Hi :)
I recently purchased a pc that has Windows 7 on it. (2.6ghz and 4gb of ram). I have an old pc that is currently running XP. What I would like to do is move my XP drive over to my new pc and be able to dual boot both OS's but I am not sure what I need to do. Will simply plugging in my 2nd drive be sufficient or are there changes I need to make such as in the BIOS, etc?
Any help is greatly appreciated. :)
When i got 7 i did the same thing. Never had any problems after re-installing the drivers.
The actual dual boot select screen will not be an available option.
You will have to select the XP HDD in BIOS to boot it & again back to 7 when wanted.
Or if your mobo has a 'boot menu' option on start up, select the OS you want as your default in BIOS, & then you can just select boot menu to boot XP each time.
If you want the dual boot screen, i think you will have to install XP again. Im not sure whether re-installing XP over the top will work as i havnt tried it. All info above is from personal experience! Hope it can help!
XP will not start on new hardware without running a Repair Install from boot: Repair Windows XP - How to Perform a Repair Installation of Windows XP - Part 1 of 2
Unplug the Win7 HD while running the XP Repair install, set XP HD as first to boot in BIOS setup (after CD/DVD drive).
When XP starts up, power down to plug WIn7 HD back in. Now power up and attempt to boot Win7 using one-time BIOS Boot Menu key shown on first boot screen, or in your Manual. This is the cleanest method to boot with two HD's as they remain independent and can come and go as you please.
If you decide you'd rather have a Windows-managed Dual Boot menu (which interlocks the HD's) then install EasyBCD 2.0 to Win7 to Add XP, accept offered boot files, autocompletes, Save, Restart.
Hi and thanks for the feedback :). Keeping in mind that I am a newbie when it comes to this stuff...what I basically want is the simplest way possible to do it and be able to have a boot menu at start up to choose which OS I want to boot into at that particular time - just like if I was running two partitions with XP - if thats possible. If I use the EasyBCD 2.0, do I still need to do the steps in terms of the repair install to XP or can I just plug the XP drive up, and then run the EasyBCD 2.0 while logged into 7?
Reason I ask about the repair install is, I spent 120.00 on a XP cd only to have ouor wonderful cable man steal it when he was here installing our router (yep he stole it..lol). I have an "upgrade" cd but Im not sure it will have all the necessary files for the complete repair. If not, I have a new pc coming, in a week or so and its supposed to have an oem cd with it. If I need to , I can use that drive with my 7 pc and put the old one on that pc.
XP will not run on new hardware without a Repair Install. You'll need to install EasyBCD 2.0 to Win7 to Add Xp as given above.
Once you create a Windows-managed dual boot with EasyBCD, you cannot remove either HD and expect the other one to start. This is why I suggested you boot via the BIOS boot order and one-time Boot menu key, as HD's don't become interlocked and can come and go as you please.
Last edited by gregrocker; 28 Jul 2010 at 17:43.
The EasyBCD utility provides an option of adding selections to the boot menu without having to hand-code the BCD entries yourself.
After you install it, simply go through the menus and add a selection for XP. After you reboot, you will then see the entry in your boot menu.
Just continue to boot from the Win7 drive, though.
You can get EasyBCD from the NeoSmart Technology website.
This is the top web resource on both XP repair installs and moving XP to new hardware: Changing a Motherboard or Moving
I do not link this for how-to Repair Install XP as it is too involved and users frequently get lost trying to get to the simple steps.
However it is useful resource regarding the issue of moving XP to new hardware and clearly warns of the possibility of damaging the OS.
I actually knew what you meant to say, 'i recommend' instead of 'will not', but thought that if you were to explain why you said it yourself, it could help others who dont know!
Cheers for the EasyBCD info! That i did not know of!
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