Windows 7 + Vista Advice needed please

liam72

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Helo.... i had Vista on a 500gb drive and i bought a 1tb+ widows 7 +extra ram. But i forgot to buy a splitter to power the new drive :o I really wanted to install windows7 the day i bought it so i removed the drive with vista and installed windows7 on the new 1tb. The pc now boots at warp speed and sees all the ram:D
I now have the splitter so i can put the drive with vista back in but i dont know what to expect when i first boot and how to delete vista. Will the pc boot windows 7 even tho the slave has vista installed? or can i just put the drive with vista in then try deleting vista? if you can delete vista easily?? I have various applications on the vista drive which i would like to keep without having to reinstall them but its not the end of the world if i have to.Also would i benefit from partitioning the 1tb that has windows7 and can that be done with win7 already installed?
Any advice you can give me would be really appreciated:)
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HOME BUILT
OS
windows 7
CPU
Q6600
Motherboard
ASUS P5Q PRO TURBO
Memory
6g 800MHZ 240PIN DDR2 PC6400
Graphics Card(s)
GEFORCE 8800 GT 512MB
Sound Card
ONBOARD
Monitor(s) Displays
37 INCH 1280X720
Hard Drives
1XCAVIAR 500GB
1XWD 500GB
1XWD320GB
1XSAMSUNG 1TB ALL DRIVES SATA11
PSU
UNKNOWN
Case
TSUNAMI DREAM
Cooling
UNKNOWN
Internet Speed
20meg fibre optic
Other Info
1TB WD external hard drive
1x320gb Seagate external hard drive
You can install the old drive. Since you are currently booting from the new drive the machine will still boot from that drive as long as you don't change the boot order in the BIOS.

The best way to remove Vista from that drive would be to format it. It's not practical to recover the installed applications, especially since they've been installed to work with Vista. If you have any data (pics, vids, docs, etc...) you should copy it to the new drive before formatting the old. You will want to reinstall your apps in Win 7.

Another possibility is to use both drives to boot either Win 7 or Vista by changing the boot order in the BIOS.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Home Built desktop, Dell G15 5511 Gaming laptop,MS Surface Pro 7 tablet
OS
W10 Pro desktop, W11 laptop, W11 Pro tablet (all 64-bit)
CPU
3.7Ghz 8700K i7, i7-11800H, i7-1065G7
Motherboard
ASUS TUF Z370-Pro Gaming in desktop
Memory
16G desktop, 16G laptop, 4G tablet
Graphics Card(s)
AMD Radeon RX580, RTX 3060, Intel Iris Plus
Sound Card
High Definition Audio (Built-in to mobo)
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung U32J59 32" (2x), 15.6", 12"
Screen Resolution
3840x2160, 3840x2160, 1920x1080, 2160x1440
Hard Drives
500G SSD for OS; 2T, 10T & 15T HDDs for Data on Desktop, 1TB SSD laptop, 128G SSD tablet.
PSU
Corsair CX 750M
Case
Antec 100
Cooling
CM 212+
Keyboard
IBM Model M - used continuously since 1986
Mouse
Microsoft Pro IntelliMouse
Internet Speed
400M down 8M up
Antivirus
Windows Defender
Browser
FireFox
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Built my first computer (8Mhz 8088cpu, 640K RAM, 20MB HDD, 2 360K floppy drives) in 1985 and have been building them for myself, relatives and friends ever since.
This is how I would do it

Plug in the Vista drive as a 2nd device, just like "strollin" said...
as long as you don't change the boot order in the BIOS.
win 7 should boot w/o a problem.

Once you are on the Win 7 desktop, I would proceed to Re-format the Vista drive.

+1 on NOT trying to save the Applications, just make sure you backup any Documents, Pictures, Saved Games so you don't loose those and they can now be on your new Win 7 drive.

