Windows multi-boot question

[Muse]

I'm rebuilding a mid-tower system, putting in an SSD to house the boot+apps partitions. Data will go on an internal 3TB SATA HD. Can/should I pre-partition the SSD (i.e. put it in a USB 2.5" enclosure and slice it up into partitions with a different machine) before placing it in the mid-tower ahead of the OS installations? Or will the initial Windows installation (from disk) insist on installing itself on the entire SSD, thus eliminating the pre-partitioning structure? I figure if that's the case, I can install Windows on the SSD and then create a couple of other partitions using a partitioning utility and then do fresh Windows installs on those partitions.

 

[TheELF]

What versions of windows?
Win 8 and upwards need a small boot partition and will delete your partitions to create one,iirc you can avoid that somehow and make it install the boot files on the same partition as windows,but I'm not sure how at the moment.

You can also create all your partitions from the windows installer menu,just keep creating new partitions of desired size before choosing the partition for installation.

Win 7 and earlier don't work with uefi,win 7 you can edit the installation media and make it work but for the older versions they need mbr partitions.

You don't really need partitions,windows will figure stuff out and install different versions on the same partition,just go from older to newer version so that windows will always be aware of the already installed versions.

 

[Muse]

This machine will have all XP installs. It's an HTPC/HDTV machine. I won't be browsing or doing email, so it should stay clean, no need for virus protection. I'm going to do Windows Updates or somehow get it up to date, at least to the extent necessary. I have an XP SP3 install disk and COA.

I've installed Win7 all in one partition on at least one occasion. Anyway, I could conceivably use Win7 32bit on this machine but I don't want to pay the $150+ for it. It should work great in XP as long as I don't expose the machine to hackers.

 

[JackMDS]

This freeware will help in creating and organizing Partitions

https://www.partitionwizard.com/free-partition-manager.html

This freeware will take care of the Boots.

https://neosmart.net/EasyBCD/#comparison

Both are clean and very good and a savvy users can (after basic install) solve the type of issues that you posted about in few minutes.

 

[Muse]

Should I partition before or after doing the initial XP install?

I know how to set any particular partition as the default partition and change it at will.

Edit: I guess this site explains pretty well how to partition the drive during the initial install. I'll just create a couple of additional partitions and install XP to those later.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Yes . . . I feel your pain, Bubba. I had the XP Pro MCE(dition) -- maybe that's what you're using.

If it's old hardware, pre-UEFI, and you're using MBR partitions, it shouldn't be much different than my dual-boot Win 7/Win10 configuration. I'm just a bit uncertain . . .

One forum member installed Windows 10 first, then installed Win 7 second. But this was on new hardware, with the problems of installing Win 7 with hardware based on UEFI. In your case, it should be so much easier with MBR partitions.

Here's how I would do it. Install Windows XP first after doing a Secure-Erase on the disk you plan to use -- unless you already thought of that or you have a fresh SSD. Someone could correct me, but you should get to choose the size of the system-boot volume on the drive, leaving unallocated space. You should then be able to install -- what? Windows 7? -- Windows 10? --- on the remaining unallocated space.

If some utility like Acronis or EaseUS will work fine in XP, you can change the size of logical boot-system volumes, move them around, etc. You can also change the size of such a volume in Windows "Disk Management" but you're not going to have the extra freedoms you get with a disk-partition utility. If you have another Windows machine, you should be able to make a bootable CD of the utility -- especially if it won't run under XP. Or -- pay the chump change for something like Parted Magic. Or -- use a utility such as someone already mentioned. I actually think you shouldn't need to do that, unless XP doesn't give you the choice of logical volume size, or allow you to shrink such a volume.

The other way to do it is to create the XP logical volume as MBR first with enough unallocated space for the second OS still left on the drive. If XP commandeers the entire drive, you can still shrink the volume with a bootable utility program such as those mentioned -- then install the second OS on the unallocated space.

Somebody can tell me if I'm wrong about this. .. . . .

 

[bruceb]

Just an opinion, but isn't UEFI really only needed if you have like a 3TB or so size boot drive ? Personally I would stick with the old style MBR method and keep the operating system / systems on a small (say 500GB split into 2 partitions) boot drive. This also makes creating an image much easier as the file size will be much smaller.

 

[JackMDS]

Just an opinion, but isn't UEFI really only needed if you have like a 3TB or so size boot drive

I have "old" Slim Dell (Q9400) that does not do UEFI. So... I put a $24 60 GB SSDs for the OS and and 3TB Data is formatted GPT, problem solved.

Actually there three small SSDs in, one with Win 10, one with 7, and a third with WIn XP (some old pro App that I need for work and it runs only on XP).

With the price of small SSD and their size that always allows to away to find a place inside the Case. it is very easy to put multiple SSDs (one for each OS) in and creat the a Boot menu on the main OS/SSD with EZBCD.

It even work faster with simple SSDs than One Huge mechanical Drive mufti-partitioned to carry everything.

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I think that a lot of Enthusiasts are possessed by Societal (and Marketing) Imposed fear that something is wrong with them if they are not always using the newest and most expensive even if it does not do anything functional (like Killer NIC).

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I have "old" Slim Dell (Q9400) that does not do UEFI. So... I put a $24 60 GB SSDs for the OS and and 3TB Data is formatted GPT, problem solved.

Actually there three small SSDs in, one with Win 10, one with 7, and a third with WIn XP (some old pro App that I need for work and it runs only on XP).

With the price of small SSD and their size that always allows to away to find a place inside the Case. it is very easy to put multiple SSDs (one for each OS) in and creat the a Boot menu on the main OS/SSD with EZBCD.

It even work faster with simple SSDs than One Huge mechanical Drive mufti-partitioned to carry everything.

-------
I think that a lot of Enthusiasts are possessed by Societal (and Marketing) Imposed fear that something is wrong with them if they are not always using the newest and most expensive even if it does not do anything functional (like Killer NIC).

I've got my Win 7 and Win 10 on an SSD split up into the required "system reserved" and C:-drive system boot volumes on the same boot-system SSD. I'm thinking that I may want to move Win 10 to another SSD without re-installing it. And I won't do that unless there is some enlightened procedure which averts unfortunate detours and situations.

Do you have any ideas? It isn't something I really "need" to do: there's plenty of space on the 500GB SSD for the OSes, and I can install programs to Program Files or . . . . (x86) directories on the 2nd drive, provided that I keep both drives backed up. My WHS 2011 server won't produce a key that works on Skylake to restore server-backups to bare metal, so it needs to use its own backup locally for now per the system-boot disk. The second "programs" and data disk could simply be restored from the WHS on a file and folder basis.