Dual Boot OS

[Roel]

Hi Huys after long time Im back here

I got a few questions about my HP dv2197ae its config. is not that bad it was originally loaded by Win XP Home Ed. After checking in HP website I got an offer of upgrading it into Vista Basic. I got the CD and Upgraded XP into Vista.
Now after upgrade I feel that XP still usefull for me is it possible to have a Dual Boot like Win XP and Vista.. I tried before on my desktop Win ME and XP but I haven't tried it on Laptop, and if it is possible, can someone tell me the step by step procedures. I got a Back Up CD of my laptop when it was on XP mode. so I think I can reformat my HD and partition it.

[Paul Komski]

The simplest to set up would be to have WinXP installed and to have enough continuous free space available on the drive rather than partition it for Vista in advance. Then boot to Vista for a new not an upgrade. Leave the XP intact and get Vista Setup to partition and format the unallocated space for itself. On completion you should then have a dual boot for both OSes.

[Roel]

Paul

That's exactly biggest mistake I have done. Instead of selecting the "New Install" I have chossen "upgrade" and that is deleting my XP.. After using a couple of days with Vista only I realized that I still need my XP..

Now Im a bit hesitant to reformat my HD and install XP Im not sure what Vista have done to my HD :D :D Im bit paranoid

[Rick]

First and foremost
Backup ANY and ALL data files you want to keep

After that you can Boot off your XP disk and use it to remove the partition (s) you have now

Then use it to create a new partition for XP and format and install XP in that partition

After you have it up and running.
You can boot off the Vista disk and tell it to do a clean new full install
In the unused space you still have on the drive

Vista will find and setup the dual boot options for you in a boot menu

It isn't that difficult .. But it has to be done in the correct order
I would also suggest a data partition on the drive
makes it easier for Both XP and Vista to use the same data files

Stay away from using the Folder Name " MY Documents " in the XP setup
Vista doesn't like it and will fight you on using it
The default for Vista is "Drive / Users/name"
For example C:\Users\Public and c:\Users\Rick
It then adds the other assorted folders for each person under their name

[Paul Komski]

Im not sure what Vista have done to my HD Im bit paranoid.
An upgrade integrates the old and new installations into one new composite operating system. Just about everyone round here deprecates upgrade installations because they are both a "compromise" and not clean installations. There is nothing that Vista will have, done in a physical sense, to your HDD that you need worry about but I had forgotten one important point about installing clean from an upgrade.

Microsoft, in their own wisdom, have denied a straightforward way to do a clean installation with an upgrade edition as with all earlier upgrade versions of Windows. As long as you own a legal version of WinXP there is however a legal workaround (http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_upgrade_clean.asp).

With this in mind and the fact that the "Documents" folders are differently named, and so on, I would suggest you try to keep the WinXP and the Vista installations completely separate from one another by installing them both into their own PRIMARY partitions and hiding whichever one is installed first from the other installation instead of going the MS road of installing both installations from the same ACTIVE partitions. It takes a bit more work but in the end you can maintain both installations independently of each other and use a third party boot manager such as BiNG or XOSL to choose between the OSes at startup.

Post back if you want specific details of how to go about this. It involves preparing the HDD into at least two but better three PRIMARY partitions with the third primary being a small (32MB FAT16) PRIMARY partition for the boot manager. You would hide this FAT partition using BiNG (in my sig) or GParted or similar, use it to mark the next chosen partition for the first installation as ACTIVE and install one installation into it. Once running you would then hide this installation and install the second installation into the remaining PRIMARY - also now made ACTIVE. Lastly you would then install the boot manager and the boot manager would take-over all hiding and unhiding and boot selection from that point on.

[Roel]

Thank you Rick and Paul.

Now here's what I got I have check my 2Cds which I created when I first got my Laptop. I beleived its a recovery disk. Originally my 120GB drive was partitioned into 2 the second part is just a copy of recovery files its not partitioned equally. After installing Vista I have noticed that my HD was no longer partitioned. I wanted to partition it into 2 and install XP and Vista on dual boot mode.

Rick mentioned that I have to backup all my datas does it includes my existing intalled programs? How can I do it? I can backup my files and other data in to a portable hard disk but how about Programs how can I retain it back once both windows are intalled.. Im affraid I have lost some of my fav. programs installer.

[Paul Komski]

After installing Vista I have noticed that my HD was no longer partitioned.Do you mean no partitions or just one partition and what were you using to determine this.

As a rule you cannot simply backup and then restore programs. A very few work like this but the vast majority need reinstalling from scratch.

[Roel]

Paul
there is no partition at all after Upgrading it into vista Just drive C: it used to have drive D: when it was XP that contains system retore data. or someting like that.

Ok now I understand that there is no way I can restore my old program with out reinstalling it

[Paul Komski]

Just drive C: it used to have drive D:If you are determining this from My Computer then that is not adequate. You need to look at the whole disk structure with Windows Disk Management or other third party partition manager.

For clarity's sake only it should be stated that the C: drive is a partition.

Open the run box with {WindowsKey + R}

Then run diskmgmt.msc in the run box to open Disk Management.

[Roel]

oh boy... where can I find a "run"box in my Vista....help pls Im lost

[Paul Komski]

If windows key + R doesnt do it for you then:

1. Right-click on the Start menu and choose Properties;
2. Select the Start Menu tab and click on the Customize... button;
3. Ensure the "Run command" option is checked.

[Roel]

Thanks Paul..I got a Run cmd.. sorry Im not yet familliar with Vista its my 4th days of using it

[Roel]

Ok paul my Drive C: says its a primary Partition having a capacity of 111.9GB where is the remaining GB then I know its a 120GB HD

[Paul Komski]

120GB is actually the same number of bytes as in your reported 111.9GB - though it is better to write this as 111.9GiB. The conversion factor is 1.024^3.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_prefix

[Rick]

Ok paul my Drive C: says its a primary Partition having a capacity of 111.9GB where is the remaining GB then I know its a 120GB HD

Now look at what space is taken up by your O/S and programs
Then look at the total space taken up by data

In the O/S and programs you will need at least that amount X 2
Unless you setup a programs partition or combine the data and programs partition

In one of my Dual boot systems it breaks down like this
1, XP partition 50G
2, Vista Partition 50
3, Data 47G
using all 150 Gig

each O/S has the programs installed in it's own partition

On another I setup
1,XP 25
2,Vista 25
3 Programs and data 110

This config has the O/S only in its own partiton
then I installed each program for XP use in it's data programs #3 partition

Once it was setup and running
I booted to Vista and reinstalled the programs I wanted to use with vista
telling them to install in the #3 partition
It works nice because each program places the ini and other files required for each O/S in that O/S partition
And I end up with ONE set of program files and folders shared across both O/S


In fact the total for the programs folders is 3.3gig
Vista eats up 9Gig


One point on the O/S partitions
Figure out what it takes to install each
Then triple that number as a minimum size for the O/S
in my case 9Gx3= 27G
So I missed by 2G but it still works

[Roel]

Rick and Paul

Thanks for your help guys I think I might need to buy a new bigger HD and partition it into 2. I'll used my exisiting HD as external data disk