Do a clean install of 7-Pro 32 upgrade to dual boot with XP?

[kaborka]

I want to do a clean install of 7-Pro 32 upgrade into unpartitioned space on an XP machine, to dual-boot XP and W7. I've done that successfully on a notebook by booting off the upgrade DVD. Unfortunately on this desktop machine the BIOS will not recognize the boot block on the DVD.

If I run W7 setup from XP it does not give the option to create a new partition for the W7 installation, and IIRC, even if I used XP to create a new partition, the XP partition would appear as C: in the W7 installation, with the W7 partition being assigned a new drive letter (is this correct?).

Is there a way to force Setup to install W7 to a new partition as C: even if it is started under XP?

 

[zigzag3143]

I want to do a clean install of 7-Pro 32 upgrade into unpartitioned space on an XP machine, to dual-boot XP and W7. I've done that successfully on a notebook by booting off the upgrade DVD. Unfortunately on this desktop machine the BIOS will not recognize the boot block on the DVD.

If I run W7 setup from XP it does not give the option to create a new partition for the W7 installation, and IIRC, even if I used XP to create a new partition, the XP partition would appear as C: in the W7 installation, with the W7 partition being assigned a new drive letter (is this correct?).

Is there a way to force Setup to install W7 to a new partition as C: even if it is started under XP?

First when installing win 7 you dont run it from within XP. In XP it cant make the new partition label C:\ because XP is already using it.

Boot from the win 7 DVD (not restore dvd) and win 7 will create a partition, put the boot files and folders where they belong and install win 7 as dual boot.


Let us know when you are ready to do it if you need help


Ken

 

[kaborka]

Sorry, the point of my post is that the BIOS will not allow me to boot from the DVD. I will need to run Setup from XP, yet still force W7 to install as C:.

 

[zigzag3143]

Sorry, the point of my post is that the BIOS will not allow me to boot from the DVD. I will need to run Setup from XP, yet still force W7 to install as C:.

No can do.

Cant you adjust bios to include dvd as boot-able device?

 

[kaborka]

Cant you adjust bios to include dvd as boot-able device?

Yes. It will boot from CDs but not from the W7 DVD. Error msg says "boot block not found"'. Hence my question. It's an older PC-Chips mobo. Maybe i can find a BIOS update. Guess I can't install W7 properly without one.

 

[theog]

Where do got your DVD from?

 

[kaborka]

Where do got your DVD from?

MS online store.

 

[theog]

Try this:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2432-usb-windows-7-installation-key-drive-create.html?ltr=U

 

[kaborka]

I'll have to try that. I believe the boot menu had a USB option (it's at my sister's). Just hoping there was a Setup command line option or .inf hack that would work.

(PS: Like your avatar pic -- ouch!)

 

[Ztruker]

If you have access to another computer that has a DVD burner, you could try making a copy of the Win 7 DVD and use that to install with, see if that works. If you try this, set the burn to the lowest speed it will allow, preferably 4X.

I use a free program called ImgBurn to do this. It's a two step process but always creates good DVDs if it can read the source.

1. Create image file from Disc.
2. Create Disc form image file.