Dual Boot Failing

[John Shoemaker]

I have a system with two Win2000 loads.
One is English, the other is Japanese.
Each is on it's own hard drive, and both hard drives are on
the same IDE controller.

I had to re-install the English version last week.
After I did, even though I have the option to select the
Japanese version through the boot.ini, it will not boot.
The English version, when selected, boots with no problem.

Here is the boot.ini:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows 2000 Pro English"
/fastdetect
signature(5331b63d)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNT="Windows 2000 Pro
Japanese" /fastdetect

I am aware that the "signature..." part of the second selection is the
signature
of the second hard drive, and when I checked, it is correct.

When I select the Japanese OS to boot, this is what I get:

"Windows 2000 could not start because of a computer disk hardware
configuration
problem. Could not read from the selected boot disk. Check boot path and
disk
hardware. Please check the windows 2000 (tm) documentation about hardware
disk configuration and our hardware reference manuals for additional
information."

After booting the English version, I can look at the second hard drive, and
the files required to boot that drive look fine. I did nothing, that I am
aware of, that would make any changes to the OS when reinstalling the
English version.

TIA

-john

 

[I'm Dan]

I have a system with two Win2000 loads.
One is English, the other is Japanese.
Each is on it's own hard drive, and both hard drives
are on the same IDE controller.

I had to re-install the English version last week.
After I did, even though I have the option to select the
Japanese version through the boot.ini, it will not boot.
The English version, when selected, boots with no problem.

Here is the boot.ini:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows
2000 Pro English" /fastdetect
signature(5331b63d)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNT="Windows
2000 Pro Japanese" /fastdetect
...(snipped)...

From
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/en-us/prork/prbd_std_ccef.asp
it kind of sounds like the "signature" format is intended for SCSI disks.
If both HDDs are on the same IDE cable, I'd try changing the Japanese option
to "multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)" and see if that works.

 

[John Shoemaker]

I have a system with two Win2000 loads.
One is English, the other is Japanese.
Each is on it's own hard drive, and both hard drives
are on the same IDE controller.

I had to re-install the English version last week.
After I did, even though I have the option to select the
Japanese version through the boot.ini, it will not boot.
The English version, when selected, boots with no problem.

Here is the boot.ini:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows
2000 Pro English" /fastdetect
signature(5331b63d)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNT="Windows
2000 Pro Japanese" /fastdetect
...(snipped)...

From
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/en-us/prork/prbd_std_ccef.asp
it kind of sounds like the "signature" format is intended for SCSI disks.
If both HDDs are on the same IDE cable, I'd try changing the Japanese option
to "multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)" and see if that works.

Thanks, Dan.
I was thinking the same thing.
However, I tried it and it didn't work.

-john

 

[I'm Dan]

I have a system with two Win2000 loads.
One is English, the other is Japanese.
Each is on it's own hard drive, and both hard drives
are on the same IDE controller.

I had to re-install the English version last week.
After I did, even though I have the option to select the
Japanese version through the boot.ini, it will not boot.
The English version, when selected, boots with no problem.

Here is the boot.ini:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows
2000 Pro English" /fastdetect
signature(5331b63d)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNT="Windows
2000 Pro Japanese" /fastdetect
...(snipped)...

From
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/en-us/prork/prbd_std_c cef.asp
it kind of sounds like the "signature" format is intended for SCSI disks.
If both HDDs are on the same IDE cable, I'd try changing the Japanese
option to "multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)" and see if that works.

Thanks, Dan.
I was thinking the same thing.
However, I tried it and it didn't work.

Oh, well... that would have been too easy, right? I've never had a boot.ini
that used the "signature" format, so really don't know anything more about
it.

You have just one partition on the second disk, right? That's what I was
assuming when I suggested "...rdisk(1)partition(1)".

What about running the map command from recovery console? Does that reveal
any relevant info?

 

[George Hester]

Wait a second. The other operating ssyetm has to be on the same disk that is your primary boot disk. If it is not then you need a boot partition on the primary disk that gets called first and then distributes to the operating systems based on the boot.ini which is lying in the boot partition.

You have Windows 2000 (English) on your first disk (0 here). You have Windows 2000 (Japanese) on your second disk (1 here). You cannot boot into that operating system from the boot.ini that is on your Windows 2000 (English) partition. You must set up a small partition on the 0 disk (in the front) which will contain the boot.ini and a few more files. From that you will choose which operating system to start. There may be oyther ways atround this but the one I have suggested I know works. Been doing it this way for years. I am surprised you were even able to install that Japanese version at all.

 

[John Shoemaker]

Wait a second. The other operating ssyetm has to be on the same disk that is your primary boot disk. If it is not then you need a boot partition on the primary disk that gets called first and then distributes to the operating systems based on the boot.ini which is lying in the boot partition.

You have Windows 2000 (English) on your first disk (0 here). You have Windows 2000 (Japanese) on your second disk (1 here). You cannot boot into that operating system from the boot.ini that is on your Windows 2000 (English) partition. You must set up a small partition on the 0 disk (in the front) which will contain the boot.ini and a few more files. From that you will choose which operating system to start. There may be oyther ways atround this but the one I have suggested I know works. Been doing it this way for years. I am surprised you were even able to install that Japanese version at all.

Thanks, George.

That is what I was always led to believe, but this was working without the
small primary boot partition.

I'll give it a try, though, and let ya know what happpens.

-john