Windows 7: Dual boot XP with Win 7?

You might benefit by checking out some of the many tutorials stored on the forum (already mentioned by Bumpkin), written by very experienced members:

Imaging strategies (by whs)

Using Macrium imaging: Imaging with free Macrium (by whs)

Using Windows imaging: Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup (by Brink)

And a very long thread by many members discussing their strategies: System Image Backup Strategies/Thoughts

If you've got access to a spare external HD you can test that your image works by restoring to that spare HD and then boot from it. You do have to verify that your machine actually booted from the spare rather than normal working drive because if it works, the booted spare will look and work almost exactly like your machine did when the image was made.

I've done a Windows Imaging to an ext HDD but have not tested it (yet). I also have Norton Ghost 15.0 disc but I've never used it so it's a matter of learning Windows 7 and any of these backup software(s). On my previous computer I used Ghost 2003 which was fairly easy & never failed me but I don't think it'll work on 64 bit Windows 7 not to mention I have no floppy drive in this computer! NG 15.0 looked a bit more involved but I didn't have time enough to fully check it out completely.

At the moment I've done the SSD & Windows 7 tweaks following a tutorial on this forum so will need to do a new backup image. Having disabled System Restore I'm a bit more nervous lol It being new & not under heavy use yet it should be fine until I can figure out which backup is easiest for me to use!

Your old Ghost will likely work. You could at least give it a shot. You'll be aware soon enough if it cannot do the job.

Not sure how large your SSD is but I don't think I would disable System Restore until I could ensure I can do reliable imaging. You could limit the space allocated to it, although I think it is aware of the free space on the partition anyway (not sure about that awareness though).

Why have you disabled System Restore, which is never a good idea?

If you Dual Boot on separate HD"s booted via the BIOS as I suggested earlier then there is no issue with System Restore being affected by XP.

Even so, I would not disable System Restore until an issues arises and we have a chance to look at it.

I need to create Ghost 2003 disk in place of the floppys.

You are both right....I probably shouldn't disable system restore. I was doing so to save space on the SSD even though it is very premature since only 15.2GB (of 55GB) are currently being used.

However, I have mucked up the 2nd HDD trying to partition it so have that to straighten out now first. It is not showing up under Computer Management top pane any more only in the bottom pane (as unallocated) therefore I cannot click on it & format it. It should be formatted already unless whatever I did changed that (?).

Update: I have got it recognized & displaying properly (again) under Computer and Disk Management. Correctly? Idk but it's there anyway. Phew

Please post back a screenshot of your maximized Disk Management drive map and listings:

1. Type Disk Management in Start Search box.
2. Open Disk Mgmt. window and maximize it.
3. Type Snipping Tool in Start Search box.
4. Open Snipping Tool, choose Rectangular Snip, draw a box around full map and all listings.
5, Save Snip, attach using paper clip in Reply Box.

Tell us what is on each partition.

As I said in previous post I got 2nd drive (D) to show up again. There is nothing on it. SSD C: has Windows 7 & 1 or 2 programs on it.

As to my initial question/thought of dual booting XP (to be installed on a separate partition to be created on the D drive) I finally decided it's not imperative since I have another computer (at least for the time being) to access internet for finding help/instructions on getting this computer going again should a crash occur so why bother? Also I'm 100% competent at doing the partitioning anyway.

After reading conflicting opinions on partitioning a data storage drive or not and w/ not dual booting I'd (again) decided why bother? However, installing Photoshop on C: it suggested putting it's Scratch Disk on a different physical drive than OS is on but you can't also have on that same drive Windows 7 temp folder (which I had done per SSD tweaks tutorial). So my thought is it would be better to have at least 1 partition on D: for future dual boot if desired, a place to put either the temp folder or PS Scratch disk (& put the other on the other partition) & just to have more flexibility for other things like this that may crop up. Seems to me partitioning a large drive doesn't harm performance that much so why not? Also for less space being required for an image of say a 131GB partition (the other 800GB left just for data archives) rather than an entire 1TB drive. (Just FYI - the data archives would be backed up onto a separate ext HDD).

On my previous PC I think I had too many partitions but if I left D: on this new PC as 1 large drive that would too few.

Your DM screenshot looks good.

If you put the PS scratch folder and the Windows temp folder both on the 1TB, even in separate partitions, that still means they're on the same physical drive. Per PS docs, is that okay?

And a few partitions on that size HD is no big deal. They can be adjusted at a later time anyway if needed. A lot easier to deal with too few partitions rather than a slew of them.

I took PS to be meaning: it performs better w/ it's Scratch Disk on a different physical drive than the application itself. Not it & the Windows Temp folder being on diff physical drives - so I think each being on a diff partition is ok.

Ideally 1 partition splitting 1TB into one 131GB "piece" & an 800GB "piece". Initially I thought the larger archive data partition would rarely need defragging but w/ the frequently written to Temp or Scratch Disk on it that would not be the case.

I need a diff program to do the partitioning because for some reason Shrink Volume will only allow me to split it roughly in half (inexplicably).

This tool can come in handy, providing more flexibility in managing partitions: Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD (by Bare Foot Kid)

And the version that runs under Windows 7: http://www.partitionwizard.com/free-...n-manager.html