Dual Boot with New Hard Drive


  1. JamesMc
    Posts : 1
    Windows XP
       New #1

    Dual Boot with New Hard Drive


    Hi All,

    I currently have a system running XP with two IDE hard drives and 3 partitions.

    I have taken Windows 7 as a chance to get myself some much needed extra space! and purchased a new 1tb SATA drive.

    I really dont want to lose the exisitng data I have so my original plan was to take my main IDE harddrive with most of my data stick it in an external USB carrier and then start fresh in the system with the 1tb and Windows 7.

    What would be cooler would be if I could add the 1tb to the exisiting system and install Windows 7 on that (ideally with that as C:) and either then have much quicker access to transfer data to the new drive or even dual boot with XP at first incase I have any issues with Windows 7. Can anyone advice me on how easy/risky this is? And what they would suggest to someone trying to maximise the uptime of their PC?

    Cheers!
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  3. Kari
    Posts : 17,545
    Windows 10 Pro x64 EN-GB
       New #2

    Hello James and welcome to the SevenForums.

    Adding an extra HD gives you a possibility to keep your XP system intact while adding the capacity to install Seven. I see no reason why you should remove your main HD and use it externally.

    You should start by reading this excellent tutorial by one of our administrators Brink. It is as far as I know the best and most complete guide to create a dual boot XP / 7 system. Quite in the beginning of this tutorial you can find related links which together with the tutorial help you to setup your system as you like.

    Good luck with setup!

    Kari
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  4. Dave76
    Posts : 12,177
    Windows 7 Ult x64 - SP1/ Windows 8 Pro x64
       New #3

    Welcome to Seven Forums.

    As Kari says, add the new HD to your system, install Win7, and dual boot until you are comfortable with your new OS.

    The tutorial he gave you will tell you everything you need to do.

    Good luck and enjoy Windows 7.
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