Unplug the XP HD during Clean Install Windows 7 then after install plug it back in and boot it using the one-time BIO Boot Menu key. This keeps them independent.
If you don't like this arrangement then install EasyBCD to Win7 to add XP to a Windows Dual Boot menu, which will keep them independent but may be an easier GUI.
In step 3, it is mentioned that you need to put the sata drivers on a floppy and usb doesnt work. on my and many newer systems there isnt a floppy drive. only DVD and usb. is there an alternative? or does it always fail to see the sata hd's initially, or just in some cases?
I have read many tutorials on this subject and this one is the best, however, as I try to install and boot from the XP cd, which is brand new, after about a minute I get the followinf message "acpi.sys file is corrupted" and the installation fails. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
you probably want to discuss with more learned folks in the forum. i scrubbed the dual boot when i realized that win 8 in my laptop had the sp i need to run just one app i needed. so i installed it there. no need for an xp vm anymore. besides, i had all kinds of problems using import and export and i had to use a flash drive from host to vm and visa versa to transfer files. what a pain.
Since almost no floppy support exists any longer the only real options is to slipstream the SATA driver into the XP with SP3 CD, which is explained here: SATA Drivers - Slipstream into Windows XP CD
However XP is so old now that it may have other problems with newer hardware that aren't as easily resolved as we were able to do for the first five years of WIn7. A better option now is to try installing older XP apps in Win7 Compatibility Mode or if that doesn't work try running it virtually with freeware like VMWare, Virtual Player, Virtual Box, XP Mode, etc.
Hi. First time here so thanks.
I have one T60 and one T61p Thinkpads presently both running XP which I have purring and am extremely comfortable with. So I am actually to reluctant to upgrade.
But I am curious to check out Windows 7 and have the Lenovo upgrade disc to do it. I am also interested in perhaps miugrating my storage to solid state drives which I understand albeit arguably, XP does not natively support.
So Option One is clear. But step "3. To Use a Separate Hard Disk Drive than the XP drive " is not.
A) Boot from your Windows 7 installation disc.
NOTE: Make sure that the CD/DVD drive is selected first in the boot order in the BIOS.
Does this mean that it is possible to load Windows 7 from a setup disc i.e. without actually installing it? If so, this would be a great option to check it out first.
EDIT: Doh!! I think I get it now. Take a separate disk and then boot from the installation disc. Sorry.
Well in that case, I haven't yet bought a SSD for a proper Windows 7 installation and my current XP installation is on a 45GB disk. You indicate that Windows 7 requires 16GB but does it ideally need more? Given that I would prefer not to reinstall XP, how should I consider partitioning the disk? 50/50 or XP which is currently 16GB full, 20GB and Windows 7 25GB?
Hello Dav, and welcome to Seven Forums. :)
You could install Windows 7 on another partition on your XP drive, or on a separate hard drive. Either will do as long as there's enough free space on it.
It depends on how much you plan on installing in Windows 7, but I would have at least 40GB for a bare minimum of applications installed afterwards, and more if you plan on installing a lot of programs, games, etc...
Hi thanks for the welcome and suggestions. And thanks for the great guide.
So here's what I have I older T60 ThinkPad which due to a HDD failure sometime ago, has no HDD and currently decommissioned. But it is still perfectly adequate and I would like to recommission as an XP machine (OEM license) with the 46.5GB capacity HDD, which is currently in the T61p Thinkpad I use currently.
This T61p currently has XP (Retail license) with all my applications taking up 16.7GB. The free capacity is 29.8GB
So as I (1) suspect I might ultimately have to move on, and leave XP behind and (2) am intrigued to possibly to switch to solid state drives at least for the primary drives (I have 2nd HDD adapter in place of the optical drives), I would like avoid buying another mechanical disk.
So as I know XP really well and have it tweaked to perfection, I would at this stage just like to put my toes in the water like to see what Windows 7 is like, wha has changed and what I can now still do and no longer do. I don't anticipate needing to install any applications for this trial, other the required device drivers.
If I like, then I would buy a solid state drive and make the T61p a Windows 7 machine and put the 46.5GB drive which is in it now, in the T60 machine as a primary drive. I have a 1TB in a 2nd HDD adapter which I can interchange with the optical drives in both machines.
So as I cannot spare 40GB for Windows 7 how much of the 29.8GB free capacity should I leave with the 16.7GB XP installation, and how much then for a clean Windows 7 installation with few if any, applications. I could always setup a generous swap file located on the 1TB drive in the 2nd HDD adapter.
Since you only have 29.8 GB total, and 16.7 GB is used by XP, you really don't have enough space to dual boot both of them without the risk of running out of free space in both.
I should have added it wouldn't be for very long. Just long enough to decide whether I could live with the upgrade. If yes, I would format the drive and move it to my older T60 and and do a clean WIndows 7 install on an SSD.
But otherwise thanks. Ill have to see if I have a spare SATA disk lying around else maybe use the 1TB drive which I currently use in a 2nd HDD adapter and has plenty of space.
Or I could just jump in now and buy a small solid state drive without experiencing 7 yet. If this option, do you have any idea what brand, technology or size I should go for, for a Windows 7 only install?
I know nothing except I like the idea of sticking with Intel. My local computer place also has Kingston and Samsung
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