Duel boot Win 7 and XP 2 hard drives

klayymann

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I know at this point it's tricky and i should have done it before installing Windows 7 however...
My new physical primary drive now has Windows 7 pro running exclusively the whole partition (c:)
I'd like to add the drive that had XP pro running on the same PC.
i'd like to get this running as a duel boot without corrupting the XP drive.
i know i gotta run the Win 7 startup DVD but what from there??

Thank for a reply
Klay
 

My Computer My Computer

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win 64 pro
OS
win 64 pro

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Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64-BitIntel Core i7 870 @ 2.93GHz8Gb Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 664MHznVidia GeForce GTX 460 1024MB dedicated RAM
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HP Pavilion Elite 495UK
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Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64-Bit
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Plug in the XP HD and boot it using the one-time BIOS Boot Menu key. If it was previously running on the same PC then it will not require an XP Repair Install to adjust to new hardware.

Keep Win7 as first HD to boot in BIOS setup so it will start up by default unless you invoke the one-time BIOS Boot Menu key to interrupt it to boot XP HD.

This keeps the HD's independent to come and go as you please, whereas adding XP to create a Windows Dual Boot Menu using EasyBCD from Win7 will interlock them.

If you want both OS's on the same HD then post back clarification for different instructions.
 
Hello klayymann, welcome to Seven Forums!



I too would use the one-time boot menu to select which OS/HDD to boot/start at PC startup, don't use the Windows managed dual boot, do as Greg has suggested; if you'll list the motherboard manufacturer, we'll help you find the correct F-key to use.
 

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W 7 64-bit UltimateIntel Q9550 Yorkfield8GB Dominator 8500C5DATI : XFX 5870
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
* BFK Customs *
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W 7 64-bit Ultimate
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Intel Q9550 Yorkfield
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ASUS P5Q Pro
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8GB Dominator 8500C5D
Graphics Card(s)
ATI : XFX 5870
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Realtek HD Audio 7-1
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1x 47" LCD HDMI & 3x 26" LCD HDMI
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1920x1080P & 1920x1200
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1x 80GB Intel X25-M G2 SSD : 1x 500GB & 1x 640GB WD Caviar Black(s)
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Corsair 620HX
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Cooler Master RC-690
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Thanks

i took the easy route as suggested and just let the BIOS make the decision, maybe i'll tie them down the road!

Thanks for the posts!
Klay
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

win 64 pro
OS
win 64 pro
It is much less trouble to use the BIOS to select the OS/HDD to boot.

Glad we could help and thanks for the update.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

W 7 64-bit UltimateIntel Q9550 Yorkfield8GB Dominator 8500C5DATI : XFX 5870
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
* BFK Customs *
OS
W 7 64-bit Ultimate
CPU
Intel Q9550 Yorkfield
Motherboard
ASUS P5Q Pro
Memory
8GB Dominator 8500C5D
Graphics Card(s)
ATI : XFX 5870
Sound Card
Realtek HD Audio 7-1
Monitor(s) Displays
1x 47" LCD HDMI & 3x 26" LCD HDMI
Screen Resolution
1920x1080P & 1920x1200
Hard Drives
1x 80GB Intel X25-M G2 SSD : 1x 500GB & 1x 640GB WD Caviar Black(s)
PSU
Corsair 620HX
Case
Cooler Master RC-690
Cooling
Tuniq Tower 120, 2x 140mm and 3x 120mm case fans
Keyboard
Microsoft 500
Mouse
Razer Diamondback 3G
Internet Speed
14 Mb/s
Other Info
1x Koutech 3Gb/s SATA HDD Hot Swap Rack
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