How to create system partition for Win 7 custom install?

Also no need for any logical partitions.

Hi, I have started my system upgrade process. This is a longish interim report for those who are interested in how things are working. I will post again once the installs are complete.

Thanks for the advice and suggestions. Many of you have suggested to start with a clean HDD, but I prefer to have an extra copy of all my existing data. I can always bail on my plan and reformat my HDD if the system becomes completely unbootable. I don't expect that to happen. I will remove the old partitions from the back end of the drive as data is migrated into new installs.

My current XP installation uses many partitions for system, program and data files, and has accumulated GB's of MS updates. I addition to my new Windows 7 install, I want to create a fresh XP SP3 install on a single partition for occasional use. I don't intend to connect to the internet from this XP install (that is after I get all the needed Windows updates after install), just run a few old programs. Yes I know XP support is almost over, but want to keep an working XP system.

I have run the Windows Easy Transfer in my XP system to back up desktop, favorites, and cookies for Windows 7. I have used the custom mode to remove all other data files, as these have been backed up separately.
I have burned all my data files and windows easy transfer files to DVD.

I have used the Partition Wizard Boot CD to copy all my HDD partitions to my USB drive, after shrinking the USB drive partition.
I have used the Partition Wizard Boot CD to move and shrink all my HDD partitions to the end of my HDD. I have over 400GB of unallocated space at the front of my HDD.

I have disconnected my USB backup drive and booted back into XP. Drive letters were all scrambled after the partition moves, but after some reassignments, got things running again.

My plan is to mark my XP C partition as logical, then use the Windows 7 install DVD to see if it creates a system partition. If so, I can allocate new primary partitions for XP and Win 7 installs from the Windows 7 DVD. If not, then I can use PW Boot CD.

I will mark my newly created Win XP partition active, then install XP SP3. This should keep the XP boot artifacts out of the future system partition.

Then I will replace my motherboard, CPU, RAM and network card. I will reboot XP to ensure the hardware is working and update XP drivers.

Next I will mark the system partition active and install Windows 7 into the partition I created earlier. That should keep Windows 7 boot artifacts out of the XP partition. I will also allocate new user and data partitions for Windows 7, and copy data from my old XP partitions.

The Windows 7 install should create boot manager and BCD in the system partition. I will add the XP entry to the BCD using Easy BCD after the Windows 7 install.

I can remove the old XP partitions at the end of the HDD when I have copied data files to new Windows 7 partitons.

Here is how things look right now. The last logical partiton (R) is a Windows 7 test install. It added boot manager and BCD to my C drive. Gave me a chance to get familiar with Easy BCD.

I have completed my install. I reinstalled XP, but it would not reboot.I think the problem was that the trial Windows 7 install put a windows 7 program in the MBR. I think i could have fixed it by performing a fixmbr command in XP, but declined to reply to the override message.

I ended up reformatting my hard drive as GPT and setting up my system as UEFI.

Did you ever delete all partitions as suggested in my first post, which normally would resolve any problems.

If not the next thing to try is to boot into the Win7 installer's Command Line to run Diskpart Clean Command
which wipes all code from the boot sector and solves most installation problems.

I think we were a bit put off by perhaps the longest post ever written here which few of us volunteers have the time to read, or we would have been more helpful. Glad you got it worked out.

If you'd like to study the tips and tricks to get and keep a perfect install they are the same as those compiled in Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7.