Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and XP

How to Setup a Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and XP​

   Information

This will show you how to install Windows 7 and XP to dual boot with when you already have either Windows 7 or XP installed first.

   Note

With a dual boot installaton, you will have two operating systems (OS) installed. When you start the computer, you will have the choice to choose which OS you would like to start up to. This method is the easiest way of doing a dual boot with these two operating systems.

   Tip

When dual booting with another OS (ex: Vista or XP), you may not always have that OS partition show up in Computer with a driver letter in Windows 7. If this happens, then you will just need to add a drive letter to the OS (ex: Vista or XP) partition in Windows 7 Disk Management for it to show up in Computer with a driver letter.

   Warning

To stop XP from deleting your Windows 7 System Restore Points everytime XP is started, then see System Restore Points - Stop XP Dual Boot Delete to hide Windows 7 from XP.

Windows 7 Minimum Hardware Requirements


NOTE: For more information on this, see: Windows 7 system requirements

• 1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor
• 1 GB RAM for 32-bit Windows 7 OR 2 GB RAM for 64-bit Windows 7
• 16 GB available disk space 32-bit Windows 7 OR 20 GB for 64-bit Windows 7
• Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB memory (in order to enable Aero theme)
• DVD-R/W Drive
• Internet or phone access to activate Windows 7.

Windows XP Minimum Hardware Requirements

NOTE: For more information on this, see: System requirements for Windows XP operating systems

• PC with 300 megahertz (MHz) or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233-MHz minimum required;* Intel Pentium/Celeron family, AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended
• 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features)
• 1.5 gigabyte (GB) of available hard disk space.*
• Super VGA (800 × 600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor
• CD-ROM or DVD drive
• Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

EXAMPLE: Windows Boot Manager
NOTE: This is the boot screen where you select what operating system that you would like to start. By default, you have 30 seconds to choose another operating system before the default operating system will start automatically.

OPTION ONE

When XP is Installed First

NOTE: If you have a RAID setup, you will need to have the Windows 7 RAID drivers on a USB flash drive available to select and load while installing Windows 7.
1. Do step 2 or 3 below for where you wanted to install Windows 7 at.

2. To Create a New Partition from the XP Hard Disk Drive
A) With your Windows 7 installation disc boot into the Command Prompt from the System Recovery Options screen.
NOTE: Make sure that the CD/DVD drive is selected first in the boot order in the BIOS.

B) In the command prompt, select and shrink the XP volume by how many MB (1024 MB = 1 GB) you want to have for this Windows 7 partition. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: You would do steps 2 to 9 in METHOD TWO at that link. Windows 7 will need a minimum of 16 GB (16384 MB).

C) Click on the X at the top right corner to close the command prompt. (See screenshot above)

D) Click on the X at the top right corner to close System Recovery Options. (See screenshot below)

E) Go to step 4.
3. To Use a Separate Hard Disk Drive than the XP Drive
A) Boot from your Windows 7 installation disc.
NOTE: Make sure that the CD/DVD drive is selected first in the boot order in the BIOS.
4. Click on the Install now button. (See screenshot below)

5. When you get to this point, select the partition (step 2) or hard drive to install Windows 7 on. (See screenshot below)

6. Finish installing Windows 7.
NOTE: You would start at step 9 in that link to finish installing Windows 7.

7. When finished, restart the computer to have the option to boot from XP (Earlier Verision of Windows) or Windows 7. (See screenshot below)

   Note

If you are only booting into Windows 7 and do not have XP listed in the Windows Boot Manager, then you can install only EasyBCD (step 8 Option Two below) to add XP (or Windows 7) while started in Windows 7 the same way to the boot list.

OPTION TWO

When Windows 7 is Installed First

   Warning

• If you have a RAID setup, you will need to have the XP RAID drivers for your specific motherboard on a Floppy disc available to select and load at the F6 prompt while installing XP.
• If you have a SATA drive, then you will need to do either one of these options to load the SATA drivers for XP for your specific motherboard.
  • How to Slipstream SATA drivers into Windows XP setup CD with Dual Boot of Windows 7 or Vista
  • How to Load SATA Drivers in Windows XP Setup on your Dual Boot PC with Vista or Windows 7 for how to load your SATA drivers from a Floppy disc at the F6 prompt while installing XP.

1. To Create a New Partition from the Windows 7 Hard Disk Drive
NOTE: If you want to install XP on a separate internal hard drive instead, then skip this step and go to step 2.
A) In Windows 7, select and shrink the Windows 7 volume in Disk Management by how many MB (1024 MB = 1 GB) you want to have for this XP partition. (See screenshots below)
NOTE: You would do all of Method One at that link.





