Dual Boot-clarification
Posted by admin on Mar 2nd, 2007
I'm confused, I'm sure others may be, so could someone answer the following please.................1) System restore, shadow copy and roll back are all the same....yes? 2) No matter which version nor which method is used when Vista is installed, if you run XP it will delete Vista's restore points...yes? 3) The problem is that XP can 'see' Vista and presumes it's restore points are corrupt and deletes them.....yes? 4) Vista Enterprise and Ultimate have an additional item (Bitlocker) that 'hides' Vista from XP and so avoids the problem....yes? 5) VistaBootPro handles dual booting but DOESN'T 'hide' Vista.......yes? 6) Is it possible to 'disable' System Restore in XP which then allows Vista to create it's own restore points? 7) It's irrelevant whether Vista is installed on the same drive+different partition OR on a different disk drive....the problem is still there?There are lots of threads here relating to dual booting, explaining how to do it, but no mention of the restore points problem. Does that mean that the problem doesn't arise under certain circumstances OR that these people don't realise that they have no restore points in Vista?I'm sure that clear answers to the above would help us to understand the problem better and avoid numerous repeat threads.Thanks for all the help. Morris
Mar 5th, 2007 at 06:06 pm
"morrisg" yes yes yes You must install and use Bitlocker. You can also use a third party boot program to hide the Vista partition when booting to XP (BootITNG Acronis has one) No. Doesnt work True.
Mar 9th, 2007 at 12:55 am
"John Barnes" wrote: Thanks John, just the clarity that I needed.To follow on...............OK,there's a problem..........how to fix it?1) Should BootITNG be installed on XP or on Vista ? 2) If installed on XP,.... bearing in mind that by running XP I'll be deleting my Vista restore points,......will Vista write new restore points even after XP has deleted them?......or has any 'permanent ' damage (ie until Vista has been reinstalled) been done. (I ask this because I couldn't create a Restore point in Vista after running XP).I need Dual boot because I help elderly people at a Computer Club in Spain (they want to contact their families back home). One or two may have a new Computer with Vista but most have XP. So, I need both to create screenshots for them.Thanks for the help Morris
Mar 10th, 2007 at 08:58 am
"morrisg" Sort of. Think of System Restore as a backup program that uses shadow copy in backing up data.Here's a link that discusses this. For some reason I can't get the direct link to work, so here's a google cached link. 209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:YGf1XeRGLGkJ:ms.helifan.net/windowsvista/community/backuprecovery.mspx+system+restore+shadow+copy&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us <quote> The main difference is that System Restore in Windows Vista makes use of Shadow Copy Backup instead of the file filter system used previously. As a result, the restore process is more efficient and robust. </quote> Yes. Unless Vista's volume is hidden. Yes. Yes. VistaBootPro helps make changes to Vista's new boot manager. It doesn't hide Vista. Disabling XP's System Restore will not work in protecting Vista's restore points. The problem actually is with XP's volsnap.sys. Do a search of this group using "volsnap.sys". Yes. If XP can see Vista, XP's volsnap.sys will see Vista's restore points *and* all shadow copies as corrupt, and they will be deleted. Some users who dual boot don't really care about the problem, as they have other means of making backups. Like using Acronis TrueImage. There are users who actually don't like using System Restore anyway. Or, they rarely boot back to XP and don't really see it as a problem. Any user who wants more information on this can simply search this group for "volsnap.sys" and will find plenty of discussions and answers. Take care,Michael
Mar 15th, 2007 at 03:46 am
"morrisg" to be set to hide the Vista drive when booting to XP There should be no permanent damage to the Vista restore process. Try turning off and then back on to clear the restore process in Vista. You might consider running XP in one of the free virtual machines. You won't have to reboot and won't have the restore problems.
