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

 

[ascomputers]

I have to give credit / mention to Brink for this.

brilliant... worked a treat.

thank you.

 

[disaksen]

Alex,
I've resolved my problem now. Since it's pretty much the same as your, you might want to try doing the following:
Open EasyBCD and make sure windows 7 is shown as the default booting OS, since it's installed on hard disc 0.

Now on the Edit Boot Menu, DELETE the boot entry for Windows XP if it exists.

On the BCD Deployment tab, click the Write MBR button.

Now go to the Add New Entry and select Windows NT\2K/XP/2K3 from the dropdown menu. Now, UNcheck the Auto Detect box, then select "D" drive (or which ever partition XP is installed on), from the Drive drop down menu, then click "Add Entry.

Next, go to "View Settings" to make sure the XP entry was added properly. Now Close EasyBCD and reboot the PC. Let us know if that corrected your dual-boot menu options.

 

[perturbed]

I am planning on setting up a dual boot with Windows XP 32-bit installed first on a 300GB SATA drive, with Windows 7 64-bit Pro installed next on a 256GB SSD drive. Windows XP will be used only to play old games that do not play nice with Windows 7, even in XP mode, while the majority of computing time will be in W7. I also am planning on having a RAID 0 set up with two Seagate Momentus XT hybrid drives to store very large image files (some more than a Gig) for use in Photoshop. I have two questions.

1: My case (Cosmos 2) has hot swap bays in front. I would like to install the XP on the 300 Gig drive while in one of the hot swap bays, and complete the dual boot installation of W7 on the internal SSD to free up a SATA port on the motherboard, leaving me the option to remove the XP drive from the bay during times that I am not playing any of the XP games. If I pull the XP drive out of the bay, will the system recognize the single Windows 7 installlation and simply boot into it (and by extension give me the dual boot option when I put the XP drive back into the bay)? Or will the system go into fits when I boot after pulling the XP drive out of the bay?

2. Since neither of the two drives striped by the RAID 0 have an operating system, can I load both operating systems on their own drives, re-boot into BIOS and do a hardware RAID on the hybrids, and be good to go in either operating system?

 

[Brink]

Hello Perturbed, and welcome to Seven Forums.

For what you are wanting to do, I would recommend to remove all drives except the one you want to install XP on. This way it will have it's own separate boot manager.

This way you will have XP and Windows 7 installed basically like to separate installations on the same PC.

You will need to remove the OS drive that you do not want to run at startup before booting the PC though.

Yes, you will be able to set the RAID 0 that way later without having to remove them.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[gregrocker]

To best accomplish what you want, keep all other HD's unplugged when installing each OS. This will make them independently booted via the BIOS. Set Win7 first HD to boot in BIOS setup, then when you want to boot XP trigger it at boot using the one-time BIOS Boot Menu key.

If this is not to your liking, install EasyBCD (click Download - no Name or Email required)
to Win7, add XP on Add OS Entry menu by name, type and let it autocomplete drive letter, Save and reboot to Dual Boot menu. By doing it this way, it will not write both OS's System Boot files to XP as when you install XP first and WIn7 second with both HD's plugged in, requiring surgery to remove XP. Either OS HD can come and go as you please.

Edit: Oops, Shawn beat me to it. Oh well you have two votes now.

 

[perturbed]

Unplugging the SSD drive from the MB every time I wanted to run XP would be kind of a hassle.

As I understand Greg's first option, I unplug all hard drives except the one docked in the bay and install XP (I'd have to take an mSata out of the MB but I can do that). Then I undock the XP, plug in an SSD and install W7 separately. Reboot with both and in BIOS set W7 as the first boot drive, XP as the second. When I want to run XP, I reboot, hit F-something-or-other while BIOS is running and select the XP drive to boot.

As I understand Greg's second option (and maybe I don't), I first install Windows XP with all other drives unplugged as above, then plug in the SSD and do a dual boot installation of W7 second. I download EasyBCD and install it to W7 and add XP to the W7 Boot menu. Is this backwards, though? If W7 boot procedures are set for two operating systems, and the XP is not in the bay it won't see it. Shouldn't I set up XP to be the one giving me two options in a boot menu and W7 to only show one boot option?

 

[gregrocker]

As stated if the XP HD is left plugged in when installing Win7, the booted Win7 installer will write the Win7 SYstem boot files onto the XP partition so that XP boots both OS's, and Win7 HD cannot independently boot itself without surgery: marking 7 Active to run Startup Repair 3 times.

Avoid this by unplugging the newly-installed XP HD, install Win7 to it's HD, then try booting either via BIOS as preferred.

If that isn't to your liking, install EasyBCD to Win7, add XP so that Win7 will be only providing a Windows Dual Boot menu, but each OS will still have its own boot files so that either HD can boot itself, and come and go as you please.