2. Insert your XP installation disc, then restart the computer and press any key to boot from it when prompted. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: Make sure that the CD/DVD drive is selected first in the boot order in the BIOS.

3. From XP Setup, Press Enter. (See screenshot below)

   Warning

• If you have a RAID setup, you will need to have the XP RAID drivers for your specific motherboard on a Floppy disc available to select and load at the F6 prompt while installing XP.
• If you have a SATA drive, then you will need to do either one of these options to load the SATA drivers for XP for your specific motherboard.
  • How to Slipstream SATA drivers into Windows XP setup CD with Dual Boot of Windows 7 or Vista
  • How to Load SATA Drivers in Windows XP Setup on your Dual Boot PC with Vista or Windows 7 for how to load your SATA drivers from a Floppy disc at the F6 prompt while installing XP.

4. Press F8. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: On some multimedia keyboards, you may need to press the F-Lock or Function key before pressing F8.

5. Select the partition (step 1) or hard drive that you want to install XP on using the arrow keys and press Enter.

6. Finish installing XP.

   Tip

If you get Error loading Operating System after XP restarts:

• Using your Windows 7 installation disc, boot to the command prompt at startup.
• Type in these comands below, and press enter after each one.
  • bootrec /FixMbr
  • bootrec /FixBoot
  • bootrec /RebuildBcd
• Exit the command prompt and restart the computer.
• At this point, Windows 7 should boot up the same way before trying to install XP.
• Continue to step 8 below and run EasyBCD from Windows 7 instead.

7. In XP, download and install .Net Framework 2.0 (32-bit) version or .Net Framework 2.0 (64-bit) version first, and EasyBCD (free version) for your 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x86) XP.
NOTE: In XP, Net Framework is required to be installed to run EasyBCD. After you click on Register (at bottom of link) for the free EasyBCD, registration is not required to download it.

8. Run EasyBCD (free version).
NOTE: This is required to repair the Windows 7 boot file and add XP to the Windows Boot Manager list.

9. On the left side of EasyBCD, click on the Add New Entry button. (See screenshot below)
A) In the top section under Operating Systems, click on the Windows tab. (See screenshot below)
B) To the right of Type, select Windows NT/2k/XP/2k3 from the drop down menu. (See screenshot below)
:warn:WARNING: Be sure to leave the Automatically detect correct drive box checked.

C) To the right of Name, you can leave the default Microsoft Windows XP as the name to be displayed in the Windows Boot Manager, or you can type whatever name you would like to have instead. (See screenshot below)
D) Click on the Add Entry button. (See screenshot below)

10. On the left side of EasyBCD, click on the BCD Deployment button, select (dot) the Install the Windows Vista/7 bootloader to the MBR option, and click on the Write MBR button. (See screenshot below)

11. Close EasyBCD.

12. Restart the computer to have the option to boot from Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 7. (See screenshot below)

   Tip

If Windows 7 will not start up when selected, then use your Windows 7 installation DVD to do a Startup Repair.

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Setup a Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and Vista
• How to Setup a Dual Boot Installation with Windows Vista and XP
• How to Do a Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Dual Boot Windows 7 and Ubuntu
• How to Correctly Setup a Dual Boot with Windows 7 and LinuxMint13
• How to Change Time to Display Operating Systems at Boot in Windows 7
• How to Change the Listed OS Arrangement Order in Windows Boot Manager Screen
• How to Change the Default Operating System to Start in Windows 7
• How to Delete an Operating System Listed in Windows Boot Manager
• How to Change the OS Name in Windows Boot Manager
• How to Do a Clean Installation with Windows 7
• How to Install Windows 7 FAST without a DVD or USB Device
• Install Windows 7 Without Using Any External Device
• How to Setup Windows 7 to Boot from a VHD (Virtual Hard Disk)
• How to Create a Windows 7 VHD at Boot to Start with from Boot
• How to Do a Custom Installation of Windows 7
• How to Load SATA Drivers in Windows XP Setup on your Dual Boot PC with Vista or Windows 7
• How to Slipstream SATA drivers into Windows XP setup CD with Dual Boot of Windows 7 or Vista
• How to Load SATA Driver Using Shift+F10 to Open Command Prompt
• How to Recover a Partition Used by an Older OS in a Dual Boot
• How to Properly Delete a OS in a Dual Boot
• How to Stop System Restore Points from being Deleted in Vista and Windows 7 when Dual Booting with XP

 

[Brink]

Prolax,

I'm happy to hear that you got that one issue sorted. Thank you for posting back.

