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06-26-2009, 01:28 PM
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#1 |
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Member (6 bit)
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Lexington KY
Posts: 48
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Win 7 and XP
I'm about to complete a build that will be a production machine at work. I can't afford to be fighting S/W compatibility so I was going to partition its 640gig drive and put XP on one with all current apps and data. Then put Win7 on the other partition, install apps and test compatibility as I get the time. Sound like a plan? Then if things work out with Win7, doesn't it offer dynamic partitioning such that I could backup and remove the XP partition and repartition as one big drive?
I've done a good bit of opinion searching last couple weeks and think I want Win7 eventually. However, I do read things like some component of Acrobat Pro or the PDF print driver not working. I rely heavily on Adobe CS4, Office 2003 and 07, and an accounting application. I might have some infrequently used leftover stuff that, if needed, can run in an XP compatibility box. Thoughts on this strategy? CWG |
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06-26-2009, 02:55 PM
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#2 |
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Tweak Monster
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: indiana
Posts: 2,967
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I would suggest using separate drives and installing Xp and Win7 on those separate drives...
if you partition the single drive and install XP and Win7 on them it will give you a boot loader to select the OS of choice which is ok but say you are in Win7 and are testing a driver or something and hose the OS you will lose the XP part until you fix the Win7 side and you might even lose it for good if it gets botched bad enough.... installing separately will help not run into this issue... Install either OS then unplug the installed drive and plug in the other empty drive and install the other OS... you wont get the boot loader but you can select which drive to boot from during post or switching the boot order in the BIOS...
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06-26-2009, 07:24 PM
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#3 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 90
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I just finished a similar project.
I had Vista on the machine already and soon found I could not load XP on it with Vista already there . Boot up problems. So I removed Vista and Win 7RC off of the computer and installed XP. I had decided by this time to put each OS on it's own hard drive. This works well. Vista was loaded second, followed by Windows 7 Ultimate last. Why I got the 'Ultimate' version instead of RC baffles me, but it is only the trial version. Anyway, the reason for doing this was because a lot of my old hardware for XP would not run on Vista. Of course it did not run on Win 7RC either, but was is to be expected. For whatever it is worth, Windows 7 Ultimate works perfectly with most of the XP era items! There will be a feature in Windows 7 that will be XP ( I believe it is going to be a separate, but free D/L from MS). I like Windows 7 so much already that I bought a copy of Win 7 PRO UPGRADE this morning using their discounted pricing. I know that is going to be my OS of choice so I may as well save a hundred bucks now. Ships somewhere around Oct.22................... pg |
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06-26-2009, 07:29 PM
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#4 | |
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I don't computer.
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Ellisville, MO
Posts: 1,561
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Quote:
KQFan - As for your question, you can do it either way... Partition the drive into two or get a second HD. Either way will work just fine. If you are worried about losing information when you want to delete the XP partition make sure to backup you HD just in case. There are plenty of free programs out there that can help you repartition the drive after you delete one to merge the two together.
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Gaming Rig - ASUS A8N-SLi Deluxe :: AMD 64 X2 4600+ :: 3GB Corsair XMS PC-3200 ASUS GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB :: SB Xi-Fi Fatal1ty Pro 500GB WD Black :: Sony DVD-ROM :: Plextor 716SA DVD/RW OS - WinXP Pro :: Powered by - Enermax 535W PSU ASUS G60JX Laptop - Intel Core i5 M430 :: 4GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GTS 360M 1GB :: 500GB SATA HD (7200) OS - Win7 Home Premium 64-bit Last edited by mjkovis; 06-26-2009 at 07:34 PM. |
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06-26-2009, 07:48 PM
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#5 | |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: California
Posts: 186
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Quote:
I'll too be ordering Windows 7. Works great in my dual boot setup. |
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06-26-2009, 09:51 PM
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#6 |
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Tweak Monster
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: indiana
Posts: 2,967
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Because when you install XP it puts the MBR on the boot sector of the disk...that way it boots to XP.....
