Windows 7: Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and XP

The C drive is a system recovery partition that is hidden in the original OS that the laptop originally came with, but appears when you decide to install another OS. I'd suggest NOT to mess around with it.

Hi ItsNiL

1) Go back to page one of this tutorial. Method two.
2) Reset the BISO back to default.
3) Use the Sata Controller drivers.
4) System Repair Disc - Create

First check for all the Win XP drivers for your hardware on the manufacturer's web site.
If your Win XP CD, does not support your Sata Controller, you will need to load drivers to uses at F6.
Load Sata Controller drivers with a floppy disk is the best way.
SATA Drivers - Load in Windows XP Setup on Dual Boot
OR
SATA Drivers - Slipstream into Windows XP CD

Would it be better if I just install Windows XP using VMware player and use it with Ubuntu which is already installed? This is much faster and I have had good experience with using VMWare player so far.

I have followed the steps of Method 2 and tried to install WinXP. The blue screen in Step 3 simply says Windows Setup and then on the bottom white line I see many files being installed and then I get a blue error screen with a lot of writing and the following:

***Stop: 0x0000007E (0xC0000005, 0xF748E08F, 0xF78DA208, 0xF78D9F08)

*** pci.sys - Address F748E08F base at F7487000 DateStamp 3b7d855c

When I started the machine again Windows 7 booted up. I checked the XP Partition and there were two file folders; $RECYCLE.BIN and System Volume Information and nothing more. (I did check to make sure all files were unhidden, and that I have admin privileges)

What other info would you like? Thanks muchly for your help

See post 1491 to proceed:

Thanks Gregrocker for your reply.

From 1985, I tried to keep up with all things computer, but it's not my job, thus about the time WinXP came out, I gave up, so please forgive my ignorance.

1. I thought that you would be able to see my system spec from my profile, but it was limited (See System Information doc System Information.doc)
2. In 1491 "3) Use the Sata Controller drivers."
   • My HD is listed as ATA, not SATA
   • Clicking on the "driver" link brings up a Uniblue webpage. Downloading their DriverScanner, it tells me that all my drivers are out of date, and I have to purchase their product to get the downloads.
   • I just bought the computer a couple months ago and Dell tells me that the drivers are all good.
     • If I go out to Dell to get drivers, I am only given a choice operating systems of BIOS, Windows 7 or Vista and for anything else I will have to go to the manufacturer.
     • In that case, which drivers will I need to get in prep for nLite?
3. At Step 9of Slipstream SATA, there is a Service pack choice. I have a disk for SP2, but there is a newer SP3 at Microsoft. Should I include that?
4. At Step 10, it shows Copy & Paste, but from where? It looks like the copy scr is from a dvd. Is it the dvd for Windows 7 or for WinXP?
   • If WinXP, the only choices I have for the drivers is a CAB folder with 4,657 files
   • 
   • Looking in my computer in C:\Drivers:
   • 

Am I looking in all the wrong places? Much again, thank you for your help



I have WinXP installed on a HD in a computer whose motherboard has quit. Could I add that HD to the Windows 7 computer and then either boot from the old XP drive or the new 7 drive? Would that be easier? If so, what would that require? Thanks

Yes it should be easier but it requires a Repair Install done on XP to readjust it to the new drivers: XP Repair Install - Part 1 of 2

Do this with the Windows 7 HD unplugged, XP HD set first to boot in BIOS setup.

Once XP starts on its own, set preferred HD as first to boot in BIOS setup, then to trigger the other HD instead use the one-time BIOS Boot Menu key given on first boot screen - which on Dell is F12.

You can download the F6 drivers from here:
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Deta...onal*&lang=eng

Hi - short-time reader, first-time poster. I ran into a problem during method 2 of this great guide that I was able to fix, but it isn't mentioned in the guide so I thought I'd post it here and then hopefully someone can add it.

The problem relates to the, "Error loading operating system", message that may appear after the first restart during the XP installation. I followed the advice in the guide to fix this but nothing worked. Eventually I figured it out myself: my motherboard (Gigabyte EP45-UD3P) has the following BIOS setting:

- SATA RAID/AHCI Mode

I had this set to "AHCI". After changing it to "IDE", XP was able to install just fine. After that, I was able to fix the Windows 7 bootloader per the advice in the guide and all was well.

However, changing this setting in this way means that you obviously lose the benefits of AHCI in Windows 7 (including TRIM support if you have an SSD, for example). Also, if later on you change this setting back to "AHCI", your XP installation will fail to boot, so be aware of that. If, however, you don't have an SSD and don't really care about AHCI then this fix will work fine for you.

Gomer: It looks like Dell doesn't provide a WinXP SATA driver for that particular computer. Typically, this means you're simply out of luck and you won't be able to install XP. However, it might be possible to find another driver that will work. I'm not sure how you'd go about finding one though.

Just FYI, your drive (Samsung HD103SJ) is a SATA drive. Listing it as "ATA" is somewhat confusing but not wrong - all SATA drives are ATA drives. "SATA" means "Serial ATA".