Once the drive is formatted, you can now use it as a back up or whatever, even though, with a 1TB drive, I just can't see why you would bother having another drive in the PC but hey... to each his own, right? ;)
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Built... Intel/Nvidia/ASRock
OS
Windows 7 x64 (Ultimate)
CPU
Intel i5-4670K
Motherboard
ASRock Z87 Extreme 6
Memory
8GBs Ripjaws 2133Mhz
Graphics Card(s)
Asus GTX660 (2GBs)
Sound Card
Onboard Realtek HD
Monitor(s) Displays
Acer AL2216W
Screen Resolution
1680 x 1050
Hard Drives
Samsung 840 SSD 120GBs
Samsung 750GB 32MB cache
1.5 TB
PSU
PC Cooling 750w Silencer
Case
Thermaltake Spedo Advance
Cooling
Std Cooler
Keyboard
Logitech G15
Mouse
Logitech G9
Internet Speed
Comcast 20Mbit
Antivirus
Avast
Browser
Firefox
Thankyou:)
I have never had to format but i presume its easy. I have loads of vids of my kids on that drive and tons of music/media which i shall move first. Should i partition the new drive or is there no benefit to doing so?
Thanks for any replies
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HOME BUILT
OS
windows 7
CPU
Q6600
Motherboard
ASUS P5Q PRO TURBO
Memory
6g 800MHZ 240PIN DDR2 PC6400
Graphics Card(s)
GEFORCE 8800 GT 512MB
Sound Card
ONBOARD
Monitor(s) Displays
37 INCH 1280X720
Hard Drives
1XCAVIAR 500GB
1XWD 500GB
1XWD320GB
1XSAMSUNG 1TB ALL DRIVES SATA11
PSU
UNKNOWN
Case
TSUNAMI DREAM
Cooling
UNKNOWN
Internet Speed
20meg fibre optic
Other Info
1TB WD external hard drive
1x320gb Seagate external hard drive

My Computer

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
This is how I would do it

I just can't see why you would bother having another drive in the PC but hey... to each his own, right? ;)

:) There was a time when i thought 500gb would last me forever but i bought the 1tb because the 3 other drives totaling 1.3tb are nearly full:o so the new 1tb will only last so long. I am always making hi-def vids of the kids (every day) and have tons of HQ music/blu-ray which all seems to consume lots of gb. I have all my dvd/vhs home vids going back to 1989 on the pc and am thinking how to get round the "i only have space for 4 drives in the pc problem" ...New bigger case i suppose:(
Thanks for replies:)
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HOME BUILT
OS
windows 7
CPU
Q6600
Motherboard
ASUS P5Q PRO TURBO
Memory
6g 800MHZ 240PIN DDR2 PC6400
Graphics Card(s)
GEFORCE 8800 GT 512MB
Sound Card
ONBOARD
Monitor(s) Displays
37 INCH 1280X720
Hard Drives
1XCAVIAR 500GB
1XWD 500GB
1XWD320GB
1XSAMSUNG 1TB ALL DRIVES SATA11
PSU
UNKNOWN
Case
TSUNAMI DREAM
Cooling
UNKNOWN
Internet Speed
20meg fibre optic
Other Info
1TB WD external hard drive
1x320gb Seagate external hard drive

My Computer

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

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HOME BUILT
OS
windows 7
CPU
Q6600
Motherboard
ASUS P5Q PRO TURBO
Memory
6g 800MHZ 240PIN DDR2 PC6400
Graphics Card(s)
GEFORCE 8800 GT 512MB
Sound Card
ONBOARD
Monitor(s) Displays
37 INCH 1280X720
Hard Drives
1XCAVIAR 500GB
1XWD 500GB
1XWD320GB
1XSAMSUNG 1TB ALL DRIVES SATA11
PSU
UNKNOWN
Case
TSUNAMI DREAM
Cooling
UNKNOWN
Internet Speed
20meg fibre optic
Other Info
1TB WD external hard drive
1x320gb Seagate external hard drive
You're welcome, did you see my post #5 above?
 

