Solved Booting problem with dual booting with windows 8 and 7

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Recently I purchased a laptop with windows 8 64 bit pre-installed in it. For my job purpose, I needed windows 7 32 bit. After searching the web and also using the information I got from this site, I disabled secure boot, deleted the recovery partition and converted GPT partitions to MBR. Then I shrink the Big partition in which windows 8 was installed to make room for the windows 7 partition. Then I created a new partition and installed windows 7 on it. After this whenever I switch on the computer, a message come up, saying that a required device cannot be found and windows is to be repaired. The only way in which I can start windows is to go to bios, select the boot options and then select boot from notebook hard drive.

Can anybody please tell me how this problem can be solved
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
when you created the new partition did you make itin front or behind the existing partition?

If your boot manager is looking to boot Win 8 on Disk 0 Part 1, and you created the new partition in front of Win 8, your Win 7 will now be located on Disk 0 Part 1 which is where the boot manager is expecting Win 8

can you send us a screen cap of your disk management?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 & Windows 7 Dual Boot
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP G60
    CPU
    AMD Turion RM-70 Dual Core 2.0 GHZ
    Memory
    3 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce 8200M G
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Mouse
    MS Intellipoint 5 button (love it!)
    Browser
    Chrome and Chromium
    Antivirus
    Avast Free & Malwarebytes
Recently I purchased a laptop with windows 8 64 bit pre-installed in it. For my job purpose, I needed windows 7 32 bit.

As new OEM PC come Pre-installed with Windows 8 x64 in UEFI mode, you can not dual boot with x64 & x32.

Welcome to EightForums

1) Downgrade to Windows 7.
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/13326-downgrade-windows-8-windows-7-a.html
Warning you must have the uEFI/BIOS firmware setting in Step Three set.


2) If Using a USB Pendrive on a PC with a uEFI BIOS.
USB Pendrive need to be formated to FAT32 as in
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/15458-uefi-bootable-usb-flash-drive-create-windows.html
Take note of Step 11 for Windows 7.
Also you will need to use a USB 2.0 port, as there are no USB 3.0 drivers in Windows 7.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
Dear Brooklyn567 & theyog

Thank you for the replies

I created the new partition after the windows 8 partition.

Even though multiboot is working by selecting boot device manually, sometimes without asking anything, the machine directly boots into windows 8. And in all other cases, the error message comes up. I want to retain the Windows 8 installation. That is why I tried to dual boot.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Dear Brooklyn567 & theyog

Thank you for the replies

I created the new partition after the windows 8 partition.

Even though multiboot is working by selecting boot device manually, sometimes without asking anything, the machine directly boots into windows 8. And in all other cases, the error message comes up. I want to retain the Windows 8 installation. That is why I tried to dual boot.

Ok, first of all, I had to use my secret decoder ring to see your post, it is invisible to my gray background.. :)

So your harddrive is internal, yet you have to tell the bios to use the internal drive? why is it looking for an external drive?

Ive noticed if you leave the flashdrive in when you install or make changes to your UEFI boot it always looks for that flashdrive.

Easybcd can fix that, but you may lose the pretty win 8 blue boot option gui, and get the stodgy win 7 text boot option menu.

your win 8 may auto boot to win 8 if your shutdown or sleep is set to either Hybrid Sleep or Hibernate, both of those will bring you back to where you shutdown from..
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 & Windows 7 Dual Boot
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP G60
    CPU
    AMD Turion RM-70 Dual Core 2.0 GHZ
    Memory
    3 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce 8200M G
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Mouse
    MS Intellipoint 5 button (love it!)
    Browser
    Chrome and Chromium
    Antivirus
    Avast Free & Malwarebytes
I have used easybcd and configured everything. Even after that the machine is telling that 'Recovery, your pc needs to be repaired'.
Can this issue be due to the deletion of the Recovery partition, or due to disabling of secure boot, or due to conversion of GPT to MBR.

Thanks in advance
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
.
Can this issue be due to the deletion of the Recovery partition, [del]or due to disabling of secure boot,[/del] or due to conversion of GPT to MBR.

I would say, YES.

Try doing a Reset.
How to do a Reset:
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2302-reset-windows-8-a.html

information   Information

We always assume you have made your Recovery Disks using the OEM manufacturer's Recovery Media Creator app the first day you had your new PC.
& made the Startup Repair CD.
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5132-recovery-drive-create-usb-flash-drive-windows-8-a.html
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2855-system-repair-disc-create-windows-8-a.html




You can use the OEM version of
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5132-recovery-drive-create-usb-flash-drive-windows-8-a.html
warning   Warning
Deleting the Recovery Partition is NOT RECOMMENDED




Did you make the OEM manufacturer's Recovery Disks?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
I solved this issue

While checking my hard disc partitions, I found that a 300 mb space is laying as unallocated space in my hard disk. I created a new partition with this space. I found that some data is still there in it. Maybe it got deleted during the GPT to MBR conversion. After this when I restarted the PC, it went into the multiboot text mode screen, without any errors. I was able to select the operating system from this screen.

After this I searched the net to bring back the windows 8 graphical multi boot screen and I found it.

I started an elevated command prompt ( Win + X and the A ) and typed the following command

bcdboot c:\windows

I got a message that the command executed successfully.

When I booted again, I got the graphical multiboot menu.

Thank you very much for all members who gave me suggestions.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
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