I have myh main PC with WIN7 and has a 2nd HD used for misc storage. I also have a old dell business desktop (no graphics card) with XP I use to play my old games which I enjoy. Is it possible to have my WIN7 on it's existing drive and install XP on the other?
TIA
Gil
Yes, however if the old Dell XP is an OEM version (almost all OS supplied with a PC from a PC Vendor is an OEM version), the OEM version is only legally licensed for the PC it was delivered with.
The other issue is whether XP drivers are available for the Win 7 PC. For example the Win 7 audio driver is not compatible with XP (unless it is a multi-OS version that includes XP).
My PC is a Triple Boot, Win 7, Win 10 Pro and Win 10 Preview (Insider) version. Each on a separate SSD.
Yes, each will have their own, but you must have Windows XP drivers for the hardware. XP drivers from an old PC are not compatible with the Windows 7 PC's hardware. As I noted, for example, the sound driver you have for Win 7 is not XP compatible.
What Fireberd is saying is:
- Every computer has a different hardware. This means that new computer (with Win 7) requires hardware drivers that probably doesn't exit for Win XP.
- He also explained that Win XP wont activate on the new computer (with Win 7) as the license is chained to the old computer.
You can try to install Win XP on a Virtual Machine under Win 7. As I never did it, can't help you on it.
Yes, each OS will have it's own drivers. But that isn't the issue at all. The issue is where are you going to get those drivers.
Device drivers must be designed for both the hardware and the OS. In the case of an old OS on newer hardware that is often a problem. The XP install media was created in 2001 when XP was released or at most few years later. Logically this media cannot include drivers for hardware that did not exist when it was released. The likelyhood that the media has suitable drivers ranges from slim to none.
That means you must obtain XP drivers from the hardware manufacturer. Writing device drivers is not a simple thing but requires considerable time and effort. For an older OS manufacturers often consider it just isn't worthwhile.
If you really must run XP on newer hardware it is usually best to run it under a virtual machine such as VirtualPC, VirtualBox, or VMWare. Free versions are available for all of these. You will need a legal copy of XP, just as you would for dual booting.
Have you tried installing one of the old games, on your Windows 7 PC in a Win XP Compatibility mode and then running the program the same way, in a Win XP compatibility mode? If not, give that a try with one and see if it will work.
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