How to get xp back after installing windows 7. Repairing the bootloader using the recovery console in Windows XP. Types of bootloader problems

Of course, the more correct Windows installation sequence is to install the minor version before the older one. In this case, it is possible to boot an older system, and after installing a newer OS, a menu for selecting bootable systems appears.
But what to do if Windows 7 is already installed, and you need to install Windows XP on your computer.
If you install Windows XP after Windows 7, you will lose the ability to boot into the newer operating system. When installing an earlier version Windows program installation overwrites all data in the master boot record (MBR), boot sector, and boot files. Earlier versions of Windows are not compatible with the new boot method. new system. In particular, Windows 7 uses a new boot configuration data store. This store contains all information about the operating systems installed on the computer. Therefore, the Boot.ini file is from an earlier version operating system Windows cannot be used to run it.
After installing Windows XP, it will be impossible to boot into Windows 7. To restore Windows 7 boot, you need to use its installation disk.
Paste installation disk Windows 7 DVD drive, find the file in the BOOT folder on it bootsect.exe.
Launch the command line: click Start – Run, enter cmd in the field. When prompted, enter the command

Code:

X:\boot\bootsect.exe /nt60 all

where X is the letter of the DVD drive.

Creating a Dual Boot Menu
As you know, there is no utility for changing boot configuration data (BCD) in Windows XP, but it is in the folder with installed Windows 7. To apply it correctly in XP, you need to enter the System32 directory of the Windows 7 operating system on the command line, for example, using the command

Code:

Cd /d X:\Windows\system32

where X is the letter of the partition with Windows 7 installed. After the transition, run the following commands in sequence:

Code:

Bcdedit /create (ntldr) /d " Microsoft Windows XP"

This command creates a Windows XP download store in the Windows 7 download store. Running this command may fail because the repository is already created by default, so you just need to rename it:

Code:

Bcdedit /set (ntldr) description "Microsoft Windows XP"

The following command will tell the Windows 7 boot loader the device location of the XP boot files:

Code:

Bcdedit /set (ntldr) device partition=C:

The following command will point the Windows 7 bootloader to the Windows XP bootloader:

Code:

Bcdedit /set (ntldr) path \ntldr

The following command will add the line about choosing Windows XP in the boot menu and will place it under the others:

Code:

Bcdedit /displayorder (ntldr) /addlast

It may be more convenient for many to reduce the OS boot selection timeout, which by default is 30 seconds. To configure this parameter, use the command

Code:

Bcdedit /timeout XX

Where XX is the timeout time in seconds.
For more information about the described process, read the article Installing Windows XP on a computer with Windows 7

A team of like-minded people at the OsZone conference has created a program to automate the actions described above without the need to work on the command line and in the absence of a Windows 7 distribution. Detailed description programs in the article.

Skills that will help the user perform recovery windows boot loader 7 are necessary if the operating system does not start at all or a number of problems arise during the process of turning it on.

The operating system loader is system program, which is designed to launch the OS.

In simple terms, this is a utility with which you turn on your computer.

With the advent of new versions of operating systems, bootloaders also improve. For example, Windows XP boots using UEFI.

Newer versions of the OS (starting from the seventh) use the BOOTMGR system utility during their boot process.

Types of bootloader problems

The most common cause for concern is the following errors:

When you try to start the system, messages called “Bootmgr is missing” and/or “Non system disk” appear. They occur as a result of damage to the bootloader or master boot record;
.
In this case, it is necessary to restore the bootloader if a message from a hacker asking to send money to destroy the virus appears immediately after the user presses the start button on the personal computer or laptop;

Remember! If the operating system has already begun the startup process and errors began to appear only later, this does not indicate a problem with the bootloader. Try turning on the OS in safe mode and troubleshooting any problems (for example, virus software).

Before attempting to set up the boot loader, go to the BIOS and make sure that the system is set to the correct boot order for all hard drives.