Mar 17th, 2007 at 07:06 am
If all you need Windows XP for is to create screen shots for presentation and training, I would suggest that you use Microsoft VirtualPC 2007 (FREE).Install VirtualPC in your Vista installation. Then create a virtual machine in VirtualPC and install Windows XP in that virtual machine. That way you can run Windows XP while you are booted into Vista. It will always be there and ready for you to call it up should you need it.You can effectively forget about dual booting altogether. Regards,Richard Urban MVP Microsoft Windows Shell/User "morrisg"
Mar 19th, 2007 at 07:10 pm
I turned off system restore the day I installed TrueImage HOME. System Restore is not anywhere as good as TrueImage, not as reliable and not customizable to the extent that TrueImage is. Regards,Richard Urban MVP Microsoft Windows Shell/User "MICHAEL"
Mar 25th, 2007 at 07:32 am
I haven't turned off System Restore, but I do agree about TrueImage being more reliable. In under 30 minutes, TrueImage can restore an image and have you marveling how simple it seems. It is well worth the money.I also like it better than CompletePC Backup, and since most users will probably be using Home Premium, which does not come with CompletePC Backup, I would highly recommend them to make a small investment in peaceofmind and purchase Acronis TrueImage Home.Having *reliable* backups can *never* be overemphasized. Michael"Richard Urban"
Mar 27th, 2007 at 04:13 am
Personally I think both have their uses. Making copies of every file that I have new stuff (mail, documents, favourites, etc) in since the last backup is just too much trouble if all you need to do is roll back the registry to clean it up after some failed install or uninstall. "Richard Urban"
Mar 31st, 2007 at 06:51 pm
It only takes me 8 minutes, including the reboot, so...................... (: Regards,Richard Urban MVP Microsoft Windows Shell/User "John Barnes"
Apr 5th, 2007 at 01:19 am
Well the topic has turned out to be a great learning curve.Part of the reason for keeping XP was the fact that my new Creative Audigy card (bought because of Vista) does not work correctly with Vista. I need the microphone for Skype.However, the microphone continually changes it's volume to such an extent that it's inoperable. The Creative forum has a long discussion on the subject without resolving it.Now, after checking Virtual PC postings, it appears that USB peripherals (ie webcam) wont' work under VPC.Ah well............all this because the system restore in Vista wont work with XP.Thanks to all. Morris
Apr 7th, 2007 at 01:37 pm
Takes me 30 minutes just to find and backup all the files I need to restore to the restore. Then the restore take about 25 minutes, then I remember 23 files I forgot to backup, especially not that pictures, music, etc are in separate files and no longer in My Documents. Way too much trouble except as a last resort. Fortunately, I very rarely need to do either. Less than 12 times a year with XP (86 or 64). More likely with Vista64 as it seems to get pretty screwed up by many failed installs or installs where the program fails to work properly and then won't uninstall or uninstall properly. "Richard Urban"
Apr 8th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
Maybe Innotec VirtualBox will be a solution for you. It can operate directly on USB ports and is also free. M. [Windows Shell/User MVP] /before private reply change px with pl in my email address/ "morrisg"
Apr 13th, 2007 at 08:01 pm
Michael or anyone... what are the license restrictions for using one purchased copy of Acronis True Image 10 Home on both the XP drive and the Vista drive? Or for that matter can I purchase one copy and use it on more than one computer in my home? Ideally, I like to buy it and use it to backup my main computer which has XP and Vista dual booting AND use it to backup my laptop. All to a NAS drive. Couldn't find this info on the Acronis site. "MICHAEL"
Apr 15th, 2007 at 02:58 am
I am not aware of the restrictions. If you create the emergency boot CD it can be used with any computer. Is it legal? I can't say. Many technicians would not go into the field without having one of these CD in their kit. I would assume that Acronis realizes this.The Ghost CD, on the other hand, can be used for recovery only. You can not create an image while booted up with the CD. That's why I stopped using Ghost. Regards,Richard Urban MVP Microsoft Windows Shell/User "DanR"
Apr 16th, 2007 at 09:30 pm
2) I have Vista and XP running on seperate SATA drives. XP does NOT delete Vista restore points for me. 7)"morrisg"
Apr 20th, 2007 at 06:50 am
Can you elaborate please??? Which OS was installed first. How do you dual boot. Anything you can think of that makes your system unique? "Tauty @gmail.com>" <tautalogicus>
Apr 22nd, 2007 at 10:17 pm
Hi,BootIt ENG (BING) is totally OS independent. BING can be run from a floppy, Bootable CD, or installed onto it's own partition.You will find more information here.Dual Booting Windows Vista & Windows XP: bertk.mvps.org/html/dualboot.htmlRegards, Bert Kinney MSMVP Shell/User bertk.mvps.org Member: dtsl.orgmorrisg wrote: