Multi-Boot Vista Ultimate x64 & XPSP2?

[Synomenon]

I'd like to be able to multi-boot Vista Ultimate x64 and Windows XP SP2 (32-bit) while they're each installed on a separate hard drive. Is this possible? I'd like to have it so a boot menu comes up automatically that lets me choose which OS to boot. Also, I need to be able to access files from one OS on the other OS.

How do I got about doing this? Thanks for any help.

 

[n7]

Install XP on selected HDD.
Install Vista on selected HDD.

Upon bootup, you will have a choice of booting into Vista or XP.

 

[mechBgon]

Another option is to install one OS on one drive, unplug that drive and connect the other one, and install the other OS on the other drive. Then reconnect the first drive and use your motherboard's boot-device selector to choose which drive you want to boot from (for Asus motherboards, this is the F8 key at POST, for example).

This keeps the OSes independent so you can easily remove either drive without losing the bootloader for the other OS in the process. The downside is that it won't do the automatic OS-selection menu for you.

 

[Synomenon]

Will each OS be able to access files in the other OS using either method (n7's or mechBgon's)?

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: IsLNdbOi
Will each OS be able to access files in the other OS using either method (n7's or mechBgon's)?

Yes, provided that you adjust directory permissions/ownership where required, which would be the case regardless. I use the two-independent-HDDs method myself.

 

[Synomenon]

I've got 8GB of RAM. Will XP run ok even though I have that RAM and it won't see all of it?

 

[Synomenon]

Ok, I've run into a problem. My Seagate drive is installed in an external enclosure that's connected to my PC via eSATA port.

I tried installing XP on it, but I get a blue screen error right after the part of setup when it's done loading all those drivers (USB, SCSI, etc.) and it says something like, "starting Windows". Right after that point I always get a blue screen error.

Does XP need special drivers or something to get it installed on an eSATA drive?

 

[Synomenon]

I tried doing this today (installing Vista on my Raptor and XP on my eSATA drive). My eSATA drive is recognized as a regular SATA hard drive in my BIOS.

First thing I did was unplug my Raptor, install XP on my eSATA drive then I unplugged my eSATA drive, plugged my Raptor back in and installed Vista on that.

Both OSs installed on their hard drive successfully, but Vista didn't "see" XP on the other hard drive. After both OSs were installed on their hard drives I shut my PC down, plugged both hard drives in and powered the PC back on. Vista booted. There was no boot menu. I can get the device selection thing from my BIOS to show up if I keep pressing escape when my BIOS splash screen shows up and that lets me choose which hard drive to boot.

That's not how I want it though. I thought if I did it this way, Vista would automatically create some kind of boot menu that would come up on its own everytime I turned my PC on or restarted?

I installed VistaBootPRO on my Raptor (in Vista) and whenever I ran it I would get a message saying that a Vista installation was not found on this hard drive. In the "Manage OS Entries" window in VistaBootPRO it does show Vista, but it doesn't show Windows XP (which is installed on the other hard drive).

 

[Navid]

If you want to receive an option to boot into either OS, under the control of Vista, you must leave the first drive (XP) connected while you make the second (Vista) installation.
Both OS drives will not be C obviously in that case.

What you have now, however, has each OS on drive C when you boot to it. The other OS is automatically given a different drive letter. But, as you have noticed, you will need to access your motherboard's boot menu to select which drive to boot to.

Decide what is more important to you and choose the option that gives you what you want.