My Computer

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

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HOME BUILT
OS
windows 7
CPU
Q6600
Motherboard
ASUS P5Q PRO TURBO
Memory
6g 800MHZ 240PIN DDR2 PC6400
Graphics Card(s)
GEFORCE 8800 GT 512MB
Sound Card
ONBOARD
Monitor(s) Displays
37 INCH 1280X720
Hard Drives
1XCAVIAR 500GB
1XWD 500GB
1XWD320GB
1XSAMSUNG 1TB ALL DRIVES SATA11
PSU
UNKNOWN
Case
TSUNAMI DREAM
Cooling
UNKNOWN
Internet Speed
20meg fibre optic
Other Info
1TB WD external hard drive
1x320gb Seagate external hard drive
I think i need a good nights sleep before i can get my head round some of that:o
I am a vehicle engineer so i understand engines but i have a lot to learn about computers, im sure i will get there in the end..well i hope. At least hard drives are cheap now 1tb for £40:)
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HOME BUILT
OS
windows 7
CPU
Q6600
Motherboard
ASUS P5Q PRO TURBO
Memory
6g 800MHZ 240PIN DDR2 PC6400
Graphics Card(s)
GEFORCE 8800 GT 512MB
Sound Card
ONBOARD
Monitor(s) Displays
37 INCH 1280X720
Hard Drives
1XCAVIAR 500GB
1XWD 500GB
1XWD320GB
1XSAMSUNG 1TB ALL DRIVES SATA11
PSU
UNKNOWN
Case
TSUNAMI DREAM
Cooling
UNKNOWN
Internet Speed
20meg fibre optic
Other Info
1TB WD external hard drive
1x320gb Seagate external hard drive
1. It may not be such a bad idea to keep Vista around for a while. You can always load it by changing the boot sequence in the BIOS (very easy). This may be handy to run some of your Vista applications in the future that you do not want to reinstall in Win7
2. As long as you have Vista, you can include all your Vista user folders (documents, pictures, music, etc.) into the Win7 Libraries. Just open your Vista partition from windows7 (Start > Computer > double click on the Vista partition/drive > Users > Your Name > right click on the folder(s) that you want to include into the Win7 Library > Include into library).
3. later, when you really want to get rid of Vista. I suggest to create a seperate data partition for all your user files were you can consolidate all your data. In fact you can do that at any time starting by moving the Vista folders to this data partition.

If you have questions, let us know.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP, Dell, Gateway, Toshiba - 4 laptops and 2 desktops
OS
Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
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from 1.6GHz Duo to i7
Monitor(s) Displays
2x HP w2207
Hard Drives
5x HDD, 7x SSD, 12x Externals
Keyboard
with trackball - no mices
Mouse
Trackball mice
Internet Speed
DSL 6000
Thanks:)
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HOME BUILT
OS
windows 7
CPU
Q6600
Motherboard
ASUS P5Q PRO TURBO
Memory
6g 800MHZ 240PIN DDR2 PC6400
Graphics Card(s)
GEFORCE 8800 GT 512MB
Sound Card
ONBOARD
Monitor(s) Displays
37 INCH 1280X720
Hard Drives
1XCAVIAR 500GB
1XWD 500GB
1XWD320GB
1XSAMSUNG 1TB ALL DRIVES SATA11
PSU
UNKNOWN
Case
TSUNAMI DREAM
Cooling
UNKNOWN
Internet Speed
20meg fibre optic
Other Info
1TB WD external hard drive
1x320gb Seagate external hard drive
You do not need to change the boot order in BIOS boot order to boot Vista once you plug it back in. Instead use the one-time BIOS Boot Menu key which every computer has - look on the first boot screen or in your mobo manual.

So if you want to boot Vista instead of Win7, tap the key for BIOS boot Menu as the computer starts up and choose it's HD to boot.
 
