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

 

[SIW2]

Assuming you don't want to switch bios boot order to boot into one or the other, just follow the tutorial.

I have seen a lot about dual booting Win XP and Windows 7 on a single drive but nothing for dual booting the same on 2 HDD's (XP on disk-0 and Win 7 disk-1 ). Is any info on this set-up available?
Thanks,
Stash

 

[RADITZ]

hello
i'm new member here

i'm planning to do dual win 7 and XP
with win 7 installed first on drive C
and win xp will be on drive H (primary partition)

i already read the tutorial and its really help me so much
but theres 1 question on this section :

To stop XP from deleting your Windows 7 System Restore Points everytime XP is started

This one needs to be done inside Win 7 or inside XP?
If that must done inside Win 7, so i disabled my Win 7 system restore, right?
Is it okay with that?
If then i updated my win 7, will win 7 automatically "reset" the system restore back ON?

Thats it.
Need some help here.

Thank you.
Big regards.

 

[Brink]

Hello Raditz, and welcome to Seven Forums.

System Restore Points - Stop XP Dual Boot Delete - Vista Forums

This would need to be done within XP to hide Windows 7 from XP. There's no need to do anything in Windows 7.

 

[RADITZ]

Hello Raditz, and welcome to Seven Forums.

System Restore Points - Stop XP Dual Boot Delete - Vista Forums

This would need to be done within XP to hide Windows 7 from XP. There's no need to do anything in Windows 7.

Hello Brink

Thanks for the answers
Yes, i already understand the step Hide Win 7 from XP above.

On your tutorial, inside WARNING red box, on this line :

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.

See..
You put 2 links there.

I already understand the second link that i must hide Win 7 drive from XP.

But the first link, System Protection - Turn On or Off, should i must it do too?
Because its must be done in Win 7, just like you wrote on the tutorial on first link.
Or all i need to do is just the second link that is hide Win 7 drive from XP only?

Thank you.
Big regards.

 

[Brink]

Raditz,

That was just for reference on how how to turn system protection on or off in Windows 7. That's all. You would need it turned on (it is by default) in Windows 7 to have restore points though.

You would just need to do the second link in XP.

 

[RADITZ]

Raditz,

That was just for reference on how how to turn system protection on or off in Windows 7. That's all. You would need it turned on (it is by default) in Windows 7 to have restore points though.

You would just need to do the second link in XP.

ah yes..
got it now

I'll install XP asap.

Thanks for helping me Brink
Big regards.

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Raditz.

 

[RADITZ]

Hello Brink

I can't boot into my XP.

The boot manager works fine, show 2 items WIn 7 and XP.
I can smoothly boot into Win 7.
But when i tried to choose XP, heres what i get :

Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware configurations problem.
Could not read from the selected boot disk.
Check boot path and disk hardware.
Please check the Windows documentation about hardware disk configuration and your hardware reference manuals for additional informations.

Let me describe what i've done :

I have 3 hardisk on my PC :

1. Hardisk 1, With 4 partitions : C, D, E, F. C is primary, set active for win 7 and D,E,F as logical partition. And also 100 MB System Reserved partition on this disk.
2. Hardisk 2, With 2 partition : G is primary, set active, from my old PC, not yet re-formatted, so its still marked active. And 1 unallocated space (shrinked from G, for my XP drive)
3. Hardisk 3, With 1 partition : primary but not marked active.

Then i installed XP.
Finished.
Log on to XP, fine.
Open Windows Explorer, i saw my 100 MB System Reserved partition become drive C. And the other drive letters are mess up, not like on Win 7.
And my XP drive became drive K.
So, i arranged them as its like on Win 7, except the 100 MB System Reserved partition still on C.
Others drive arranged successfully, and then set my Win 7 drive hidden from XP, as on your tutorial.
But i can't change XP drive (letter K:\) theres a pop up warning.

Then apply EasyBCD tutorial.
Add XP there.
But on STEP 11, yes i have 100 MB System Reserved partition, so i did step 11.A. Because the 100 MB System Reserved partition already have drive letter C:\ so i left it that way. Beside that, i CAN'T change the Drive option on EasyBCD dropdown drive list. That option is disabled (unclickable). THen i choose Add Entry and Save.

Oh yes, i also turn off all of my drive System Restore ON XP except the drive that used for XP.

Then restart, choose XP boot.
And voillaaa...
That message above struck me hard.

I'm waiting for your help Brink.

THank you.
Big regards.

 

[Brink]

Raditz,

Try using EasyBCD in Windows 7 to double check and make sure that XP is listed correctly with it's drive letter.

 

[RADITZ]

Raditz,

Try using EasyBCD in Windows 7 to double check and make sure that XP is listed correctly with it's drive letter.

already done that
and edited the drive letter that XP is installed (on win 7)
and still get the same message

 

[SIW2]

Changing the drive letters from within XP probably didn't help.