when you install Vista or Win7 on the 2nd partition it uses a Boot Loader...it over writes the XP one and gives you a Dual boot screen... if you hose your Win7 part of the drive you wont be able to boot to XP.... this is the issue with dual and tripple boot drives.... seting up the partitions and installing teh OS is the easy part...screwing it up and getting it to work after that fact isnt so easy.... Unless you know for sure how to repair the boot sectors after the re-installs you may lose the XP part permanently.... this is the sole reason we've all said put it on 2 different drives without a dual boot option until you have fully done all your compatibility testing.... during the beta testing I have hosed several installs and it is VERY easy to do with testing software...just be fore warned.... the software Bob links can change the vista/win7 boot loader options...it does work and there are other ones like it out there... VistaBootPro does the same thing...also free... Last edited by MaxRat; 06-26-2009 at 09:59 PM. |
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07-03-2009, 09:51 AM
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#7 | |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 217
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Quote:
I hope this isn't a hijack of the thread, my apologies if it is, I just wanted a clarification of the solutions provided to the original poster. Thanks in advance
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07-03-2009, 10:24 AM
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#8 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 90
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So if I understand correctly, say I have XP Pro on a huge drive I have been using for years and then put Win 7 on a different drive I can use Win 7 by simply selecting the Win 7 hdd as the boot drive in bios? Can I still access and run the programs, applications on the XP Pro drive when I boot using the Win 7 drive?
As long as you install Win 7 after XP it is going to work. At start up there will be a window pop up asking which system you wish to boot to..... XP or Win7. One of the options is set at default. (This selection can be changed) You will not have to go to BIOS to make the selection. You can access files and folders from either OS by setting 'share these files and folders'........ pg |
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07-03-2009, 12:49 PM
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#9 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 217
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???Okay, so even with two drives as I mentioned above Win 7 must be installed first even though XP Pro is on a different drive? So can I simply hook up the Win 7 hdd only... boot to it, shut down, install the XP drive, boot to the Win 7 drive and still access the files on the 2nd drive? Both drives are SATA.
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07-03-2009, 02:21 PM
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#10 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 90
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Yes. I just recently did this to mine. There is a way to install XP after a later OS but I found it far to complicated for me. I had a Vista OS on the computer and wanted XP also. I had to remove Vista, then load Xp, then load Vista, then load Windows 7 last of all, and in that order.
The problem has to do with XP boots up one way and Vista (and later) uses a different boot system. It is backward compatible so XP first, then Vista, Win 7 after works. The other way around will not boot up. Someone here can explain it much better than I can, but it all has to do with the method of bootup for the different OS. My machine currently has XP, Vista, and Windows 7 Ultimate all in one box on 3 different drives. I also have a 1TB hard drive (#4) in the box that I use to send backups to. I can switch back and forth from files/folders of the different OS with no problem. I can go to drive #4 from any of the 3 OS as well. If I want to move to a different OS, then I must reboot and make a different choice of what to boot up. But sharing files between the different OS..... yeah, no problem......... pg |
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07-03-2009, 07:57 PM
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#11 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 217
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Okay I think I've got it
I have the Win 7 Beta on a smaller drive (250MB) and have bought the Win 7 upgrade from Newegg earlier this week. I hope to be able to use the Win 7 OS on that drive and keep XP on the 1TB drive with all the assorted stuff I've gathered along the way.Many thanks for your help pg. |
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07-03-2009, 08:04 PM
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#12 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 90
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BigRed......
Yes, you should be able to load the Win Beta on the small drive with XP already on the machine. Then when you get the Official Windows 7 in October load it right over the Beta version on the small drive. I too have bought the Windows 7 scheduled to be shipped Oct 22 and plan to do the same with mine. I really like Win 7...... a lot. Right now I use the 7 more than either of the other systems...... pg |
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07-06-2009, 11:03 AM
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#13 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 217
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Well, it didn't go quite as planned but I can access both XP and Win 7 but I have to go to the bios a startup to do it. I had XP installed on the 1Tb drive, downloaded the Win 7 RC, loaded it on a 16Gb partition on the 250Gb drive. I get no message at startup asking which OS to boot to. Not a problem really, just a minor inconvenience.
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07-07-2009, 06:38 AM
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#14 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 90
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BigRed.......
I am surprised to hear that you are not given a choice. When I did the duel boot and then later the triple boot setup, both times the black and white choice screen will pop up right after the startup begins. Perhaps this is because of the motherboard I have (MSI K9N2GM) but I cannot say for sure. I am sure there are members here who could shed some light on that. It is extra trouble to have to go to the BIOS to select the OS. The Windows 7 works so well for me now that I find I go to XP less and less. Vista......? I wonder why I even installed it now? pg Last edited by piniongear; 07-07-2009 at 06:40 AM. |
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07-07-2009, 09:01 AM
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#15 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: California
Posts: 186
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Not so!
Read the thread linked in my earlier post. I'm dual booting, same drive with Windows 7 installed first and haven't had a single problem after I understood the boot process and set it up properly. |
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