War of Attrition with my Partition, it’s doin' my head

Hi all,

RC 7100, HD 350 GB HD

I need advise please. I wish to create a small partition of 50GB.

I followed Brink’s tutorial in creating a partition but it ain’t happening for me.

In disk management, I don’t get right click then "click New Simple Volume" I get, see screen shot 1.

Is it my understanding however that first I have to shrink "C" ( my HD ) by 50gb.

If that is the case, see screen shot 2, what is 50GB in MBs, what figure do I put in?

Having shrunk "C" is it then simply a case of just starting over, right clicking unallocated region on your hard disk, then click New Simple Volume and follow the wizard?

( by shrinking will I affect my existing Win 7 OS and any software installed, cos' I got the OS and Apps' working pretty much as I want it.)

I’ve had to bite the bullet, my only reason for creating a partition is because I wish to install my retail version of XP home, which is a 32 bit OS.

I have decided to do without the XP mode in Win 7 and do everything I could to get old software to operate under Win 7 and I’ve managed pretty well so far, updating, playing or delving around as required.

However there are two programs I can’t manage without, that will not install using WIN 7 or 64 bit XP mode, hence the partition.

But am I understanding correctly, my existing OS is Win 7 64 bit, the partition I will create I wish to install 32 bit XP home, will it install?

Is 50GB enough for XP Home and two tiny programs?

Brink said:

Hello Tram,

You will need to shrink C: by 51200 MB first, then finish creating the partition from the unallocated space that you shrunk from C.

Afterwards, you can install XP to dual boot with Windows 7 if you like. 50GB should be plenty. :)

Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and XP

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Thanks Brink, that went perfectly, :)

My next question is installing the Win XP home on the new partion.

My new partition I have assigned the drive letter K:

(I have just realized something, my copy of XP Home is an upgrade version from 98 SE, does that present a problem??)

This may sound daft but how do I install, I mean do I insert XP OS disk into DVD drive and will it ask me which partition I wish to install to or what?

I don't want it to overwrite my Win 7 OS obviously or run any chance of it.

Brink said:

Tram,

When you get to step 4B in this link, you can then insert your Windows 98 SE disc or other qualifying upgrade OS. If you do not have these, then you will not be able to install the upgrade XP version.

After this, if you can install XP, just pick back up in the dual boot tutorial here to be able to boot to either XP or Windows 7 at boot. :)

Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and XP

Thanks Brink, understood all of that,

But once I get to 4b it's going to ask,

If you are attempting to clean install with a Windows XP Home or Pro Upgrade CD, you will see this screen, which requires you to insert your previous Windows CD in order to verify that you qualify for the Upgrade version.

My partition doesn't have a previous version of Windows on it, I still have a legit 98 SE disk, do I need to install that before installing XP home upgrade.

Having said that the PC HD on which I'm writing this and in which I created the partition a moment ago did have 98 SE and the XP upgrade installed before Win 7 was installed on it.

Installation might ask for 98 disk for but will I have to install it taking into account the above.

And if I do have to install whole of 98SE, I assume during the process like XP I get to choose which partition,......is that right?

Brink said:

Tram,

Na, just as the message stated, you will just need to insert yout 98 disk so that it can verify that you have one. That's all, you will not need to install 98.

Thanks Brink, :)

I panicked a bit, I found a Win 98 SE disk so I thought let's install, I down loaded Easy BCD and Net 2 into a folder on my Win 7 desktop.

I started the Win XP Installation, I got to step 4b, inserted my 98SE disk, then with disk still in drive, it asked what I wanted to do by using up and down keys, ( which were disabled ) Set up Windows, create partition, delete secleted partition.

Then underneath the above, a box in which was written "unknown disk" twice and below that, selected...... " C: partition1 unknown, 131072 mb free".

I was expecting to see the partition set up earlier, partition K.

Should I have just carried on and press enter on the selected " C: partition1 unknown, 131072 mb free"?

I quit installation because I wasn't sure.

ccatlett1984 said:

in windows 7 if you go into disk management how many partitions do you see?
For the new one that you just created, just write down the amount of free space in MB, and use that to pick the correct partition. Assuming that you only have the two partitions on the computer partition 1 will be the second one( the one you just created.)

Hi ccatlett,

I successfully get to Set Up Windows, it reads,
Set up Windows
Create Partition
Delete Selected Partition

Directly under the above it says,

Unknown disk There is no disk in this drive.


There is no disk in this drive
131072MB disk 0 at Id 0 on bus 0 on atapi [MBR]


C: Partition1 [unknown] 131072MB 131071 MB free ( and this line is selected).

As I said to Brink I was expecting to see the partition I had set up earlier, I gave it the drive letter K:. I can see this drive in My Computer and also, please see Screen Shot.

Instead of going for a 50GB partition as I intended I went for 60GB instead.

I think my questions are, should I be seeing my created partition in the Windows set up or should I simply press enter on the selected line, I'm wary because I certainly don't want to overwrite my Windows 7 install?

My last questions are did I screw up when setting up the partition and what should I do if I didn't ?