BleepingComputer.com: Could I install W7 on one HDD and keep XP on the other?

I'm planning on purchasing a new HDD and an OEM W7 for my circa-2005 PC (yes, the specs more than meet the minimum requirements for W7+Aero, I've checked it all out). The PC is currently running XP, but with the OEM CD that came with it being pretty much a coaster, this is the last installation of it I'll have. On the off chance that the PC doesn't vibe well with W7, I'm planning on installing !7 to the new HDD that I'll be buying.........so, can I do what I mentioned in the topic ttile?

I'm trying to make this PC into abackup one. It's a Sager compact desktop, w/lots of neato ports and a TV Tuner, so I can't just throw it away.

Or could I just clone my XP installation into a partition on the new HDD?

Your best option is to keep the XP drive as it is & install Windows 7 on to the new drive.

Hopefully you've purchased the full version (ie not the upgrade version) of Windows 7, because XP is not a qualifying product for installing an upgrade version of Windows 7.

When you install Windows 7 on to the new drive, with the XP drive also connected to the system, Windows will set up your system in a "dual boot" configuration.
This means everytime you start up your PC you will be asked which OS you want the syatem to load.

To proceed with the above arrangement, read this: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/8057-dual-boot-installation-windows-7-xp.html

Scroll down to item 2. To Use a Separate Hard Disk Drive than the XP Drive

EDIT To pip22: Please enable your forum PM capability, thanks ~ Hamluis.

This post has been edited by hamluis: 17 April 2011 - 08:40 AM

I see. I'm planning on buying an OEM copy of W7, not the Upgrade version (couldn't anyways, seeing as my XP OEM disc doesn't work anymore).

Okay, so I purchased W7 and the HDD and installed them both to my PC. I was able to do what I wanted, but when altering the MBR w/EasyBCD as described in the guide, I wasn't able to dual boot to XP as the "volume wasn't detected" or something like that. I'm only able to boot by switching the boot order via BIOS? Do I continue to play around with that program or is there something else I should do?

Well...there was no need at all to use Easy BCD...if you installed Win 7 after XP and the XP install was on the system when you installed Win 7. The Win 7 bootloader takes over in such cases, presenting a dual-boot option when the system starts.

Since you installed Win 7 on a separate hard drive...that guide was unnecessary. All you had to do was install Win 7 and reboot.

The easiest thing to do, IMO, is delete your Win 7 install...make sure that both hard drives are attached...reinstall Win 7 after deleting whatever is on that drive now.

Louis

W7 bootloader did not present a dual-boot option after I finished installing and updating everything, which is why I went with Easy BCD.

If you had both drives attached to the system...the Win 7 boot files should have automatically detected the boot files for any earlier version of Windows. That's basic with every version of Windows, I believe.

If that did not happen, I would think that something was wrong.

When you boot into Win 7, can you see the XP install?

In any case...you did not answer which O/S reflects Easy BCD. If you tell us that, I can tell you what steps to follow in Easy BCD to properly reflect both installs in the boot options.

Boot into Easy BCD...click View Settings...what is reflected?

System manufacturer and model?

Louis

This post has been edited by hamluis: 22 April 2011 - 12:37 PM

Before I messed around with EasyBCD? No, W7 did not pick up the XP install on my other HDD.

On "View Settings" in EasyBCD, it mentions that there are two entries in the bootloader, the first and primary one being Windows 7, the second one being Windows XP. They both point to the same HDD (C:), even though they're installed in different HDDs, and the bootloader path for 7 is \Windows\system32\winload.exe, while for XP its \NST\ntldr.

My PC is a Clevo D900T compact desktop from 2005.

Messing with EasyBCD messed up my MBR and gave me a BSOD, which required sticking in the install disc and doing a repair.

Again...which install reflects EasyBCD...where is it installed?

<<Messing with EasyBCD messed up my MBR and gave me a BSOD, which required sticking in the install disc and doing a repair.>>

When you used the XP disk to fix the XP MBR, you damaged the Win 7 boot files.

You need to change the drive reflected for your Win 7 install. The XP install is rightfully on hard drive C:...the optical drive has to be recognized as D:...and the next boot drive (for Win 7) should be recognized as E:.

Louis

In any case, since you don't want to just reinstall Win 7 as I suggested...

I would boot into EasyBCD...Edit Boot Menu button. Are both XP and Win 7 reflected? If only one is reflected, you need to manually add the other.

Click Add New Entry Button, Type = Win NT/XP if XP needs to be added, Win 7 is it needs to be added., etc., Name = Windows XP, Drive = D . When you are sure that all is correct...click Add Entry button in that portion of the screen.

