Clean install over dual boot XP's with Ubuntu

I currently have 2 versions of XP installed, along with Ubuntu Meerkat. My main version of XP Home is installed on my main hard drive, partition C:. My secondary XP Home is installed on a 2nd Hard drive, partition G:. Ubuntu is installed on a separate partition on my 2nd hard drive (Drive H: hidden from Windows)

The current bootup, takes me first to Ubuntu's boot selection, with one being Windows. Selecting Windows then takes me to Windows boot which contains selections for each of my XP installs.

I would like to co a clean install of Windows 7, over my 2nd copy of XP Home on partition G:, where I would be able to select it on the dual boot, AFTER selecting the Windows bootup from the Ubuntu boot screen, as I currently do. After selecting the Windows selection from the Ubunbu boot screen, the Windows boot screen should then have my main XP and Windows 7 selections.

If I install Windows 7, clean install (Custom?), and then select partition G: to install it on (overlaying my 2nd XP), will this leave the current Ubuntu boot screen as is, and change my 2nd XP boot item to Windows 7?

No, all your OS installs will be messed up.

You best approach with separate HD's is to put Win7 on a separate HD booted via the BIOS, not GRUB or a Windows-managed Multi-boot.

Let Ubuntu continue to Dual Boot with XP on it's HD if you want, but it corrupts WIn7 beyond repair as we see almost every day here.

The solution is to unplug the XP/Ubuntu HD to clean install Win7 to the other HD with it set first to boot in Bios setup. After install, plug back in the Ubuntu HD and when you want to boot it use the one-time BIOS Boot Menu key which every computer has to trigger it.

Gregrocker,
My problem is that the XP on the drive without Ubuntu, is my working OS, which I definitely do not want to overlay with win 7. The XP on the drive with Ubuntu, I use as a backup with minimal installs, which is why I figured would be the one to overlay with Win 7, in order to check to see that my critical software/drivers work with Win 7 before making it my working OS. Being able to edit the boot.ini on Windows, I cannot believe there isn't a solution to this. If not, I guess Win 7 is not on my wish list.

You can certainly install Win7 on the partition next to Ubuntu, but then you'll have to boot it with GRUB which can corrupt Win7. However we only see the problem cases here (daily) so there are many who don't think there is a problem.

Remember that if you install Win7 it will reconfigure the Dual boot with XP placing the boot files on the first Active partition, giving you a multi-boot Win7-XP-XP if you keep the other HD plugged in. You'll have to re-establish the GRUB bootloader afterward as described in this post: Dual boot Ubuntu-Win7

Others say the way to go is to install EasyBCD 2.02 to Win7 and add Ubuntu on the new Ubuntu tab it has on it's Add OS Entry function.

gregrocker,
I'm not sure I understand the problem. Since bootup goes to grub now, which then apparently goes to the Windows boot.ini file, where I select the appropriate XP installation, I'm not sure why an install of win 7, over my alternate xp, could not also just replace the xp alternate entry in boot.ini, where I could then select either my working xp or win 7. Why cannot we just leave grub alone, changing just the windows boot.ini for the new win 7? My current boot.ini is:

[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition-C-Main" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition-G-Alternate"

My lack of knowledge on this, is how bootup is sent to grub in the first place. I assume grup is on my Ubuntu partition?

Thanks again,

If you dual with Win XP & windows 7, boot .ini will not be used.

Have look at this tutiorial:
Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and XP

Win7 will reconfigure the Dual Boot and likely cut out Ubuntu.

If you have GRUB on the Ubuntu partition you can simply add it back using EasyBCD 2.02 as suggested here by our Moderator: Dual boot Ubuntu-Win7

What I would do in order to keep Ubuntu on a separate HD is install Win7 to a second partition on your first HD if there is room, then unplug Ubuntu HD during install, set XP/WIn7 HD first to boot, so that Win7 configures a Dual Boot with XP. After install plug back in Ubuntu and boot it only by using the one-time BIOS Boot Menu key which every mobo has. You can then delete XP off Ubuntu HD and use it for storage.

Gregrocker,
I can honestly say, having installed and used just about everything from MS-DOS to Windows 3.1 to XP, SP3, I haven't seen anything so complicated just to replace one version of Windows with another and add it to the boot up screen. To me, it isn't worth the trouble, especially with a great OS like Linux being available. Obviously Microsoft does not understand the time constraints most people have in transferring to another system, without having the original, highly customized old system available to continue as a working system, until the new one has been updated and can take over.

So, unless there is a hidden method to get my secondary XP install replaced with Win 7 and just add it to the Windows boot screen, I will stick with XP until Microsoft decides to no longer support it. I will then probably go with Linux. Thanks anyway....