Dual HD Dual Boot Windows XP /Vista

[DIVER65]

Hoping someone may be able to help me out. I have Vista currently installed on my Dell XPS and wish to add a second HD and install XP onto it, because Vista doesn't play nice with some of my programs. Can anyone tell me if it is easily feasible to install XP onto the second HD after Vista has already been installed onto the primary and are there any special instructions or steps I will need to be wary of in doing so.

[harleyxlc]

You can but they have to be installed in a certain order...let's see, I think XP last otherwise Vista takes over and doesn't use the boot.ini file.

Google should be able to help more than I just did

[svtcobras]

maybe this helps.
http://articles.techrepublic.com.com...1-6157570.html

[Krazy Hawaiian]

I can't say for certain but all old windows OS's will not allow you to put a older version of windows in if you have a newer edition. That article is about installing vista AFTER XP is already installed.

Try this, fire the pooter up and drop the XP disk in and let it auto run. Once it starts if you don't get a "Older version of wondows" warning message go through one or two screens where it asks the type of install you want with a drop down box. Select the advanced one (I think its called... not sure theres 2 a recommended and a advanced or something you want the second) it will go through a screen or two more and then ask where to put it. Select where and let it do its stuff.

If all goes right....

When it boots it will have a select OS menu that has a 30 second count down for you to pick one.

Good Luck.

I HATE Vista. Hog City.

[DIVER65]

An idea I just came up with is to disconnect current HD then connect new fresh HD, install XP then reconnect the Vista HD and pray that i get the select OS prompt at startup.
Any opinions on this method?

[Krazy Hawaiian]

Originally Posted by DIVER65

An idea I just came up with is to disconnect current HD then connect new fresh HD, install XP then reconnect the Vista HD and pray that i get the select OS prompt at startup.
Any opinions on this method?

That *might* work but you will need to edit the boot.ini and make the XP drive the primary drive...

The Boot.ini can be found by right clicking my computer, properties,advanced, start up and recovery, settings then click the edit button.


Keep in mind you screw up the boot.ini and it wont start but thats no biggie. Start it on vista with the XP drive as a slave and open the Boot.ini and copy the BACKUP of it you made before editing it so you can restart it on XP and try again.....

It looks something like this:

[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /tutag=krkjj6 /kernel=tukernel.exe

You will need to add the disk info partition info\Windows Vista bla bla so it looks something like this

default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /tutag=krkjj6 /kernel=tukernel.exe
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Vista" or whatever it's called.

I think that info page that someone supplied has the correct layout for a dual drive XP/Vista machine.... course you could try XP and trash vista after you see how much better the thing runs on XP.... mine sure does vista made my comp a pig. but I only have a 2.4 with 512mb of mem and vista needs a gig min to run decently. A friends vista comp uses 700Mb of mem just sitting!!! My XP uses about 125Mb

[CBRAWR]

ive never been able to install XP on a secondary drive....for some reason or another i just couldnt get it to work

[private1i]

what I did if you dont mind taking your compy apart, I run Windows 64 and that unfortunatly doesnt like alot of other programs either. When I flash my xbox 360 the program used wont run in 64 bit mode or 32 bit emulation, so I unplug my HD and plug in another, installed XP pro on it and when ever I need to flash, I just plug that one in place of my XP 64 one. Just not both at once

[DIVER65]

Originally Posted by private1i

what I did if you dont mind taking your compy apart, I run Windows 64 and that unfortunatly doesnt like alot of other programs either. When I flash my xbox 360 the program used wont run in 64 bit mode or 32 bit emulation, so I unplug my HD and plug in another, installed XP pro on it and when ever I need to flash, I just plug that one in place of my XP 64 one. Just not both at once

That's something to consider but I would prefer not to have to open it up everytime I want to switch. I think I'll try installing XP onto new HD then plug both in and pray it works without much more program modding.

[CBRAWR]

just partition the primary drive 50/50 and install each OS on the partitions then use 2nd drive as storage for music/pics/porn........that way if you ever need to do a clean install you keep all your stuff

[Krazy Hawaiian]

Originally Posted by CBRAWR

just partition the primary drive 50/50 and install each OS on the partitions then use 2nd drive as storage for music/pics/porn........that way if you ever need to do a clean install you keep all your stuff

Thats the obvious solution but if you read the post I doubt if he has a vista install disk... It would be too easy to do it that way... do XP first then vista.

[CBRAWR]

he's got to have some way to restore back to factory settings....get partition magic and change the partitions then after that do a factory reset....im guessing it would leave the partitions in tact

[Krazy Hawaiian]

^^^ a "restore" disk and a actual "install" disk are 2 entirely different animals. You CANNOT do a clean install from a restore disk which is what you get on nearly every comp made.... I'm assuming he has vista installed from the manufacturer.... if that's the case he doesn't have that option.