Need Help w/ Dualbooting to an Older OS

[gregrocker]

What do you mean it fixed the MBR by installing Win7 on E drive, in addition to the install you say you want to keep on C?

Are you booted into the new install you did to E? If not how exactly did you fix it?

Please post back a screenshot of your maximized Disk Mgmt drive map and listings so we can see how it is now configured.

 

[SupermaNn]

This is what i did that started the MBR problem:

I hooked up a USB HDD, i tried to install xp to it. Halfway through the install, right after it restarted for the first time, it started to load xp, then gave me a bsod.

It wouldnt let me boot up XP, or Windows 7.

Tried my windows 7 CD and my recovery partition from acer to fix the startup, neither one had a startup repair option.

I put my Windows 7 CD into the CD drive and installed a new Windows 7 onto my E partition, after it installed, i never went into the new windows 7 because when i restarted it gave me a boot list with Earlier Version of Windows, Windows 7, Windows 7 x64 (i know my original W7 was x64 because i had named it that previously before all of this)

I clicked x64 and it worked.

I got onto the desktop and went to disk management, formatted the USB HDD with XP halfway installed on it.
I then formatted the partition E logical drive with the new windows 7 on it.
Marked the System Reserved partition as active, and the original C: x64 7 as active.

Deleted Earlier Version of Windows and Windows 7 on EasyBCD

Here is my new Disk Management Screenshot:

Everything works fine now, i can restart and it gives me a boot list with only Windows 7 x64. Thats why i went on to ask about windows 8 32 bit and its drivers. I think thats why I got a BSOD when installing XP, is because it didnt know anything about my drivers. I checked acer's website and drivers for my laptop (Acer Aspire 7551-7422) and all i could see was 64 bit drivers.

I can install Windows 8 or Windows Vista, if Vista would be better.

 

[gregrocker]

Any WIndows installer or Repair CD has Startup repair on it when you boot the disk. This is where you find it: System Recovery Options. I have now explained this several times to you but you still dont' seem to get it.

Your disk configuration is correct now. Why do you feel you need to install another OS?

Win7 contains almost all drivers you'd need, quickly updated via optional Updates. If you installed 32 bit which drivers were you having a problem finding? If they aren't on Acer's website they can usually be found by googling for them by device make and model. There is even a way to trace an Unknown missing driver device .

 

[SupermaNn]

I dont need help with the MBR now, my computer is back to where it was before all this started. When i used my windows 7 cd, it didnt have any option for startup repair. Idk why it just didnt.

The reason i need to install a different OS is because i have a piece of usb hardware that only has a 32 bit driver.

 

[gregrocker]

I did not offer to help you further with your MBR. I said it is fine. Did you miss that?

You are right on the border with 4gb of using 32 bit. I install 32 bit on all of my 4gb installs for several reasons. So if you want to try reinstalling 32 bit on your test partition I will help you find the drivers and get it set up to where you can compare for awhile and make a choice.

 

[SupermaNn]

You were giving me links on how to fix the startup, figured you thought i was still having trouble with that part. you said "i dont seem to get it" when you didnt seem to get i am past that part.
i also think you think i was on the new windows 7 install, when i said i was back on my original.

if i install windows 8 32 bit, it should have most of my drivers?
if i install windows vista 32 bit, it should have most of my drivers?

i havnt decided which one i want to install yet. do they all use the same boot mode? vista, 7, 8? i know xp and vista were different, i dont know if vista and 7 and 8 are different too

 

[gregrocker]

If you plan to keep a Dual Boot then I'd use Win8 since you won't need a second license for it as you would if you wanted to keep Win7 beyond a trial period to see if 32 bit works for you. We could then help you remove 64 bit if you wanted to keep 32 bit Win7.

Whichever you decide be sure to burn the ISO to DVD using ImgBurn at 4x speed, boot the DVD to install to the separate partition you create either beforehand or during install. It was not booting the DVD which must have caused you not to see Repair My Computer as shown in the tutorial I linked for you.

 

[SupermaNn]

Wow windows 8 is horrible. Took me 10 minutes just to figure out how to get to the desktop, i go to click the start button out of memory and its not there! so confusing, im going to delete it and install vista.

 

[townsbg]

Wow windows 8 is horrible. Took me 10 minutes just to figure out how to get to the desktop, i go to click the start button out of memory and its not there! so confusing, im going to delete it and install vista.

I agree.

 

[DavidE]

I tried Win 8 and found with Classic Shell (free) it's easier to use and learn.
With Classic Shell you can boot directly to the Win 8 Desktop with a Start button in the taskbar.

Welcome to Classic Shell

 

[townsbg]

Thanks for sharing.