achieve here? Do you want to replace the old disk eventually or run with both?

It wouldnt boot from D: if it detected C: by default.

 

[AhmedRSi]

Why dont you just edit your boot.ini?

 

[FishThrower]

Why dont you just edit your boot.ini?

was going to say the same thing. Bit odd why changing it in the BIOS doesnt work tho?

 

[@Spoonie]

Windows will boot from any drive letter.

Keydogg, what are you trying to achieve here? Do you want to replace the old disk eventually or run with both?

It wouldnt boot from D: if it detected C: by default.

Windows uses ARC names to locate the kernel not drive letters.

As you've said in a later post editing BOOT.INI could force a system start from the 2nd disk by in theory NTLDR is being started from the 1st disk.

I don't know how this disk has been cloned, it maybe that there is no valid MBR on it so the system simply doesn't see it as bootable..

 

[@Spoonie]

Ive even tried removing #1 but #2 still wont boot!

What happens when you do this? Do you get an error?

 

[Snubbs]

Try inserting your xp disk, go into 'windows recovery' or whatever and then i think the command is bootmgr /fix or something alike, a help menu can be seen bye typing '/?'

BTW the drive letters are independant of their individual installations.

e.g. if you stick one of those in a pc with 5 other drives, it'll appear as drive 'H'

 

[rustybolt]

insert XP and go to recovery.

type:

bootcfg \list

it will display a list of windows installations, if it doesnt detect the windows on D: try:

bootcfg \add

then add the XP installation you want on drive D:

Failing all that download a bootup manager and edit the boot sequence.

Ive used Vistabootpro before to install a 2nd operating system.

 

[thecremeegg]

Hold down F8 as soon as you turn it on - should give you a list of all attached devices, choose ur 2nd drive to boot from. Not a long term fix but should help determine that its working