 

[rook]

Thanks Brink! Works great!

Now I can play my Steam games in XP and still have Win 7 as my #1 OS.

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Rook.

 

[MattCatt]

What do I do if on step 5 of method two the XP setup sees my HD as unpartitioned and empty? I can access everything while inside Windows 7 and while using an Ubuntu LiveCD.

 

[Brink]

Hello MattCatt, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Did you do step 1 of METHOD TWO to create the partition from the Windows 7 drive for XP?

If this is a separate hard drive than the one Windows 7 is on, then you can just select it to start installing XP on it.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[MattCatt]

I have only the one drive, and I have 3 partitions on it. I want to install it on the F: partition.

 

[Brink]

Not sure why, but what options does it give you to prepare the drive in XP?

 

[MattCatt]

Not sure why, but what options does it give you to prepare the drive in XP?

When it asks me to choose a partition, it only shows:

C: Partition1 [Unknown] 181070 MB (181070 MB free)

 

[GLADoS]

I am now trying to extend my existing XP partition, and add some memory to that partition, but when i right click the partition, the extend option is in grey, aswell as the mirror option... I do have several gigs of unallocated space, so I don't know what's wrong. Help would be great

 

[SIW2]

Not sure what you mean by add memory to a partition.

Do you mean add space?

Disk Management will only extend into adjacent Unallocated space.

It will only also extend to the right.

Please post a screenshot of Disk Management window, like this:



http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-how-post-screenshot-seven-forums.html

Hope it helps

 

[GLADoS]

that does help, but if the unallocated volume is currently to the left, is there a was to move it to the right?

thanks

 

[SIW2]

Yes, but the method depends on your current partition set up.

You would also need to use a 3rd party partition manager - there are good free ones easily available.

Need to see the screenshot

 

[GLADoS]

Heres the shot:

 

[SIW2]

That looks like it will be fine.

You can use the free GParted - d/l the .iso, burn it to cd - boot the cd and incorporate the unallocated space into XP partition.

SourceForge.net: GParted: Files

GParted -- Download

You have to click the Apply button in GParted for it to actually do the changes you have asked it to do.

It will probably take a while.




Do not do anything to the C partition.

 

[GLADoS]

Alright thanks!

one last thing what are some potential risks of changing the Letter's of the hardrives. I want to make the XP partition into drive C: and before I do that, this would be great to know

thanks a bunch

 

[retiredat44]

A couple weeks back my dual boot system went bad. I have had WinXP on my computer for many years. I then decided to try Win7 RC. I took another hard drive, and made a fresh install of Win7 and installed it as Hard Drive #2.

After a few weeks of successful dual booting (using either WinXP or Win7 by selecting which one I wanted to use upon booting the computer), the computer though a tantrum and the Boot Loader got corrupted during a dual boot load of WinXP.

Long story short, I finally got it running again, I took my WinXP disc and loaded it over my original install. Yes, I know you can get into boot load files and check the code and chage it, if need be, but I chose just to rewrite and re-install WinXP over gain, no harm done to any of my other files, it worked fine.

I have no idea how the boot loader got screwed so bad. I have since retired the Win7 Hard Drive. But, I will probably buy Win7 when it comes out, right now I am low on funds, so I may not be able to take advantage of pre-order prices. I have done upgrade Windows version int he past but was always much happier if I just bought the full version. Besides, if you just buy the upgrade, then you nee dot keep the other version, and cannot sell it, because it will be needed for installs and re-installs for the upgrade version. I want Win7 because I want higher performance in my games and sims I fly.

 

[PROpane]

Wanna ask one thing.
Is it possible to make Windows XP use the programs that are currently installed in Windows 7?
And if possible to import the settings from 7 to XP.

PROpane

 

[Brink]

Hello PROpane, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Not that I'm aware of.

Sorry,
Shawn

 

[PROpane]

Thanks for the welcome and help.
Even if it didn't help. Well I'll just rewrite some of them.
Because Photoshop doesn't even care what Windows you're using is dual-boot compatible. Works with both, without the need to reinstall.
Also music, video players usually work as well.
And don't you think I could copy the content from regedit\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software to the new XP installation and see if the programs would recreate the other content?

 

[Brink]

PROpane,

Usually you will need to reinstall the program since files could be installed all over the system, making it hard or impossible to copy over to a different OS. The settings are not always stored in the same location for programs as well. You can try that to see of it may transfer, but I would recommend backing up XP in case it had adverse effects.