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I have a system with Windows 7 and Windows XP, today I have installed the Windows 8 Developer Preview into a spare partition (that I leave it for a few months without any important data there). When booting from a boot-able device and doing the installation, I format it so that it's a clean + fresh partition. Finished the installing process, now I have a boot screen with Windows 8 DP and Windows 7.

My Windows XP boot entry simply disappeared So, I have used the EasyBCD to modify the boot loader and re-activated the Windows XP boot entry from the system, and it display Windows XP there. After that I've done that I restart my PC.

Only left Windows 7 and my old dear XP; as now Windows 8 DP disappeared from the boot menu. Easy BCD can't detect it anymore in a few time I log into windows 7 and try to run it afterward. Please note that all versions are installed on separate partitions.

How do I get the Windows 8 DP boot menu back and get it to also list Windows 7 and Windows XP?

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You installed a Developer Preview of Windows 8 alongside Windows 7 and Windows XP? That's just a disaster waiting to happen. – SpikeX Sep 16 '11 at 17:40
@SpikeX: Why is that so? They are perfectly separated and the boot loader of the latter are backwards compatible. So, you can have as much different operating systems running as you want... – Tom Wijsman Sep 16 '11 at 17:46
@SpikeX: > your reply is pointless to being written. Better you don't reply. Not a serious problem or disaster here. The problem is just I only boot from 1 of groups: **Windows Developer Preview** (8) and **Windows 7** OR **Windows 7** and **Windows XP** And anytime regular repairing one of groups above, the others will fail. I just want 3 those Windows multiboot availabe at the same time. Is it illogical question? No, I think it's a valid question. – user98110 Sep 16 '11 at 17:52
It's Developer preview doesn't automatically mean it doesn't support dual/multiboot or so on... and actually it does support dual Windows 7 & and 8 Preview at the same time. So why not further OS version (XP will no longer get official support from MS)?... I can't ensure this certain case in current time so I ask here. Nothing wrong with my question. – user98110 Sep 16 '11 at 17:52
@user98110: I'm running Windows 8 Developer Preview from a VHD, perhaps an alternative option if my answer doesn't work? But the BCD should still support Windows XP, as I know people that use Windows XP and Windows 8 Developer Preview side-by-side... – Tom Wijsman Sep 16 '11 at 17:59
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4 Answers

up vote 6 down vote

Get the Windows 8 Developer Preview boot menu back.

  1. Start from the Windows 8 Developer Preview installation medium.

  2. Optionally, choose your keyboard settings.

  3. Hit SHIFT+F10 to enter the command prompt.

  4. Execute bootrec /fixmbr to update the main boot record just to be sure, partitions will remain.

  5. Execute bootrec /fixboot to update the boot sector of the system partition.

  6. Execute bootrec /scanos to add known OSes to the boot configuration data.

Get it to list Windows XP.

  1. Execute bootrec /rebuildbcd, this will rebuild the boot configuration data.

  2. If that doesn't work, reboot and use bcdedit from Windows 8 Developer Preview like this:

    bcdedit /create {ntldr} /d "Windows XP"

bcdedit /set {ntldr} device partition=X:

bcdedit /set {ntldr} path \ntldr

bcdedit /displayorder {ntldr} /addlast

    Please note that you need to right click the Command Prompt tile, then click on advanced in the lower right corner and then click on Run As Administrator. Replace X: by your XP partition.

    This is native unlike EasyBCD, so the chance is higher that it would work more properly...

Good luck!

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This worked like a charm thanks so much! – TheX Sep 25 '11 at 23:51
Thanks Tom. Your anwser looks right and suppose to be correct solution but in my system it always return a error message that can't perform last command "bootrec /rebuildbcd" property. That said already use by another. And I manage do get back the XP in boot list by use EasyBCD manually add and removed some entries back & forth... and finally it works but I'm not sure what exactly wrong at the beginning. – user98110 Sep 29 '11 at 11:07
@user98110: What error message? However, fine to hear you have it resolved... – Tom Wijsman Sep 29 '11 at 16:28
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up vote 1 down vote

Here is perfect solution to get back your Windows XP/7 when you install Windows 8.

Check this blog entry: How To Install & Dual Boot Windows 8 With Windows XP & Windows 7

  • Navigate to My Computer from system Explore or Desktop
  • Then at the top menu bar click on “System Properties”
  • On next windows select “Advanced System Settings”
  • It will popup you new windows ,from which you need to click on “Advance” tab then click setting for “Start-up & recovery ”
  • Now in default OS select “Earlier Version of Windows ” Now click on ok and restart your PC
  • Now you should have option to load windows XP prior to Windows 8 Start ,Enjoy all windows platform
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@Diogo Please replace shortened (e.g. goo.gl) links with their expanded URL while you're at it. Thanks! – slhck Mar 9 at 13:02
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up vote -1 down vote

If you want to list both Windows (Windows XP And Windows 8) follow these steps:

  1. Download EasyBCD.
  2. Install it and open it. It's front page gives all information of your sequence of loading OSs.
  3. Now edit as required.
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You've to notice that my question post long time ago. That time EasyBCD didn't support Windows 8 Developer Preview. As I mentioned above, I did use EasyBCD and it's not in main UI page. If it as easy as that, then this question doesn't even exist. Look at the question creation time, man (over 4 months ago, a few days after win8 preview spread around web). – user98110 Feb 3 at 13:15
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up vote -2 down vote

To display Windows XP entry in Windows 8 Developer Preview boot menu you have just to enable 'DisplayBootMenu' element in {bootmgr}. A complete Windows BCD Editor can be downlaoded here - Visual BCD Editor.

After installing and starting the tool it displays the {bootmgr} elements by default. Look if 'DisplayBootMenu' element is present. If not click on 'New' button and create it selecting 'Boot Manager' and 'DisplayBootMenu' in the comboboxes. Confirm. Set the value of 'DisplayBootMenu' to true.

This will cause the boot menu to be displayed in the normal Windows 7 style. To bring back the 'Metro' style look delete element 'DisplayBootMenu'.

Without an editor, open the command prompt and paste:

bcdedit /set {bootmgr} DisplayBootMenu true
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That sounds fine and make thing easier. Thanks for your infomation. BTW, just mention that in the time I ask this question here, Windows 8 Dev Preview just publics 2-3 days and Windows BCD Editor didn't update that time yet. Your info surely make people who try it lately find a solution quicker. – user98110 Sep 29 '11 at 11:13
What kind of comment is this ? And what kind of information does it bring to the user ? – snayob Sep 29 '11 at 15:18
Explanation: Visual BCD from the first date of its publishing back in sep. 2010 had all the mentioned abilities implemented ! Windows 7 or Windows 8 does not matter as the format and definitions of BCD elements is for 95% or more the same. – snayob Dec 17 '11 at 12:42
DisplayBootMenu will not show Win8 loader configuration neither will enable previous os to boot. – kagali-san Apr 18 at 3:44
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