dual boot problem with Windows 7 XP and Kubuntu

[craft47]

I've been searching around for a topic on this, but haven't found any matches yet. If someone can point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it.

I have a Toshiba Satellite with Windows 7 which I'm actually starting to kind of like!! However, I really missed Kubuntu as I had on my old laptop so thought I would check out the new one. Also for work purposes, I decided to add XP so I wasn't chained to my desktop. So...Windows 7 was already installed. I partitioned with EASEUS Partition Manager and then installed XP SP3. Then I installed Kubuntu. Grub comes up OK at boot and shows Linux and Windows 7 (loader). Booting into Kubuntu works fine, I'm using it now. However, when I choose the Windows 7 option, it boots directly into XP without giving me a menu to choose between W7 or XP. Clearly XP has messed up the Windows 7 loader. Anyone have this issue? Is there a thread addressing this?

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks

[askrieger]

Re: dual boot problem with Windows 7 XP and Kubuntu

Sounds like an M$ problem to me. However, it would seem that Grub is not giving you a choice of the two windoze versions. Are they installed on separate partitions? If so you should be able to convince Grub to point to them separately so that you don't have to rely on M$'s inadequately tested software to distinguish between them. Qqmike has posted some elaborate tutorials on the care and feeding of Grub2 on these forums. I think that a look at them might help you.

[craft47]

Re: dual boot problem with Windows 7 XP and Kubuntu

Thanks I will check it out, however, I know it is an M$ problem, because the windows 7 loader should show "Earlier version of Windows" and "Windows 7" kind of like a submenu when I choose the loader. I was hoping to fix it with Grub, so I will check Qqmike's tutorials.

[ccnjim]

Re: dual boot problem with Windows 7 XP and Kubuntu

I'm dual booting XP and 7. I've been using 7 since the first beta. I recall reading that XP should be installed first.
In the past when my windows boot loader became corrupted:
I put in the win7 disk
select repair my computer
select command prompt
type: "Bootrec.exe /FixMbr"
hit enter. And the windows bootloader was back with xp and 7.
Then you could re-install kubuntu that should give you the choice between both windows os's/kubuntu at boot.
Somehow my os bootloaders always would get screwed up. Since I'm not familiar with grub I've seperated windows OS's and kubuntu OS's on different hdd's and switch hdd priority in bios so I have 2 bootloaders.

edit: If your laptop has a recovery partition and not a win7 disk check your manual on bringing up the repair options with a command key.

[Spadge]

Re: dual boot problem with Windows 7 XP and Kubuntu

The rule with dual/multi booting with windows is to start with the earliest version of windows and end with a proper operating system.