dual boot xp and vista?

Ganjalf · 03-28-2009, 11:35 PM

Hi there, i have two 500g hard drive and i was thinking about having windows xp on one hard drive and vista on the other but i've never really dealt with anything like this before and i'd rather not mess it up

My main worry was if there might be some conflictions between xp and vista but i'm not entirely sure as i've got almost no experience with vista.

Any advice would be much appreciated

Mak213 · 03-28-2009, 11:39 PM

What are you on now? XP or Vista? Do you plan on keeping the drive plugged in during the install? There are plenty of guides and information available. Just need to know what Os you have now and how you want to go about doing this.

Ganjalf · 03-28-2009, 11:41 PM

I'm currently running xp and well i'm not to sure how to go about it.

Mak213 · 03-28-2009, 11:43 PM

Well you can just install the hard drive, format it and then insert the Vista DVD and install. Then go about making sure that Vista's boot loader, since it is different from XP's, has a entry for XP and allows you to boot to it.

Can install the new drive, remove the XP drive and install Vista on there and use the BIOS to switch between your boots.

There are your 2 main ways to do it. So really the choice is yours.

Here is a good guide to look at:

How to dual-boot Vista with XP (with XP installed first) - step-by-step guide with screenshots

Ganjalf · 03-28-2009, 11:50 PM

How would i switch between using the BIOS? also does it not matter if you're installing on the same drive or a seperate drive? sorry if i'm not making much sense i'm very tired

The reason i'm asking is because on the guide you linked me to at the start it says "Scenario: You want to install Vista on your PC alongside your XP installation, on the same drive"

Mak213 · 03-28-2009, 11:56 PM

Yes i know what the guide says. It is just for reference. You wouldnt follow it exactly since you are not using the same drive.

Your would be different but would still involve the same basic principles with installing Vista and getting the boot loader to work properly.

You just wouldnt have to follow the steps to create a partition to install on.

To use the BIOS you would hit F12 at the BIOS screen to get the Boot Menu.

It doesnt matter where you install. I have used the same drive, different drives, external drives and USB Thumb Drives. It is the same steps no matter what you are using.

Ganjalf · 03-29-2009, 12:05 AM

Thanks again for all the advice it's much appreciated

i will have a thorough read through the guide you linked me tomorrow and see if i can manage to grasp some of it

Mak213 · 03-29-2009, 12:10 AM

If not your more than welcome to come back and ask for explanations. We are here to help you get things accomplished and solved if they can be.

If at any point you are unsure of what they are talking about or just want some in depth knowledge of what they are talking about come on back and ask.

We dont bite...hard.

lucasjon · 03-29-2009, 01:31 AM

you can create another profile in xp under system profiles. OK you want to run two separate os one two separate drives and have the ability to choose which one to boot up. or you want the boot file of xp to be on the vista and vice versa. or you just want to run two operating systems independent of each other and have a choice. Sounds like your problem could possibly be resolved if you purchased system commander somewhat cheap in the greater schems of things offers all the benifits of loading everything from solaris,red hat to windowsxp,vista and linix, I get back with an even more practical solution later.freak::freak:

carnageX · 03-29-2009, 02:22 AM

Why would you want to purchase software that sounds like a bootloader... You can edit Vista's bootloader easily with EasyBCD, and add other OS entries. Heck you could even use GRUB if you wanted to.

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