If you have two hard drives installed on your computer at once and their startup order is incorrect, problems with the bootloader may occur.

The first in line should be the disk on which the operating system to be launched is installed.

Automatic recovery using USB drive

You need to solve the problem starting with the easiest method.

If you are unable to fix the bootloader using the method below, try the following solution to the problem presented in the article.

To begin the process of solving the problem, take the disk from which the OS was installed.

If you don’t have one, you can restore without a disk - in this case, you need to create a bootable external usb media.

The version of the operating system located on the media must fully match that installed on the computer.

To spend automatic recovery from a flash drive or disk, follow these steps:

Insert the disk into the drive or flash drive into the slot. Start the computer and in the first few seconds press the F button on the keyboard. This way you will instantly launch the BIOS menu before a problem occurs.
In the BIOS, change the boot order of the OS components - the disk or flash drive should come first (depending on which device with the OS image you connected to the computer).
After the boot queue has been set, save all changes and exit the BIOS settings. The OS startup process will begin again, however, now it will boot directly from the image media. The following window will appear;

At the bottom of the window (Figure 2), find the OS recovery item and click on it. Now you need to select the OS that needs to be restored (if several systems are installed on the computer at the same time);

After you have decided on the name of the OS whose operation you want to fix, a window will appear with all the available operating system recovery options. To get started, select automatic troubleshooting.
This method may help, but not in all cases. If the system still does not turn on after such an automatic fix, repeat steps 1-3 again and now select the second option (enabling a previously saved OS state).
Wait until everything necessary actions will be carried out automatically by the program. If the system boots successfully, the problem is resolved. If not, you should restore it manually.

Restoring OS boot configuration data

OS startup configuration information contains detailed information about the order in which data should be loaded when the computer's operating system is turned on.

Often the OS bootloader fails to complete due to corrupted items in the Boot Configuration Data.

To fix the problem, you need to add new configuration data to the OS bootloader:

A complete configuration update can be performed using the rebuildbcd command.

To perform it, you need to open a command line window in the system recovery options (as in the figure above).

In the line, enter the text “bootrec.exe /rebuildbcd” (without quotes) and press the Enter button to execute the command. The update process may take several minutes.

After its completion, a line about the result of the command will appear in the utility window.

After restoring the data, you should turn off the computer, remove the disk with the OS image from it, configure the standard boot order in the BIOS and turn on the device again.

If all actions were done correctly, the system will start in standard mode.

If after executing the command you receive a system notification that the configuration could not be restored, you need to boot into safe mode.

To do this, enter the command bootrec.exe/safeboot at the command line - it allows you to start the operating system using a minimum number of drivers and third party utilities, which may cause an OS boot loader error.

To view and edit bootloader configuration parameters, run the BCDEdit.exe command:

Recovery using Bootrec utility

If the above methods for restoring the OS do not work, you need to try to fix the bootloader using system utility called bootrec.

Go to the command line (second instruction of the article) and enter the following command in it:

bootrec/fixmbr– this command allows you to instantly rewrite the bootloader data in the corresponding partition on the hard drive.

Now enter the command bootrec /fixboot to write a new partition for later booting.

Window command line Once successfully entered and executed, the commands should look like this:

Close the command line, exit the recovery environment, return the boot queue to the BIOS and turn on the OS in the usual way, everything should work fine.

Restarting Windows 7 boot after installing XP

If two versions of Windows OS are installed on your PC at the same time: XP and the seventh version, in most cases a failure will occur when you try to run more than new version systems.

This happens because the XP boot loader does not assume that there are any other boot loaders in the system, so it does not allow you to select and run another OS installed on the computer.

To fix the problem, just return the boot selection using the MultiBoot utility - this is a small program that effectively eliminates the problem of bootloader conflict.

Install the application on your computer and follow the instructions:

Check all the necessary boxes in the main window of the utility;
Click on the “Run” button;
Once the process is complete, restart your computer.

