OSS Rename function aborts; hides XP system files in BOOTWIZ folder
Hello,
I need some advice about how to recover some data on my hard drive. Briefly, I have lost all the data on my original hard drive when I installed it as a second drive onto my new computer and attempted to boot Windows XP using ACRONIS OS Selector.
Details:
I added the primary HDD from an old computer running Windows XP into my new computer as a secondary HDD. I set up Windows XP on the primary HDD of my new computer, and I could see and access the data on the secondary HDD.
I installed ACRONIS OS Selector (and Disk Editor) onto my new computer's primary HDD because I wanted to boot up either copy of Windows XP. This seemed like the easiest way to transfer data and settings from one system to the other using Windows' own processes.
When I installed OS Selector, it detected the two separate installs of Windows XP.
Note: There was one discrepancy between OS Selector and Windows: Windows XP (Disk Management) listed the drive letters as;
C: (HDD1); D: (DVD drive); E: (HDD2),
whereas OS Selector listed them as;
C: (HDD1); D: (HDD2); E: (DVD drive).
After I installed OS Selector, I booted the Windows XP on the primary HDD, and everyhing on HDD2 was intact. Then I attempted to boot Windows XP on HDD2. The computer booted, but Windows encountered a problem. I selected "Last Known Good", and the machine just rebooted and brought me back to OS Selector. I tried this a couple more times with the same result, then Safe Mode, no luck.
I then renamed this instance of Windows XP to "WinXP2002", thinking that might resolve the problem.
I then booted the Windows XP on HDD1. When I went to access the data on HDD2, I saw the first layer of folders on the root folder, but everything inside "Documents and Settings", "Program Files" and "Windows" was gone. Other non-Windows folders were intact. I later discovered (after making hidden and system folders visible) that these folders had been copied into the BOOTWIZ folder as part of the Rename routine. According to "BOOTWIZ.txt", os_selector::CopyOS began and ended, but os_selector::Commit cancelled.
The rather clumsily written documentation for OS Selector seems to say that doing what I did is "impossible" but that there are ways to work around it. But it was unclear what I needed to do where to ensure that booting up would succeed.
QUESTIONS:
Is it enough to just move those folders back to their original locations? Are there other adjustments I also need to make?

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Hi MudCrab,
Thanks for the quick response. It's really great to see a forum so well served.
Under Properties->Folders for this drive, all of them were Enabled.
The UI and documentation does not explain what "restoring" these folders means.
To me, that sounds like these files are blown away and recreated at startup, which does not sound like what I want.
Can you elaborate?
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This option is not well explained and I don't know why OSS sometimes decides to implement it automatically.
Basically, OSS "moves" the system folders into the BOOTWIZ folder to protect them from another OS. When the item is booted, it's supposed to "move" them back to their original locations. I would think that an enabled setting should move them back when booted, but apparently it's not.
For each of the folders in the Folders section, select Properties and set them to Disabled. When finished, click OK to save the changes and OSS should move the files back (should show "Updating...").
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