Have you installed easybcd on XP ?

Is it Easybcd 1.7.2. or easybcd 2.0?

Post a screen shot of the Disk Management window from within 7.

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

 

[RADITZ]

Changing the drive letters from within XP probably didn't help.

Have you installed easybcd on XP ?

Is it Easybcd 1.7.2. or easybcd 2.0?

Post a screen shot of the Disk Management window from within 7.

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

Hi SIW2.

Yes i've installed EasyBCD on XP, then followed the tutorial, except for my System Reserved i didn't change it to S:\ drive because its already identified as C:\ within XP. So, i left it that way.

I use Easybcd 1.7.2

THis is my screenshot of Disk Management within Win 7 :

See above..
Drive K:\ (WinXP) is the one that i shrinked from G:\ within win 7, and just left it unallocated. Then boot up from XP disc and installed there. The problem is, i don't know why XP installation didn't make that drive K:\ as primary partition and set it active for booting OS.

Beside that, i boot up to Win 7 and installed EasyBCD.
Here is the screenshot within win 7 on View Settings tab :

Please see Entry #2
That is Win XP.
But the boot path and drive seems not really right for me. Or is it right?

Then i click Change Settings tab.
HEre is the screeenshot :

On Entry Base Setting i choose Microsoft Windows (that is the name for XP boot) and i saw there the drive boot is on C:\
Then i change it to drive K:\ as XP installed there.

Then i go back to View Settings tab :

See there..
My Entry #2 (win XP) boot drive already changed to drive K:\

THen i restarted it.

CHoose XP boot menu.
And....

THis is what i get :

Please help me..

Thank you.

 

[gregrocker]

Use EasyBCD 2.0 beta which is automated. It will add the boot critical files to Win7 active system partition.

View attachment 44957

Add a drive letter to 100mb Sys Active partition.

Use Add/Remove, first Remove XP, then Add it back click Add Entry, it will prompt to add boot files to Sys Active, agree then click Add Entry. When XP appears on list above, highlight and Save.

Report back.

 

[RADITZ]

Use EasyBCD 2.0 beta which is automated. It will add the boot critical files to Win7 active system partition.

View attachment 44957

Use Add/Remove, first Remove XP, then Add it back click Add Entry, it will prompt to add boot files, agree then click Add Entry. When XP appears on list above, highlight and Save.

Report back.

THis need to be done within win 7 right?

COnfirm the steps first :
1. Uninstall easybcd 1.7.2 within win 7
2. Install easybcd 2.0 beta
3. Add xp with boot files

Okay, i'll give it a try.

 

[RADITZ]

Use EasyBCD 2.0 beta which is automated. It will add the boot critical files to Win7 active system partition.

View attachment 44957

Use Add/Remove, first Remove XP, then Add it back click Add Entry, it will prompt to add boot files, agree then click Add Entry. When XP appears on list above, highlight and Save.

Report back.

already tried your step

i still get this black screen :

Also i changed drive letters on Change Settings tab into drive K:\ where XP installed, still get that same black screen.

 

[gregrocker]

Need to use Easy 2.0.

Assign a drive letter in Disk Management to the 100mb System Reserve partition which holds the System Active MBR.

Run Easy 2.0 which I uploaded in my prior post. Remove XP listing and then Add it again. It will automate the adding of boot files to lettered System Active partition when you click Add OS.

Then highlight the new XP listing above and Save.

 

[RADITZ]

Need to use Easy 2.0.

Assign a drive letter in Disk Management to the 100mb System Reserve partition which holds the System Active MBR.

Run Easy 2.0 which I uploaded in my prior post. Remove XP listing and then Add it again. It will automate the adding of boot files to lettered System Active partition when you click Add OS.

Then highlight the new XP listing above and Save.

So i need to "show" 100mb System Reserve partition by adding drive letter on it.
Okay.
I'll give it a try.

 

[RADITZ]

Need to use Easy 2.0.

Assign a drive letter in Disk Management to the 100mb System Reserve partition which holds the System Active MBR.

Run Easy 2.0 which I uploaded in my prior post. Remove XP listing and then Add it again. It will automate the adding of boot files to lettered System Active partition when you click Add OS.

Then highlight the new XP listing above and Save.

wow!!!
it works like charm!!!

THanks a lot greg..
You really really helps me out of this headache
thank you

 

[gregrocker]

Great. Good job there with the screenies and fast work.

Remember to post in the mainstream forums as this is a thread on a tutorial, not a Forum.

Happy New Year!

 

[RADITZ]

Great. Good job there with the screenies and fast work.

Remember to post in the mainstream forums as this is a mostly unread thread on a tutorial, not even a Forum.

Happy New Year!

yes i knew it greg
the reason i posted here is so the author of this tutorial can definitely read the problems that related with his/her tutorial. And i can get direct answers from the author themself.

Thank you.

Happy new year too..