Windows – Can not boot windows XP from cloned hard disk – what can I do

After cloning partitions containing Windows operating systems, it is necessary to fix up the boot configuration data if the cloned partitions are not in exactly the same position on the cloned disc as they are on the original.

The Windows boot mechanism, since Windows Vista, stores its configuration as "Boot Configuration Data" (BCD) and this refers to partitions, not by partition numbers but by a disk signature and sector offset. The disk signature is a 32-bit value embedded in the Master Boot Record. Copying the first 446 bytes of sector 0 will copy the disk signature.

If cloning activities result in the cloned disk partitions having different starting sector addresses then the original ones (highly likely unless a whole-disk clone was used) then the clone will most likely fail to boot until these remedies are applied.

Basically, the sector offsets need to be updated and, for this, you'll need to use a recovery console (this is available on a Windows 7 install DVD). Ensure only the cloned drive is attached and boot from a Windows 7 install DVD. At the first screen make language selections and hit "next". At the next screen (where "install now" is displayed) press SHIFT+F10 to get a command prompt.

First, confirm the drive letters that are in place and the partitions to which they relate:

diskpart
list volume
exit

Also, if you need to, re-confirm the active partition:

diskpart
select disk 0
select part 1
detail part
select part 2
detail part
... and so-on
exit

On a BIOS system, the BCD is stored in a file at X:\Boot\BCD where X is the drive letter of the active partition (for UEFI it's in the EFI System Partition). Normally hidden, it can be seen with

dir /AH X:\Boot

It can be backed up like this:

bcdedit /export X:\path\to\bcd\backup

and restored

bcdedit /import X:\path\to\bcd\backup

If a disk has multiple operating systems on it, there may be multiple BCDs. The active BCD is the one in at \Boot\BCD on the partition that is marked as active - the active partition. To list its contents (in increasing order of verbosity:)

bcdedit
bcdedit /enum
bcdedit /enum ALL
bcdedit /enum ALL /v

To fix up the active BCD, establish the drive letters for the correct partitions and do:

bcdedit /set {default} osdevice partition=X:
bcdedit /set {default} device partition=X:
bcdedit /set {bootmgr} device partition=X:
bcdedit /set {memdiag} device partition=X:
bcdedit /set {ntldr} device partition=X:

or, to fix up another BCD (at "X:\boot\bcd" in these examples):

bcdedit /store X:\boot\bcd /set {default} osdevice partition=X:
bcdedit /store X:\boot\bcd /set {default} device partition=X:
bcdedit /store X:\boot\bcd /set {bootmgr} device partition=X:
bcdedit /store X:\boot\bcd /set {memdiag} device partition=X:
bcdedit /store X:\boot\bcd /set {ntldr} device partition=X:

For example, my system which has XP and 7 and they show XP as being on C: and 7 being on D: and the active partition is C:. then the active BCD will be at c:\boot\BCD. The boot manager will be found at C:\bootmgr and the memory diagnostic will be at C:\boot\memtest.exe, The required commands would be:

bcdedit /set {ntldr} device partition=C:
bcdedit /set {memdiag} device partition=C:
bcdedit /set {bootmgr} device partition=C:
bcdedit /set {default} device partition=D:
bcdedit /set {default} osdevice partition=D:

With those changes, rebooting the computer (Pressing Alt-F4 will achieve this) and removing the DVD allowed the system to boot successfully.

Further Reading:

• http://www.multibooters.co.uk/cloning.html
• http://mrlithium.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/my-boot-configuration-data-bcd-store.html
• http://diddy.boot-land.net/bcdedit/files/bcd.htm
• http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc721886(v=ws.10).aspx

(a whole-disk clone should not suffer these issues because the partition layout on the copy should be exactly the same as the original)