Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and XP

gregrocker said:

Hi Staffy -

No you dont' need to worry about any interference when you boot independently, which procedure and benefits you seem to understand just fine.

The drives will relate to each other as data drives only. The boot files will remain on each OS instead of one updating the other which is how interference can happen.

Hi Gregrocker:

I am trying to achieve an enviornment just like what staffy has outlined - to have win XP and win 7 each installed on separate HDD.

Questions are:
1.) Does the XP auto delete restore point in win 7 still apply here? Do I need to tweak the registry per the guide given?
2.) Can you give a more detail description of this one-time-boot-menu we are talking about here? My understanding of this is to have win XP install on one HDD first (with win 7 HDD disconnected), then install win 7 on another separate HDD (this time with the XP HDD disconnected). No need for the "software" dual boot config setup as the boot will be controlled by BIOS during a restart. During a actual restart, hit the F12 menu and select either the win XP or win 7 HDD to start loading OS. Is my understanding correct?

3.) reference to step 2 above, will this result in any interference? Last thing I need is to do a repair on the win 7 HDD as I don't have admin right.

Thanks for yr help!

I think that the Restore Point issue is a dead parrot with separate drives. Not to worry.

Every maker has a different one-time BIOS Boot menu key:
Asus - F8
HP/Compaq - Esc
Sony - F2
Acer - F12
Gateway - F10
eMachnes - F10
Toshiba - F12
Dell - F12
IBM/Lenovo - the blue Thinkvantage button

It doesn't matter which OS is installed first, just unplug it and install the other one, plug that back in, set the preferred OS as first to boot in BIOS setup, choose the other one by tapping Boot Menu shortcut key at boot.

If this is not to your liking, install EasyBCD to Win7 to add the other OS to a Windows Dual Boot menu.

You can repair WIn7 with Repair CD or DVD without Admin rights but why are you constructing a Dual Boot on a computer you don't have Admin rights upon anyway?

My accounting program was not working anymore (because MSDE is not working anymore in windows 7) so I wanted windows xp as a second operation system but not easy.

But now it is.

0) Install XP in another partition (windows 7 already installed as first)
1) Place the windows 7 cd and boot your system from cd (change bios first normally with cmd F2)
2) Choose recovery and start the system again and that will be windows 7 of course
3) Download BCD and install (in WINDOWS 7)
4) Add XP to the mbr
5) Restart, and now you can choose between xp and windows 7

If you install BCD in XP you can get registry problems (no authorisation for updating the registry in windows 7 from xp).
The 5 points above are very simple to do ...

Thanks to the creator of BCD, an excellent program ...

I think you're referring to EasyBCD which is indeed a great tool and worth supporting, although their earlier versions are still free: EasyBCD 2.0.2 - NeoSmart Technologies

To restart Win7 you must mark it Active first before running Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times.

gregrocker said:

Please post back a screenshot of your maximized Disk management drive map and listings showing all columns, using the SNipping TOol in Start Menu. We can help you sort what's happened.

When installing in order of age, the newer OS correctly configures a Dual Boot, whereas XP when installed last doesn't know what it's doing with the newer OS, steals the boot requiring adding Win7 with EasyBCD, or starting Win7 to add XP easier.

SysReserved should NOT have a drive letter in Win7. Other than that is your problem that XP is not Seen from Win7? This might be solved by installing EasyBCD to 7, deleting the XP entry then Adding it back again, since Easy works better from Win7 and won't allow XP to letter SysReserved if XP is not already corrupted somehow.

But let us see the picture first.

First of all, thank you for very quick response. I don't have problem wih Win XP drive showing from Win 7 OS.

Now there is Disk Management screenshot where is clear visible as I told that "System Reserved" drive is vissible.

Other thing, in EasyBCD I change drive letter for XP from F to D, but it goes back to F even if I run it as admin. So, hope that you have some kind of information to try solve this pormblem.

Thank you in advance!

Cheers

Either mark System Reserved partition Active in XP, or BOot the Win7 DVD Repair console to mark the 100mb System REserved partition Active: Partition - Mark as Active (Method Two)

Reboot into the DVD Repair console to run Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times until Win7 starts on its own.

Now install EasyBCD to Win7 to add XP correctly and without complications: EasyBCD 2.0.2 - NeoSmart Technologies . Earlier versions of Easy are still free

gregrocker said:

I think that the Restore Point issue is a dead parrot with separate drives. Not to worry.

Every maker has a different one-time BIOS Boot menu key:
Asus - F8
HP/Compaq - Esc
Sony - F2
Acer - F12
Gateway - F10
eMachnes - F10
Toshiba - F12
Dell - F12
IBM/Lenovo - the blue Thinkvantage button

It doesn't matter which OS is installed first, just unplug it and install the other one, plug that back in, set the preferred OS as first to boot in BIOS setup, choose the other one by tapping Boot Menu shortcut key at boot.

If this is not to your liking, install EasyBCD to Win7 to add the other OS to a Windows Dual Boot menu.

You can repair WIn7 with Repair CD or DVD without Admin rights but why are you constructing a Dual Boot on a computer you don't have Admin rights upon anyway?

Hi Gregrocker.

I tried the method today - two OS in separate HDD and using the one-time-boot menu (for me it's pressing F12 button because my laptop is DELL). It works! I am able to switch between the Win XP and Win 7 OS. I will monitor if there are any other problem and report back here for sharing.

The conculsion that I draw is, if one stay away from using the Microsoft windows software dual boot option and simply just stick to using the one-time-boot menu to toggle between win XP & Win 7, we will have less issues and need not worry about corruption etc. But this method comes with a slight inconvenience as we will need to hit F12 early if you desire to toggle upon a power recycle..

I'd set Win7 to boot first as you'll likely need to use XP less as you go forward so will be inconvenienced less using the BIOS boot key.

If you still want to try a Windows Dual Boot, You can test this by setting a restore point, install EasyBCD to Win7 to add XP, then see if the issues you fear arise. If they do, choose Edit OS menu on EasyBCD, delete XP from the boot list, and it should be back to where it was.

But with XP fading out pretty quickly in the next year, it's probably best to just come to rely on it less and then one day pull out or format the HD.

Goodday,
I wanted to ask what happens to all of the programms / games?
Can i still launch / use them? Or i have to reinstall everything if im adding w7 to my xp?