Click View Settings, see if both drives are properly reflected. If so, set default boot to what you want.

This post has been edited by hamluis: 22 April 2011 - 02:11 PM

EasyBCD is installed on W7 and the W7 HDD.

I used at W7 disk to fix the W7 MBR. XP was untouched throughout all of this. What I did when I popped in the W7 HDD is move it to the Master slot, while I moved the XP HDD to the Slave slot. When I start up XP though, the drive is still listed as C: in that installation, with the newer W7 HDD listed as L:. With W7, its HDD is C:, the XP one is D:.

To be honest, I didn't want to put in the hours that it took me by re-installing W7 again, at least not now.....just curious, what would re-installing do?

This post has been edited by Dave Finlay: 22 April 2011 - 02:42 PM

If it took "hours" to install Win 7...something is wrong, My Win 7 installs took less time than any of my XP installs ever took and XP takes about 35 minutes.

You know...if you had done it when I first suggested it...we would not still be in this thread .

As to why...installing Win 7 is the simplest way to accomplish the stated goal. If you look at that guide previously provided, you will see that the directions for installing Win 7 on a sepaarate hard drive...are exactly what I suggested. I have no idea why they indicateed that boot problems might develop from such...I suppose tht they assumed that some boot files might be damaged on the first O/S...I don't know.

See Method 1, para 2-6 of that link. It's really that simple...as long as XP is one drive and you are installing Win 7 on a different drive.

I'm somewhat concerned that you state that you had the XP drive attached...and the Win 7 install did not pick it up. That's not supposed to happen.

Just out of curiosity...why the sudden decision to dual-boot? Any known problems with the XP install jor that hard drive?

Louis

If your XP CD has scratches, etc...you can "renew" it by simply burning a duplicate on a CD-R.

This post has been edited by hamluis: 22 April 2011 - 03:56 PM

My XP OEM CD is indeed scratched beyond repair, I already tried to create a rescue disk via methods suggested by the helpful folks here at BC months ago, when my PC went down with a nasty virus. I was able to fix the problem and get things running again, but my main purpose behind buying W7 was that my XP CD no longer works, and when and if it goes down for good it's either W7 or nothin'.

The XP installation's crippled from several virus attacks over the years, but still works for what I need it too. The reason I'm keeping it around for now is because of Word 2002, which I need to do my college coursework until the end of the semester. Once I get my hands on a new copy of Office (*groan*, got to fork over more money), and see that everything's running smoothly with W7 on this PC, I'm deleting the XP installation for good and bringing in the old HDD to W7.

Well...IMO, there is no need to worry about using Word for anything...there are substitutes avaialable for MS Office which are free. If that's your reason for wanting to dual-boot...there is no reason to dual-boot.

http://www.msboycott.com/thealt/alts/office.shtml

http://www.unixmen.com/software/1505-libreoffice-vs-openoffice

I have valid, licensed versions of MS Office...but I have replaced them on my two systems with LibreOffice. I have also used Open Office in the past.

If you attach the Win 7 disk as the prmary/boot disk and attach the XP drive as any secondary drive...you can easily move data files/folders.

Louis

I see, I'll look those alternatives up.

In the meantime........I've gotten myself into another mess. Yikes.

Trying to get rid of the W7/XP bootscreen created with EasyBCD , I went into EasyBCD's "BCD Backup & Repair" and "Reset BCD Configuration", which resetted the bootloader, to where it now shows that it has 0 entries. I tried to "Add New Entry" for W7, but forgot to save before re-booting the PC. W7 would not boot on its HDD, given me an error status of 0xc0000098 ("The Windows Boot Configuration Data file does not contain a valid OS entry."). When I tried to do Startup Repair with the W7 DVD, the app mentioned that it couldn't fix the issue, as the "Boot configuration is corrupt" and requires a "partition table repair".

After this, I tried formatting the W7 HDD via Custom installation, which it appears to do as it appears empty now (yet when attempting to do a Startup Repair, the W7 installation still comes up in the HDD, as "recovered"). But when trying to install W7 on it, setup mentioned that "it was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition" and to "check setup log files for more information".

What can I do to fix this so I can definitively wipe the HDD clean and do a new installation of W7? Luckily I didn't get carried away in installing apps right away.

My Win XP installation on the other drive is still working as normal.

This post has been edited by Dave Finlay: 24 April 2011 - 01:37 AM

Partition table errors...I resolve those by deleting the partition and creating a new one.

If I received such, I would run the appropriate hard drive manufacturer's diagnostic on the drive...before doing anything, since they can be the result of a failing hard drive, IMO.

The Win 7 DVD provides the opportunity to delete any existing partition.

Louis