Help me set up a dual boot

[gizbug]

I have WIN 7 as main os.
I need to put XP on for a dual boot (have a program that I need to run in a 32 bit os).

How do I get the dual boot going? I have 15 gig free partition. 7 is already installed.
Do I just boot up with windows xp disc, and go from there?

 

[abaez]

Why don't you try the XP emulation in windows7?

 

[gizbug]

I did, didn't work for what I need
I heard you should put xp on then either vista/7.
Would doing it the opposite way still work?

 

[seemingly random]

The general rule is to install older os versions before newer ones. Older ones can muck with the boot sector/partition table making the newer installtions 'disappear'. There are ways to recover from this...

 

[KeypoX]

Originally posted by: gizbug
I did, didn't work for what I need
I heard you should put xp on then either vista/7.
Would doing it the opposite way still work?

LOL me too i thought this feature was gonna be so sweet but i needed actually vista or xp (win 7 would not work) tried the xp vm in windows7 and it iddint work... kinda crappy

it didnt run that great either and it was just like a vm not really integrated like i thought it would be? Maybe i was missing a setting but i didnt mess with it much.


try easybcd http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1

 

[Billb2]

I don't understand why people do this..use a beta OS that's gonna die and not be upgradable to the retail OS, for their main OS.

Anyway:
you'd be better off reformatting and reinstalling XP, then installing W7 again. That's the way MS intended it to work (older OSs installed first).
There are workarounds for installing XP second.

 

[seemingly random]

Originally posted by: Billb2
I don't understand why people do this..use a beta OS that's gonna die and not be upgradable to the retail OS, for their main OS.

...

I was wondering the same thing ... but didn't feel like questioning...

 

[addoraa]

or another option is using a 2nd HDD installing xp on it then use the BIOS boot option to select the drive you want to boot from. This way the vista boot manager is not used.

 

[seemingly random]

Originally posted by: addoraa
or another option is using a 2nd HDD installing xp on it then use the BIOS boot option to select the drive you want to boot from. This way the vista boot manager is not used.

Have you ever tried this? Did it work as expected?

I've done it and strange things happen (don't remember all of the details). Windows seems to always want to install on the 'first' drive. I've had installs where files where on two different volumes. Very odd.

---

I feel honored to be a part of your 4 per year anandtech forum posting career.

 

[addoraa]

yes have done this many times with no issues. One thing I always do is only have the one drive installed in the machine that I want to install the os on, then once the install is complete and fully functional I put the other drive back in. So in this case I would remove the Win7 drive then install a blank HDD where the Win7 drive was and proceed to install XP, once complete I would put the Win7 drive back where it was then move the XP drive to slot2 (thinking laptops when I mention slots)

I have my Gateway P7811FX setup this exact way with Vista 64 on one drive and Win7 64 on the other drive and use the F10 key upon bootup to choose the drive with the OS I want to use.


More of a lurker than a poster!!!!!!!!

 

[seemingly random]

Originally posted by: addoraa
yes have done this many times with no issues. One thing I always do is only have the one drive installed in the machine that I want to install the os on, then once the install is complete and fully functional I put the other drive back in. So in this case I would remove the Win7 drive then install a blank HDD where the Win7 drive was and proceed to install XP, once complete I would put the Win7 drive back where it was then move the XP drive to slot2 (thinking laptops when I mention slots)


More of a lurker than a poster!!!!!!!!

I see. I thought of this but it seemed like cheatin' - you shouldn't have to do this - but it's microsoft and there's a lot of history to deal with.

Doesn't whichever os (drive) you boot from mess with the other drive?

 

[addoraa]

I see. I thought of this but it seemed like cheatin' - you shouldn't have to do this - but it's microsoft and there's a lot of history to deal with.

Shouldn't but is a safe approach

Doesn't whichever os (drive) you boot from mess with the other drive?

Not that I have found.

In an IDE/PATA drive configuration I would also do the same except I would keep both drives as primary I would put the Win7 drive back whwere it was (most likely channel 1) then put the XP drive on channel 2. No master/slave.

 

[seemingly random]

Originally posted by: addoraa

I see. I thought of this but it seemed like cheatin' - you shouldn't have to do this - but it's microsoft and there's a lot of history to deal with.

Shouldn't but is a safe approach

Doesn't whichever os (drive) you boot from mess with the other drive?

Not that I have found.

In an IDE/PATA drive configuration I would also do the same except I would keep both drives as primary I would put the Win7 drive back whwere it was (most likely channel 1) then put the XP drive on channel 2. No master/slave.

I don't think the drive interface type has any bearing on how windows enumerates the drives. I imagine it queries the bios but could be wrong about this.

I'm going to be changing components in several machines in the next couple of weeks. I'm going to try the multiple os (w2k, xp, vista and maybe some ubuntu for grins) install on separate drives again.

 

[gizbug]

I was told and recommended this approach. Will try it.

"Partition the drive.

Install XP on the new partition. Going through the GUI reboot and everything.

At this point, XP erased the Windows 7 bootloader, so just stick the Win 7 disc back in and do a repair. Most of the time, it'll catch the new XP install and will have the dual boot option ready to go. If it doesn't then you'll have to manually add it using Easy BCD or if you're technical enough through BCDedit."

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: Billb2
I don't understand why people do this..use a beta OS that's gonna die and not be upgradable to the retail OS, for their main OS.

Anyway:
you'd be better off reformatting and reinstalling XP, then installing W7 again. That's the way MS intended it to work (older OSs installed first).
There are workarounds for installing XP second.

It will be upgradeable, might need to tweak the minclient version in one file, but MS has published how to do it. I've been on pretty much every weekly build since prior the beta and thru the RC, I'll just continue to upgrade to RTM.