trying to dual boot with XP

[NotSoYoung]

Hi,
I have two 320GB internal hard drives. One has nothing on it, i cleared it (supposedly) to install XP in a dual boot config. I cannot get XP to install. I have run the WD tools and checked the drive, it is reportedly working fine. However, below is a screen shot from my windows 7 environment. Note the F drive partition says 298GB yet the Properties page shows 150 free and 170 Used but there are no other drive letters visible.

Tried disconnecting all drives and installing just the "F" drive (jumpered and cabled correctly to be C) and still could not do a clean install of XP on a system with no other hard drives.

I did install and then uninstall Windows XP mode (uninstalled Virtual machine too) could it be a hang over from that?

I'm stumped. Been out of the tech side of PC's for too long... Any and all help greatly appreciated.



Thanks

 

[seekermeister]

Try removing the partition altogether in Windows 7, and then creating a new partition during the installation of XP, with the Windows 7 and External drives disconnected.

EDIT: Remember that you will need the motherboard's SATA driver during the XP installation also.

 

[IownAmoneyPit]

Here is one of Brink's tutorials to further aid in your quest to dual boot XP and Windows 7 - Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and XP

 

[theog]

First check for all the Win XP drivers for your hardware on the manufacturer's web site.
If your Win XP CD, does not support your Sata Controller, you will need to load drivers to uses at F6.
Load Sata Controller drivers with a floppy disk is the best way.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/66010-sata-drivers-load-windows-xp-setup-dual-boot.html
OR
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/72185-sata-drivers-slipstream-into-windows-xp-cd.html

 

[gregrocker]

As mentioned you'll want to unplug other HD's during install, then after install boot via the BIOS as follows:

Set preferred HD as first to boot in BIOS setup: How to Boot your Computer

Then boot the other HD by tapping the key given on BIOS splash screen for one-time BIOS Boot Menu:
Asus - F8
HP/Compaq - Esc
Sony - F2
Acer - F12
Gateway - F10
eMachnes - F10
Toshiba - F12
Dell - F12
IBM/Lenovo - the blue Thinkvantage button

 

[WolfSoul]

I gave up on dual with XP.. Xp's too much trouble when you have AHCI enabled
And my guess that might be the issue here... are drives set to IDE or AHCI in BIOS?

 

[fafhrd]

I have taken to getting rid of AHCI instead on ordinary business machines with legacy requirements for XP - Intel's Win7 chipset drivers for SATA seem to be buggy and resource hungry, and the roughly 10 -12% improvement in raw data transfer rates is barely noticeable with Windows anyway.

When everybody is on Win7-64 and SATA2 is the norm, it will be different.

I'd rather have a cool processor and slightly slower transfer rates than an overheating, unstable system, with short drive lifetimes.

 

[theog]

I have taken to getting rid of AHCI instead on ordinary business machines with legacy requirements for XP - Intel's Win7 chipset drivers for SATA seem to be buggy and resource hungry, and the roughly 10 -12% improvement in raw data transfer rates is barely noticeable with Windows anyway.

When everybody is on Win7-64 and SATA2 is the norm, it will be different.

I'd rather have a cool processor and slightly slower transfer rates than an overheating, unstable system, with short drive lifetimes.

True, but best to set BIOS to Default.

Scenario
1) Set BIOS from AHCI to IDE.
2) CMOS battery goes flat.
3) Replace battery.
4) BIOS will reset to AHCI.
5) Windows will not boot.

 

[fafhrd]

Hi Theog - thanks for that, but it's outside my experience - I've never had a CMOS battery failure (I still have a 1995 Toshiba Satellite Pro 400CDT running windows 98, that I fire up now and again, but they must have made things better in those days )

 

[NotSoYoung]

Try removing the partition altogether in Windows 7, and then creating a new partition during the installation of XP, with the Windows 7 and External drives disconnected.

EDIT: Remember that you will need the motherboard's SATA driver during the XP installation also.

Seek,
Thanks for the suggestion. Drives are PATA (machine fairly old). The drive is stand alone. Basically what you suggest is what I did. The drive was fully formatted (tried QF first that failed) during the XP installation when it was the only drive. No boot Record as far as I could tell, it wouldn't boot.

Oh yes... the XP format only formatted the first 157Gb. Weirder and weirder.

So I'm still clueless.
Thanks



UPDATE: (Success)

Per the suggestion I deleted the volume in Windows 7. Re-cabled and ran the system without a formated hard drive at all, just the "empty" one. Ran the manufacturers installation disk (XP SP1A) not my Windows XP upgrade installation disk that I used before. This time the drive was fully formatted and XP went in without a hitch. All is good.

Thanks to those who offered help and suggestions.

 

[fafhrd]

Have you a third party partition utility? There seems to be some problem with the partition tables.

I use Easus Partition Master free http://www.easeus.com/, the recommended utility here on Sevenforums is Partition Wizard, I think: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/150576-partitions-view-hidden-partitions.html?ltr=P

Remove the partitions completely, and repair any corruption. Then let XP install to an unallocated disk partition as an XP System partition, say the first 50GB. You can make a data partition later, or expand the partition as you please.

 

[gregrocker]

Using Partition Wizard you can check the file system on the HD, then do a HD surface scan with repair checked.

Create and format an NTFS partition, then mark it Active, try install with other HD's unplugged.

We need to know the exact error or fail message or point where it happens.