How would I dual-boot in this scenario?

2. Your target partition (marked A here) is smaller than the image partition. So that won't fit.

No no, the image file itself is 190 GB; the HD on which it rests, which is the external, is nominally 500 GB. So the partition is large enough.

3. If you moved the image to A, you would have a kind of a double boot.

I wouldn't need to unpack it or anything? EasyBCD would recognize it?


4. Initially, I imaged the old drive onto my C partition on the computer which I am using. That is, the image file that I created was stored in C:\. Later, I deleted that and tried using an image file that had been created on the external drive.


1. M is the external containing the image file. Compare Capacity with Free Space.
C and D are my current machine, Windows 7.
N and P are the old drive, connected via Adapter.
A is the empty partition to which I would like to get the contents of the old drive, in working order, at some point.

In addition to apparently trying to image XP to a smaller partition than it's original size, you have not deleted the target partition to make Unallocated Space as I've asked you about twice now.

Bugger me, that's what you meant by unallocated space. Och...

Just to make sure the "partition too small" confusion is resolved -

Keeping in mind that the source of the image file is only 230 GB:

Yes, I see now that you have enough space to image XP partition onto deleted target partition's Unallocated Space.

Confirm you also are not setting XP partition Active or copying it's MBR (or Track 0 if requested).

Apply the image but do not accept any warnings without checking back. You want to be absolutely sure it's going on the target space.

All I do is to select A as the partition to reimage the disk image to in Macrium Reflect. The only attribute I've ever changed in A was from Logical to Primary.

Though now I am told that reimaging will not allow a boot from that partition?

No, I have indeed deleted XP aka A:\ as you asked. Sorry for not being clear. I'll try to se whether Macrium does anything different with the unallocated space there.

By unpack, I mean to get the contents of the image onto the partition. Excuse my terminological inaccuracy.

Wolfgang, doesn't Macrium require Unallocated space to apply an image onto as most others do?

If not why is he being Warned that applying the image to A will overwrite System Reserved and C?

Macrium Reflect does not allow me to select unallocated space.

Previously, when the A partition was clicked during the Image Restore process, a blue bar would appear underneath the representation of the partition.