Restoring the windows bootloader.

In this video you will learn about restoring the windows bootloader. If you installed windows 7 on a computer where windows xp was already installed, then xp will stop loading.

The Windows 7 bootloader stops working for many reasons - if boot.ini is damaged or you try to install XP along with the “Seven”, after which the latter does not want to boot. This happens because XP overwrites the boot record. MBR Windows 7. Typically, Windows 7 boot loader recovery is carried out standard means systems. You can use another tool, for example, Bootice.

The easiest way to restore the bootloader

If pressing F8 does not open additional ways launcher and troubleshooter, you will need to use a disk or flash drive Windows recovery 7. From this drive you will need to boot your computer into the recovery environment by clicking on the system recovery link at the bottom of the OS installation window.

The computer will automatically try to find a solution to the problem, which will notify you in the window that opens.
If the recovery utility copes with the task, all that remains is to reboot.

If it was not possible to restore the Windows 7 bootloader after XP, use the startup recovery tool, which, along with others, is part of the installation disk or flash drive. Usually these simple ways can handle simple MBR startup problems.

Editing boot.ini

Boot.ini is responsible for starting the system by default. If one of the operating systems is installed incorrectly or uninstalled, its non-working entry will be stored in the same boot.ini. It is located at the root of the system partition, so to edit it you need to configure your computer to show hidden files.

Sometimes boot.ini can be corrupted by a virus or some program could have caused it, after which the OS does not start on its own.

The fix is simple - boot from the LiveCD and edit boot.ini using regular notepad. There are only two sections - boot loader, which controls the boot, and operating systems. There are several parameters to remember:

timeout=10 - time in seconds during which the user can select an OS to start;
multi(0) and disk(0) are parameters that must have zero values;
rdisk(0) - number of the disk with the system partition (counting from zero).

In general, boot.ini with one OS should look like in the picture.

Using the command line to restore the MBR sector

You can get into command line mode from the same boot disk or flash drives by opening the system recovery tool and selecting the very last item “Command Prompt”.

Enter the command Bootrec and then press Enter, it will appear full list opportunities
Write down the MBR sector, for which there is the command Bootrec.exe /FixMbr;
After pressing Enter, the computer will notify the user about the successful completion of the operation in the next line;
Next, carry out the procedure for writing a new boot sector by entering Bootrec.exe /FixBoot;
All that remains is to enter Exit and try to restart the computer.

Log in to the command line from the installation disk or flash drive;
Enter Bootrec /ScanOs, after which the utility will scan the computer for the presence of an operating system;
Write the command Bootrec.exe /RebuildBcd in the next line, the program will prompt you to add all found versions of Windows, including XP, etc., to the start menu;
All you have to do is agree with this by pressing Y and Enter in sequence, after which when loading the system you will have a choice of which OS to load - XP or Seven.

You can also fix the problem with the MBR with one more command. To do this, enter bootsect /NT60 SYS at the command line, then Enter. Enter Exit to exit. This will update the main boot code and your systems will appear in the list at boot time.

In case of serious problems, it may not be possible to restore the MBR using the described methods, so it is worth trying to overwrite the files located in the download storage.

BOOTMGR is missing

The computer usually displays this message on a black screen when the MBR sector is damaged or deleted. The reason may not be related to the MBR, for example, if the BIOS settings on the Boot tab have been reset and the system is trying to boot from the wrong disk. But more often than not, it is the bootloader that is to blame, so we will describe how to restore Windows 7 boot.

The Windows 7 disk always has a small 100 MB reserved hidden section, to record OS boot files, including damaged BOOTMGR. You can simply copy BOOTMGR from the installation media and write it to this partition. For this:

Open a command prompt from your recovery drive.
Enter the diskpart and list volume commands in sequence, after which a list of your disks and the letters that the system has assigned to each of them will appear on the screen. We are interested in the 100 MB reserved partition and the optical drive - drives C and F, respectively, as in the picture.
To exit, type Exit and press Enter.

