New
#1
Dual-Boot Vista/Windows 7: Sharing Folders & Programs?
Hello,
My laptop came installed with Vista Home Premium 32 bit, which was at the end of its cycle. It has worked very well, runs very smoothly, and I like it. I also have the full-version of Windows 7 Professional 64 bit and have dual-booted it along with Vista. My goal is to be able to use either operating system with both having access to folders, files, and programs stored in a central location. I installed the MiniTool Partition Wizard to repartition my hard drive, then installed Windows 7 in order to experiment a bit.
Here is what the first partitioning (which I know is not correct) looks like in order of appearance:
Vista boot view:
Local Disk (C)
117 GB free of 265 GB
Expansion Drive (D)
156 GB free of 465 GB
RECOVERY (E)
1.24 GB free of 10.8 GB
DVD RW Drive (F)
Windows 7 (G)
7.18 GB free of 22.0 GB
My Passport (H)
381 GB free of 465 GB
Windows 7 boot view:
Windows 7 (C)
7.17 free of 22.0 GB
Local Disk (D)
117 GB free of 10.8 GB
RECOVERY (E)
1.24 GB free of 10.8 GB
Expansion Drive (H)
156 GB free of 465 GB
My Passport (I)
381 GB free of 465 GB
DVD RW Drive (F)
What (if possible) would be the process so that I can use either OS to access my folders, programs and such? I wish to alleviate having to download duplicate programs, or having to duplicate my Users folders and files for Windows 7. I also want to keep the factory installed RECOVERY (E) partition where it is. Would I need to do a clean install of Vista, then reinstall Windows 7? I have spent hours reading various forum threads and tutorials yielding very mixed opinions, so I felt that it would be prudent to ask for suggestions which address my particular situation.
In a nutshell, can I put Vista and 7 on two separate partitions, everything else on a third, and have either OS be able to access all of the data from the third?
Thank you for your valuable time,
Eric