Windows 7: Restoring an XP image to my new Windows 7 system

Hello,

I am trying to do something very similar, but not quite exactly the same as here. I hope that there might be someone here that has some tips that would be useful to what I am trying to acheive.

I just got a new system running Windows 7. I bought the "professional" version of Windows 7, so that I would be able to run "XP only" programs. I have some old software from companies that went belly up and no longer provide support. I was told that the professional version would run these programs, but I guess I didn't do my research well enough. They are not compatible.

What I would like to do now is run a dual boot between Windows 7 and XP. The difference in my case is that rather than doing a clean install of windows XP on the new partition, I would like to restore an image that I have of my old computer's drive (running XP) to the new partition on the new system (running Windows 7). Restoring to a new hardware environment shouldn't be a problem in theory, since I am using Acronis True Image Home 2011 with the add on that facilitates this.

I am assuming that the process would be the same, up until the point that the directions here say to insert the CD to install windows XP. What would you suggest doing at that stage? Running the recovery through Acronis? Are there any extra steps that I might need to take? Thanks in advance to anyone who is in the know or has at least has a bit more experience with this type of thing!

Cheers!

You can run XP mode in Pro:
Windows XP Mode - Install and Setup

Do you have a second physical disk drive (other than the one where Windows 7 is installed).

You can restore the Acronis image to the new partition, but Win XP will not boot, you need to do a Repair Install.
After the Win XP repair install, Windows 7 will not boot.

That's why I thought it would be easier to dump the image on another HDD (disconnecting the Windows 7 HDD). Then he can switch via the boot sequence in the BIOS. That would be the most elegant solution and no hassle with the bootmgr.

Will still need to do repair install.

Maybe for the MBR. Not sure what Acronis does about that. But in general the MBR and the bootmgr should be handled so that XP would boot. Remember the image goes to a completely different HDD and Windows 7 is plugged off.

I have restored XP once for a friend from a Macrium image and the system worked perfectly after that.

New hardware.

I'd probably just reinstall XP & old apps on a separate HDD and BIOS boot.
Are your old XP apps 16 bit?

Using Acronis True Image with Universal Restore from Windows 7, apply the XP image to a partition you create for it.

Without restarting install EasyBCD 2.0.2 to Windows 7, add XP by drive letter you assigned it during restore, accepting any offered boot files, let it autocomplete.

You can do all of the above from Windows 7, then restart to a working Dual Boot in most cases.

If this fails you can either SysPrep XP HD on its old hardware then apply the image to Windows 7 as above, or run a XP Repair Install on the reimaged partition if it is made available during this process: XP Repair Install - Part 1 of 2