Enter the installation drive letter followed by a colon and the command to copy the bootmrg bootloader to the reserved partition. It will look like this:

F: and then Enter;
copy bootmgr C:\ and press Enter;
Exit, the utility will exit.

If copying to a hidden partition fails, the boot store can be completely overwritten. Restoring the Windows 7 boot loader is performed with the command bcdboot.exe N:\Windows, where N is the drive letter of the OS. After you are informed that the files were created successfully, you can exit the tool with the Exit command and restart your computer.

write down the line diskpart in the command line, which calls the utility;
to display all available physical disks, write list disk;
is selected required disk command sel disk 0, where 0 is the number of the only installed HDD;
to display all hard drive partitions, enter list partition;
to select a reserved partition, write the command sel part 1, where 1 is the partition number;
make it active by typing active;
exit the application by typing exit.

As a last resort, you can completely manually delete and format the system partition by starting from some LiveCD, and then use the bcdboot.exe command to create the sector again.

Using Bootice

If Windows XP was installed after "Seven", due to the overwritten MBR sector, only XP starts and you do not have the ability to select a system after you turn on the computer. At the same time, both systems are fully functional, and you can return the startup menu very easily, for which you use the Bootice utility:

In the new Bootice window on the left you will see the OS boot list, to which you will need to add the missing “Seven” to Windows XP:

click "Add";
in the list that opens, select the line new Windows entries 7;
on the right side in the upper input field, select the hard drive;
in the field below, indicate the section with “Seven”;
click on save basic settings.

The program will notify you of a successful change of this element You can exit from Boot and Bootice. The next time you turn on your computer, you can already choose which OS to boot from hard drive- Windows 7 or XP.

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Problems loading the OS is a widespread phenomenon among Windows users. This happens due to damage to the means responsible for starting the system - the MBR master boot record or a special sector that contains files necessary for a normal start.

As mentioned above, there are two reasons for boot problems. Next, we’ll talk about them in more detail and try to solve these problems. We will do this using the recovery console, which is contained on the Windows XP installation disk. For further work we need to boot from this media.

If you only have a distribution image, you will first need to burn it to a flash drive.

MBR recovery

The MBR is usually written in the very first cell (sector) on the hard drive and contains a small piece of program code that is executed first when booting and determines the coordinates of the boot sector. If the record is damaged, Windows will not be able to start.

After booting from the flash drive, we will see a screen with options available for selection. Click R.
Next, the console will prompt you to log in to one of the copies of the OS. If you did not install the second system, it will be the only one on the list. Enter the number here 1 from the keyboard and press ENTER, then the administrator password, if there is one, if it is not set, then just click "Enter".

If you have forgotten your administrator password, please read the following articles on our website:
The command that “repairs” the master boot record is written like this:
The new MBR has been successfully written, you can now exit the console using the command
and try to start Windows.

If the launch attempt was unsuccessful, then we move on.

Boot sector

The boot sector in Windows XP contains the boot loader NTLDR, which “fires” after the MBR and transfers control directly to the operating system files. If this sector contains errors, then further start of the system is impossible.

Recovering the boot.ini file

In file boot.ini the order of loading the operating system and the address of the folder with its documents are specified. In case if this file If the code is corrupted or the syntax is broken, then Windows will not know that it needs to start.

Transferring boot files

Except boot.ini files are responsible for loading the operating system NTLDR And NTDETECT.COM. Their absence makes loading Windows impossible. True, these documents are on the installation disk, from where you can simply copy them to the root system disk.

