Vista-Win7 rc1 dual-boot?

ManyBeers

Platinum Member
Aug 30, 2004
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I have a couple of questions about installing Win7. My Gateway desktop has a 250gb harddrive which has Windows Vista SP1 installed on a 70gb C;/(active/boot) partition and a 10gbD/recovery partition and the rest of the drive is Unallocated- and this is where I intend to install Win7. However I don't want it to use all of the unallocated space, so during setup will I be able to limit how much space Win7 can use?
My computer shows these drives: Windows Vista (C:)
Local Disk(recovery) (D:)
DVD drive (E:)
SD/MMC (F:)
Compact Flash (G:)
SmartMrdia/xD (H:)
MS/MS Pro (I:)
When I install Win7 how will my drive nomenclature change other than it will obviously grow by at least one letter? Can someone on here predict what drive letter Win7 will assign itself and how the others will change?
As i understand it when Win7 installs it replaces Vistas bootloader with it's own and adds Vista to it so one can then boot either system. Is this correct?
If so when I decide to remove it by simply reformatting the drive Win7 installed itself to how do i get my Vista bootloader back so i can boot Vista?
 

mc866

Golden Member
Dec 15, 2005
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hahah, sorry just had to post on the formatting of your drive letters, they are all happy now!
 

CrystalBay

Platinum Member
Apr 2, 2002
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Vista has a utility in disk management to shrink or extend space, use that and install 7 there...you decide the size of partition .

You will always be in C: drive whether in Vista or 7... Vista will see 7 as J: and 7 will see Vista as J: my guess... you can always change these drive labels later

Before you try to format the partition 7 is on, you want to go to system configuration and remove the boot entry for 7 and then format..
 

ManyBeers

Platinum Member
Aug 30, 2004
2,519
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Originally posted by: CrystalBay
Vista has a utility in disk management to shrink or extend space, use that and install 7 there...you decide the size of partition .

You will always be in C: drive whether in Vista or 7... Vista will see 7 as J: and 7 will see Vista as J: my guess... you can always change these drive labels later

Before you try to format the partition 7 is on, you want to go to system configuration and remove the boot entry for 7 and then format..

So when i create my new partition within Vista for Win7 I should name it J:drive?

 

CrystalBay

Platinum Member
Apr 2, 2002
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No create the partition and then boot to w7 and install to that new partition you just made...
 

ManyBeers

Platinum Member
Aug 30, 2004
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Originally posted by: CrystalBay
No create the partition and then boot to w7 and install to that new partition you just made...

Alrighty. Thanks