Thats handy...i have only been in bios for emergencys:o
I will keep vista like that for the time being if it doesnt cause confliction at least until i get more spare time to learn how it all works...Thankyou
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HOME BUILT
OS
windows 7
CPU
Q6600
Motherboard
ASUS P5Q PRO TURBO
Memory
6g 800MHZ 240PIN DDR2 PC6400
Graphics Card(s)
GEFORCE 8800 GT 512MB
Sound Card
ONBOARD
Monitor(s) Displays
37 INCH 1280X720
Hard Drives
1XCAVIAR 500GB
1XWD 500GB
1XWD320GB
1XSAMSUNG 1TB ALL DRIVES SATA11
PSU
UNKNOWN
Case
TSUNAMI DREAM
Cooling
UNKNOWN
Internet Speed
20meg fibre optic
Other Info
1TB WD external hard drive
1x320gb Seagate external hard drive
You can also browse to Vista from Win7. You may need to resolve permission errors to transfer files over. Someone here will be able to help you with that, no prob. Or post a new topic in General with exact issue in title.
 
Thankyou:)
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HOME BUILT
OS
windows 7
CPU
Q6600
Motherboard
ASUS P5Q PRO TURBO
Memory
6g 800MHZ 240PIN DDR2 PC6400
Graphics Card(s)
GEFORCE 8800 GT 512MB
Sound Card
ONBOARD
Monitor(s) Displays
37 INCH 1280X720
Hard Drives
1XCAVIAR 500GB
1XWD 500GB
1XWD320GB
1XSAMSUNG 1TB ALL DRIVES SATA11
PSU
UNKNOWN
Case
TSUNAMI DREAM
Cooling
UNKNOWN
Internet Speed
20meg fibre optic
Other Info
1TB WD external hard drive
1x320gb Seagate external hard drive
I have discovered that the graphics card is in the way so i wont be able to have all 4 drives in so i will buy a caddy and make an external drive leaving the vista drive in the pc. Got it to boot with Vista with the f8 key after 2nd attempt because the only motherboard manual i seem to have doesnt have english so i could not use the bios boot key on keyboard, i got no joy with google:( I didnt save settings so i presume next boot will be win7 by default. I had full control and all video played fine so i am happy:D It would be a lot easier for me if i knew which key is the BIOS BOOT menu key and would be grateful if anyone could point me in the right direction.

Many thanks for all the advice you have given me...Alan :)
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HOME BUILT
OS
windows 7
CPU
Q6600
Motherboard
ASUS P5Q PRO TURBO
Memory
6g 800MHZ 240PIN DDR2 PC6400
Graphics Card(s)
GEFORCE 8800 GT 512MB
Sound Card
ONBOARD
Monitor(s) Displays
37 INCH 1280X720
Hard Drives
1XCAVIAR 500GB
1XWD 500GB
1XWD320GB
1XSAMSUNG 1TB ALL DRIVES SATA11
PSU
UNKNOWN
Case
TSUNAMI DREAM
Cooling
UNKNOWN
Internet Speed
20meg fibre optic
Other Info
1TB WD external hard drive
1x320gb Seagate external hard drive
Hello Alan.





If you post the make/model of the mobo I'm sure someone will try to help you; if you're not sure use this little app to find it, it'll show you everything about your system and can even be installed and run from a USB stick for portability


SIW - System Information for Windows
 

My Computer

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
Thanks...i feel like i need to be an octopus sometimes:rolleyes: i have 7 explorer windows open right now with all sorts of things i have to research today including spec details for my car,tropical fish info, etc,etc
motherrboard is Asus p5q pro turbo
regards Alan
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HOME BUILT
OS
windows 7
CPU
Q6600
Motherboard
ASUS P5Q PRO TURBO
Memory
6g 800MHZ 240PIN DDR2 PC6400
Graphics Card(s)
GEFORCE 8800 GT 512MB
Sound Card
ONBOARD
Monitor(s) Displays
37 INCH 1280X720
Hard Drives
1XCAVIAR 500GB
1XWD 500GB
1XWD320GB
1XSAMSUNG 1TB ALL DRIVES SATA11
PSU
UNKNOWN
Case
TSUNAMI DREAM
Cooling
UNKNOWN
Internet Speed
20meg fibre optic
Other Info
1TB WD external hard drive
1x320gb Seagate external hard drive
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