Launch the console, select the OS, enter the admin password.
Next you need to enter the command
This is necessary to view a list of media connected to the computer.
Then we need to select the drive letter from which we are in this moment loaded. If this is a flash drive, then its identifier will be (in our case) "\Device\Harddisk1\Partition1". You can distinguish a drive from a regular hard drive by its capacity. If we use a CD, then select "\Device\CdRom0". Please note that the numbers and names may differ slightly, the main thing is to understand the principle of choice.
So, we have decided on the choice of disk, enter its letter with a colon and click "Enter".
Now we need to go to the folder "i386" Why are we writing?
After the transition you need to copy the file NTLDR from this folder to the root of the system disk. Enter the following command:
and then agree to a replacement if offered ( "Y").
After successful copying, a corresponding message will appear.
Next we do the same with the file NTDETECT.COM.
The final step is to add our Windows to new file boot.ini. To do this we run the command

Enter the number 1 , enter the identifier and boot parameters, exit the console, boot the system.

All actions we take to restore the download should lead to the required result. If you still fail to start Windows XP, then most likely you will have to reinstall. You can “rearrange” Windows while preserving user files and OS settings.

Conclusion

A download “breakdown” does not happen on its own; there is always a reason for it. These can be either viruses or your actions. Never install programs obtained from sites other than official ones, do not delete or edit files that were not created by you, they may turn out to be system files. Implementation of these simple rules will help you avoid having to resort to a complex recovery procedure once again.

Restoring the Windows 7 bootloader - taking steps to restore the operating system after problems occur with booting Windows. Due to a system failure, the user may lose data and personal files located on the computer.

At one point in time, the operating system will not be able to boot on the computer. Various messages (not always in Russian) appear on the screen, indicating a problem loading Windows.

The main causes of problems with the Windows 7 bootloader:

user actions: attempt to use hidden system partitions, incorrect changes to boot files using EasyBCD, etc.;
system failure;
exposure to malicious software;
the appearance of bad blocks on the computer’s hard drive;
operating systems are installed on the computer in the wrong order;
hardware problems.

The problem with the bootloader must be solved, otherwise you will not be able to use Windows, because the system will not start on the computer. Problems can be resolved in a radical way: again on the PC.

If there is one created by the system tool, or using third party programs you need to restore from a Windows backup image created in advance. Many users, unfortunately, do not remove due attention backup systems, so these methods will not suit them.

How to restore Windows 7 bootloader? To restore operating system boot files, use the built-in using Windows: automatic startup recovery, as well as using the BootRec and BCDboot utilities included in the operating system, launched on the command line.

Before using operating system tools, you need to know the hard drive layout. Modern computers have a hard layout style GPT disk and a new BIOS - UEFI, and in Windows times 7, the disks used MBR partitioning and now an outdated BIOS. On some computers, Windows 7 64-bit is installed on UEFI and GPT drives, and in general, Windows 7 PCs use MBR (Master Boot Record) partitioning.

In this article we will look at instructions on how to restore the bootloader in Windows 7 system means: First we will perform an automatic recovery, and then we will try to restore the bootloader from the command line.

To perform operations to restore the bootloader, you will need either an installation DVD with the operating system, or a bootable Windows flash drive 7. Bootable media is needed to be able to boot to personal computer Windows RE Recovery Environment ( Windows Recovery Environment), with which you can try to solve the problem with the inability to start the system.

Perform Windows 7 recovery automatically using the system tool

The easiest way: automatic recovery boot partition on the hard drive using the operating system. This action occurs without user intervention; you only need to boot onto the computer from the boot disk.

Immediately after starting the computer, using the keyboard keys you need to enter the boot menu ( Boot Menu) to select external device For loading: DVD disc or USB flash drives. Which keys to press depends on the hardware manufacturer, check this in advance. Another way: you can enter the BIOS and set the boot priority from the connected device there: USB storage or DVD disc.

In this example, I am using a Windows 7 installation disk, all actions with bootable flash drive are performed in a similar way.

In the first window of the Windows Setup program, click on the “Next” button.

In the window asking you to start installing the operating system on your computer, in the lower left corner click on “System Restore”.

In the “System Recovery Options” window that opens, a search will start. installed systems.

