Dual Boot Question- Vista to 7 32-bit

[DntMssWthTx]

Hello everyone,

I have read through the tutorial stickies and I might have an answer to my question but I'd like to make sure I've come to the correct conclusion before I break a computer.

Here is the situation (I'll try to cover all the details)-

My girlfriend has a laptop running Vista 32-bit. I want to add Win7 and dual-boot her laptop. I have the .ISO of an OEM copy of Win7 Ultimate.

I know that to dual-boot a system I'd have to create a partition (downloaded Partition Wizard as suggested by this sticky guide) to install Win7 to. The only issue I'm having is I don't know how an OEM install differs from other install versions/types. Would the OEM install delete everything in the hard drive?

I don't have many back-up solutions. I downloaded Macrium Reflect (sticky guide again) but am unsure of how well the free version will back-up documents and stuff since I have never used it before. I don't have any external storage media in a large enough size to be able to back up all her pics/music/docs etc.

I guess in short I want to know if I can dual-boot and install an OEM version of Win7 on a partition created by Partition Wizard.

Any help/comments are very much appreciated, thanks in advance.

 

[gregrocker]

Please post back a screenshot of your full Disk Management drive map with listings (maximize window first) using Snipping Tool in Start Menu, and we can advise you on best way to shrink to make a target partition: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/5166-dual-boot-installation-windows-7-vista.html

Keep in mind OEM version locks the OS to the first mobo installed upon and cannot migrate, so I would not activate while you try it first for up to 30 days to make absolutely sure you want to keep it on that machine.

If you decide you want it, then you can wipe the HD and clean reinstall since there is nothing worth keeping about Vista if you have Win7. But I would make the Recovery Disks first so you have a path back to factory condition if you ever want to sell or give away the machine.

 

[DntMssWthTx]

Please post back a screenshot of your full Disk Management drive map with listings (maximize window first) using Snipping Tool in Start Menu, and we can advise you on best way to shrink to make a target partition: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/5166-dual-boot-installation-windows-7-vista.html

Keep in mind OEM version locks the OS to the first mobo installed upon and cannot migrate, so I would not activate while you try it first for up to 30 days to make absolutely sure you want to keep it on that machine.

If you decide you want it, then you can wipe the HD and clean reinstall since there is nothing worth keeping about Vista if you have Win7. But I would make the Recovery Disks first so you have a path back to factory condition if you ever want to sell or give away the machine.

Hey Greg,

I'm at work at the moment so I can't take the screenshot right now. The laptop's hard drive is around 160GB.

It already "dual-boots" with Ubuntu but I can uninstall Ubuntu to free up space and clean up the Win7 installation a bit. What I mean by "dual-boots" is that I installed Ubuntu with an installer called Wubi that installs Ubuntu more like a program rather than another OS. When the installation is done Ubuntu can be booted into from the BIOS and it runs just like if I had installed it the "right way".

The guide that you linked to (which I viewed already) links to another site about how to create a partition from Vista without installing any other software so I'll do it that way instead, using the Shrink feature.

Another question, what do you mean when you say "OEM version locks the OS to the first mobo installed upon and cannot migrate"? Does it mean that when I activate it on my girlfriend's laptop I won't be able to install it in another computer?

Sorry about all the questions, but just 1 more!

How can I create Recovery Disks? Is it a utility that's already included in Vista? If I make a back-up using the Recovery Disks will all the documents etc. be saved onto the Recovery Disks? Let's say the Win7 install goes wrong and I need to restore her computer, would I be able to do it using the Recovery Disks or would I also need the Vista install CD? I'm pretty sure her PC already came with it installed.

I apologize if any of my above questions are redundant or needless, just trying to think about a possible solution in case the install doesn't work. If her documents were accidentally deleted in the process she would kill me!

 

[Mark Phelps]

Not to upstage Greg ... but, comments on your first post ...

Have used MR (both free and paid) for years and have found it to be extremely reliable. Only one problem I've run across, and this is only with Win7 SP1, is that if you have the MR boot option installed (which only comes with the paid version), SP1 balks about doing the upgrade. Have seen this on two very different PCs.

Also, the Wubi option, while it CAN install to a separate partition, does not by default do so. If you want an install that is native to its own filesystem (which I strongly recommend), you should avoid Wubi. But then, you have to live with the no-more-than-4-primary-partitions limit in doing so.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Hello DntMssWthTx, welcome to Seven Forums!


Here's a better option that puts Windows 7 on the first partition on the Hard Disk Drive.


Clean Install Windows 7 : Ahead of Vista

 

[gregrocker]

Yes, OEM will lock to the mobo on activation and not be able to migrate to any other except that mobo.

There should be a listing in All Programs for your manufacturer's Recovery to make the Recovery Disks. If not google the make + make recovery disks to find out how, or go to the Support Downloads webpage for your computer model to read the Manual and check Win7 driver availability.

 

[DntMssWthTx]

Thanks again everyone for all the replies.

Not to upstage Greg ... but, comments on your first post ...

Have used MR (both free and paid) for years and have found it to be extremely reliable. Only one problem I've run across, and this is only with Win7 SP1, is that if you have the MR boot option installed (which only comes with the paid version), SP1 balks about doing the upgrade. Have seen this on two very different PCs.

Also, the Wubi option, while it CAN install to a separate partition, does not by default do so. If you want an install that is native to its own filesystem (which I strongly recommend), you should avoid Wubi. But then, you have to live with the no-more-than-4-primary-partitions limit in doing so.

Thanks for the knowledge on MR. Yep, the Wubi installer is more for convenience than anything. I like Ubuntu a lot but I usually just use it when something in Windows is broken or I'm in the mood to keep tweaking Ubuntu to my liking.

Hello DntMssWthTx, welcome to Seven Forums!


Here's a better option that puts Windows 7 on the first partition on the Hard Disk Drive.


Clean Install Windows 7 : Ahead of Vista

Thanks for the link I hadn't seen it before. I read through the article and I understood everything pretty well already. I burned a Partition Wizard Boot CD so I should be able to get started on upgrading her laptop today but I want to wait till this weekend when I'll have more time to do it all at once.

Yes, OEM will lock to the mobo on activation and not be able to migrate to any other except that mobo.

There should be a listing in All Programs for your manufacturer's Recovery to make the Recovery Disks. If not google the make + make recovery disks to find out how, or go to the Support Downloads webpage for your computer model to read the Manual and check Win7 driver availability.

Gotcha. I'll look around in the installed programs and burn the recovery disks using either that utility or Macrium Reflect. Any kind of recording media in specific? I have a 100-pack of regular 700MB CD-Rs laying around, will those do?

 

[gregrocker]

DVD's are best since it will be a large image.

If you go with imaging you can use an external or another HD.

Depends on how badly you want to save the factory image. Many tech enthusiasts jettison the factory bloatware and utilities to clean reinstall with a Win7 installer for their version, which finished image they then use as a backup image supplanting the need for Recovery Partition or the disks. But best to make them anyway just in case.

Here are tips for getting a purrfect clean reinstall of factory OEM if/when you're interested: http://www.sevenforums.com/installation-setup/125874-re-install-windows-7-a.html#post1086729