 

[perturbed]

". . . the booted Windows 7 installer will write the Windows 7 System boot files onto the XP partition so that XP boots both OS's, and Windows 7 HD cannot be removed without marking it Active to run Startup Repair 3 times."

Maybe I'm missing something here, but I'm fine with XP drive booting both operating systems and giving me a choice, because it's the XP drive that will come and go, and I'm not planning on ever removing the Windows 7 hard drive. Assuming that I install XP first, with the SSD drive upon which Windows 7 will be installed not yet in the MB, then the XP boot files won't be written onto the SSD during XP install. If I install Windows 7 onto the SSD drive with the XP drive still hooked up, I'm assuming that W7 installation will write its boot files to the XP drive, and will also transfer the XP boot files to the W7 partition to give me a dual boot option when W7 starts and when XP starts, so I should take the XP drive out during W7 install, also.

What happens after that is the question. I could always choose a boot drive during BIOS as stated by choice 1 above. Alternatively, it seems I can use EasyBCD to modify a boot procedure, but intuitively in that case, I would think that I should set BIOS up to have the XP drive be the first boot option and the W7 drive be the second, and have EasyBCD set up the XP drive to add a W7 boot option. If both drives are in, the XP drive will boot first, and give me an option for XP or W7. If the XP drive is out of the bay, BIOS will move to the W7 drive (the second boot drive in BIOS) and the W7 drive only has W7 boot files installed, so it boots straight into W7.

In any case, why do I have to leave other drives (besides the 300GB XP drive and the 256 SSD drive) unplugged while installing each OP? If I data drive or a game drive has boot files from both OPs installed, but is itself not a bootable drive, I would assume that they would be available regardless of which OP was booted.

 

[gregrocker]

If I install Windows 7 onto the SSD drive with the XP drive still hooked up, I'm assuming that W7 installation will write its boot files to the XP drive, and will also transfer the XP boot files to the W7 partition to give me a dual boot option when W7 starts and when XP starts, so I should take the XP drive out during W7 install, also.

Why would you assume that? I told you that Win7 would write its System boot files onto the XP partition, nothing more.

The XP drive cannot come and go if it is booting both OS's. This is why each HD should have its own System Active Boot OS partition. This is achieved by unplugging the other HD during install.

The reason to not have any other drives plugged in except the one being installed upon is that if any drive is in a preceding slot with Primary partitions, particularly if marked Active, then the installer will write the System boot files to it. This is incorrect and a common mistake we see here regularly.

It is easiest to set the Win7 HD first to boot since most all users rely on it much more and abandon XP in time, often quickly.

If you don't like BIOS boot of your HD choice, install EasyBCD to Win7 to add XP which will give you a Windows Dual Boot menu at boot, and leave the System Boot files on each drive so they remain independently bootable.

 

[7932]

Guys you are my only hope to solve this (self inflicted) problem. I have checked various posts, tried few solutions but nothing works. About year ago, following this tutorial I had installed Win7 Ultimate along with already installed WinXP Pro and everything was working ok until I started messing up with disk managment. I must have set partition with Win 7 to active and of course could not longer boot with NTLDR is Missing error message. Being total moron instead of going for recovery I decided to format partition with Win XP and reinstall it.BIG MISTAKE. With great difficulties managed to install EasyBCD but on start up Windows boots straight into Windows XP. Did try various combination with EasyBCD only to get all sorts of non start errors -so far reinstalled XP 4 times and no luck. If anyone could pls help me to get back to dual boot so I can have Win7 running again.

Your help will be greatly appreciated

 

[gregrocker]

Mark Partition Active the Win7 100mb System Reserved boot partition (preferred if you have it) or Win7 partition.

Run Startup Repair - Run up to 3 Separate Times.

If it hasn't been too messed up then it should start Win7 and add XP to the Boot Menu. If not add XP using EasyBCD from Win7.

If Win7 won't start with SysReserved marked Active, move the Active flag to C to try repairs again.

If that fails, use Easy BCD from XP to transfer the System boot to Win7: Bootmgr - Move to C:\ with EasyBCD - Windows 7 Help Forums. But this may not rewrite the Repair My Computer link to F8 Advanced Boot Options, so if not run Startup Repair a few times until the link appears.

 

[thel0st]

Hi.
First post on here

I tried the tutorial stated, but I can't boot Win XP.

Firstly, I had Win7 Ult x64 installed. (C
I then used a WinXP installation disk to boot from it and install it on another drive. (D
After Windows XP install, when it reboots for the last time to get into Windows XP itself (and not the installation process screens)
it keeps restarting the computer.
For a split second I see the choice of TWO Windows XPs, in a black screen bootloader,
then for another split second a BSOD, then the computer reboots. (repeats over and over)

I then proceeded to use my Win 7 CD to boot, then go to command prompt and fix the booting issue via command prompt as stated in the tutorial.

