Vista x64 On One HDD /7 On Another Help?

If you are interested, you could set up a virtual machine, but I think for your purposes you will want to set up a dual boot.

If you don't want 7, you can remove the drive and run a Startup Repair on Vista.

Saltgrass said:

If you set the Win 7 drive as primary in the bios, it will not see the Vista installation. So each drive will be independent. You could, of course, disconnect the Vista drive. Then you could just change them in the bios to boot, or with an F12 key, if you have that option, to select one or the other.

I you want to dual boot, it can be set up later very easily. Post back after you decide.

If you are going to run a risky program, you can image Win 7 after you activate, then install the risky beta.

Thank you,

Here is what I have in mind after reading up. You (please) tell me.

I run Vista x64 very nicely on my home build system, Rock solid. I am very curious about 7 but my Vista is not broke if you know what I mean.

I have a job coming up to run a new beta on windows 7. I will have an OEM Windows 7 Pro copy.

I want to run 7 and the beta, all alone on a brand-new HDD, a WD 640GB AALS single drive.
My current Vistax64 system runs on the exact same make and model HDD but in RAID1.
Being new to dual booting I want to make sure if the beta gets nasty it will not effect my Vistax64 system.

If I read correctly, it looks like...

1. I install the new HDD.
2. Boot to the win 7 CD/DVD.
3. Choose to create/delete or what-ever in order run on a single partition on the NEW HDD. A new HDD should not need any partition work correct? The installation will format and allocate the HDD correct??
4. Now when I boot the default system will be 7 because it was installed last but have time at boot to choose 7 or Vista, or do an F12 and choose, Correct?
5. Now I need to read up on how to make the Vista64 the default Booting OS in the event the boot is unattended. You got link?

I have included a pic of my port setup so you guys may look ahead for me for optimization.

• Ports 1 & 2 are my Vista x64 OS dual RAID1 drives.
• Port 3 is a stand alone 750GB storage drive.
• Port 4 is an external eSATA box with a dual 750GB drives on it's own RAID1 controller. It's just a single eSATA cable from the box to the board.
• Port 5 will get my new HDD for Windows 7.
• Port 0 is my DVD/CD

(Months Down The Road) Here is where I want my cake and eat it too. When the beta is done and I decide I love 7 now and want to migrate all my stuff to it. I will want to run it as a RAID1 array. I guess I can Pull all HDD's, put the 7 on the main port. Format one of the original Vistax64 HDD's and ...........?

Thanks For All You Do!

Bump Up! How about it guys? Will putting the new HDD on port 5 be OK?

Does it sound like I'm going to do good?

Should I install the drive and do the allocation thing with a full format then install 7?

Thanks.

That sounds fine. You do know that the Windows 7 betas have expired, right?

To set Vista as the default OS, see here: