Vista re-install problem

[AcerUser]

Hi everyone,

I have a problem and was hoping someone here could help me.

I recently tried to remove Vista from my laptop to install XP using the dual-boot tutorial from apcmag. I followed the steps, installed a new SATA driver to make the XP install possible, then formatted the C drive when i wanted to install XP there.

Eventually XP didn't run because it couldn''t find BOOT.ini, so I decided to re- install Vista using the recovery CD I made. The installation was complete but still it could find a boot file ( BOOT/BCD?) so XP doesn't run either.

Now I tried to re-install Vista using the Vista dvd but when it asks for a drive to install it on it can't find any drives, but when I search for a driver for the HD I can still acces C ( ACER ) and X ( BOOT ). I found the drivers on the HD but they don't work. A recovery via the DVD doesn't seem to work either.

That is the screen I get ( pic from apcmag ) but I can't see any drives here, when I press Load Driver I can however search for drivers on the C and X drive.

any suggestions?

thanks in advance

Edited May 14, 2008 by AcerUser

[AcerUser]

There is also a Windows folder on C, should I just format again and start with a clean Vista install?

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

Install Vista Boot Pro. It may help you.

VistaBootPRO - Go PRO with Microsoft Windows Vista Boot Manager

[AcerUser]

Can I install it during the install of Vista, I can't acces Windows itself.

[HydraHeaded]

Hi,

I see your post is dated May 14 '08, so you must have finished with everything by now. I just wanted to add a little thing of my own:

I installed XP in C: and D: drives (two separate installations, so that I could use one if the other went puff); then I made an image of the C: drive, and saved it, and used it whenever I wished to reinstall (that way I can get a working XP with all softwares and security apps installed, in twenty minutes; I used DriveImageXML for this.)

Later on, I tried out the Vista 64, on F: drive. Now since my C: XP had become slow, I just copied back the image I had made earlier; I took care to copy all the hidden system files on the C: drive root, except for the pagefile, and I also saw that there was now a separate folder called Boot, which I also copied. But when after the image copying, I copied back the system files and the Boot folder back to C:, overwriting the new boot.ini and all, I found that only the C: and D: XPs, like the previous times, would run: Vista had vanished.

There's a page here that tells how to repair the Vista boot info:

http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD/Inst...+XP+After+Vista

I used this software EasyBCD, and it solved the problem in a jiffy, so that I now have everything working as usual.

I haven't tried Vista Boot Pro; don't know which is better.