I boot into Windows 7, use Easy BCD 2.2, Add New entry.
When I first did this, it directed the bootloader path to C:\
which didn't work.

So I manually switched it to D:\ , the drive Winxp was installed in.

Now when I boot, I do get the bootloader menu between Win 7 and Win XP.

However, when I select Windows XP, I get the error 0xc000000f
stating that the bootloader path \NST\easyldr2 is missing of corrupt, and I cannot boot Win XP.


Any ideas why I can't boot into Win XP?



Oh, FYI
my main reason for the dual boot is to play some DRM video and music files I got from way back.
Win7 and WMP seems to have an inherent problem where after a certain amount of plays,
you have to restart the damn computer to play any more files....

 

[Hackmaster231]

Thank you so much this was a easy to follow guide

 

[gregrocker]

Hi.
First post on here

I tried the tutorial stated, but I can't boot Win XP.

Firstly, I had Win7 Ult x64 installed. (C
I then used a WinXP installation disk to boot from it and install it on another drive. (D
After Windows XP install, when it reboots for the last time to get into Windows XP itself (and not the installation process screens)
it keeps restarting the computer.
For a split second I see the choice of TWO Windows XPs, in a black screen bootloader,
then for another split second a BSOD, then the computer reboots. (repeats over and over)

I then proceeded to use my Win 7 CD to boot, then go to command prompt and fix the booting issue via command prompt as stated in the tutorial.

I boot into Windows 7, use Easy BCD 2.2, Add New entry.
When I first did this, it directed the bootloader path to C:\
which didn't work.

So I manually switched it to D:\ , the drive Winxp was installed in.

Now when I boot, I do get the bootloader menu between Win 7 and Win XP.

However, when I select Windows XP, I get the error 0xc000000f
stating that the bootloader path \NST\easyldr2 is missing of corrupt, and I cannot boot Win XP.


Any ideas why I can't boot into Win XP?



Oh, FYI
my main reason for the dual boot is to play some DRM video and music files I got from way back.
Win7 and WMP seems to have an inherent problem where after a certain amount of plays,
you have to restart the damn computer to play any more files....

Since XP never started we can assume it never started correctly. You can boot into the disk to run bootrec /fixboot and bootrec /fixmbr to see if it can be started the old fashioned way, but there is much complication Dual Booting XP so it may be permanently fouled.

Do you have a UEFI BIOS vs. Legacy BIOS - YouTube ? XP does not support UEFI although we've seen it installed to UEFI once here.

You can try running Win7 Startup Repair to see if it will sort the Dual Boot for you. You can also try deleting the XP listing in EasyBCD and then adding it back. You can try to reinstall while doing a full format of the XP partition to see if that helps.

What I would do is virtualize XP from within Win7 which is much less work, using freeware like VirtualBox, VMWare, or XP Mode available in Ultimate.

 

[agudon2k1]

I just want to say thank you very much for this thread because I have finally successfully installed a dual boot Windows XP and Windows 7 on my laptop.
And I want to say I am very sorry for the very late thank you and my last post for help was this:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/8057-dual-boot-installation-windows-7-xp-200.html#post2471207

 

[President Kush]

Back again, with more problems . So I installed the dual boot using method 2 of this tutorial (7 installed first) Everything was working fine. I had to do a fresh install of 7 only. I re-installed 7 and it booted up the first time and is working fine, like new again. However, Now when I try to boot into XP I get a black screen that says windows failed to start.
file: \NST\ntldr
status: 0xc000000f
Any idea how to fix this so XP will boot again? Thanks.

 

[Brink]

Hello Kush, and welcome to Seven Forums.

When you reinstalled Windows 7, it removed or corrupted the boot manager for XP. See if doing step 6 in OPTION TWO for now may be able to help.

If not, then open a command prompt, type bcdedit, press Enter, and post back with a screenshot showing all of the results to see if it may show the problem.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html

 

[President Kush]

Even though it says to do step 6 in option 2 says when 7 doesn't load (in my case 7 loads fine, but XP does not) I thought it wouldn't hurt to try it. I already did that before I asked the question and unfortunately it didn't fix it.

Here is a Screenshot. Thanks for the help.

 

[Brink]

In that case try step 8 on in OPTION TWO to add XP to the MBR.

 

[President Kush]

Thank you Brink. Got it working. Weird thing is, it was already showing up in easybcd, as well as in windows boot manager upon turning on PC. I first deleted the other 2 in easybcd, then proceeded to re-add XP and then it booted up fine.