After a while, a message will appear stating that problems have been detected in the computer's boot settings.

Click on "Details" to view a description of the fix.

To run automatic system boot troubleshooting, click on the “Fix and restart” button.

After restoring the bootloader, the operating system Windows system 7 will boot on your computer again.

Automatic troubleshooting using system tools can be started a little differently:

In the "System Recovery Options" window, enable the option "Use recovery tools to fix problems when Windows startup. Select the operating system to restore" and then click on the "Next" button.

In the window for selecting recovery tools, click on “Startup Recovery”.

Wait for the operation to automatically resolve problems that are preventing the system from starting to complete.

If the problem is not automatically resolved, then move on to the following methods, in which the user will have to manually enter commands in the Windows Command Prompt.

Restoring the Windows 7 bootloader using the Bootrec utility

The next method involves restoring the Windows 7 boot loader via the command line. For this we use the Bootrec.exe utility. This method only works with disks that have a Master Boot Record (MBR).

From the boot disk you need to enter the Windows Recovery Environment using the method described above.

In the System Recovery Options window, click on the Command Prompt option.

The Bootrec.exe utility uses the following basic commands:

FixMbr - The option writes the master boot record (MBR) to the system partition of the disk, compatible with Windows 7, does not overwrite the existing partition table
FixBoot - using the command, a new boot sector that is compatible with Windows 7 is written to the system partition
ScanOS - searches all drives of installed Windows 7 compatible systems, displaying entries that are not in the system configuration store
RebuildBcd - searches all drives of installed Windows 7 compatible systems, selecting systems to add data to the boot configuration store

The FixMbr command is used to fix the master boot record, as well as to remove incorrect code from the master boot record.

The FixBoot command is used under the following conditions: boot sector corruption, boot sector replaced with a non-standard boot sector, an earlier one was installed on a computer with Windows 7 Windows version(Windows XP or Windows Vista).

The ScanOS command searches all drives for operating systems compatible with Windows 7. As a result, all entries related to other operating systems installed on the computer that do not appear in the boot manager menu will be displayed.

The RebuildBcd command allows you to detect and add boot configurations installed on the system computer to the storage. This option is used to completely rebuild the system boot storage configuration.

In the command line interpreter window, enter the command (after entering commands in the command line, press the “Enter” key):

Bootrec/fixmbr

If the problem persists, you may need to enter the following command:

Bootrec /fixboot

The remaining commands are used if multiple operating systems are installed on the computer.

Close the Command Prompt, and in the System Recovery Options window, click the Restart button.

How to restore the Windows 7 bootloader from the command line using the BCDboot utility

Using the bcdboot.exe utility, you can restore the Windows 7 bootloader on computers with MBR or GPT hard disk partition styles.

Boot from the removable device, go to the window with the choice of system recovery method, and then launch the command line. Another option: in the very first window, press the “Shift” + “F10” keys on your keyboard to enter the command line window.

In the Command Prompt window, enter the command to launch the DiskPart utility:

Diskpart

To display information about your computer's drives, enter the following command:

List volume

We need to find out the drive letter (volume name) on which the operating system is installed.

The volume name (drive letter) in Diskpart may be different from the drive letter in Explorer. For example, in my case, in Explorer the system partition has the letter “C”, and in diskpart it is designated by the letter “E”.

To exit the diskpart utility, enter:

Bcdboot X:\windows

In this command: “X” is the drive letter on which the operating system is installed. In my case, it is the letter "E", you may have a different volume (disk) name.

Close the command prompt.

In the System Recovery Options window, click the button to restart your computer.

Conclusions of the article

If problems occur with the Windows 7 boot loader, you must restore the system boot files by booting your computer from the bootloader. Windows disk. You can restore damaged or missing files using operating system tools: automatic troubleshooting Windows downloads, using the Bootrec and BCDboot utilities, launched from the command line in the recovery environment.