Dual boot xp and win7

[S0ULphIRE]

I usually just create two partitions on the same drive, and everything is fine.
In this case, XP is already installed and there's not enough space left on the drive for 7. So I've installed a second drive

My question is, will installing 7 on that second drive mess up anything on the primary drive I should know about? Will installing this way for a dual boot work? You can tell I haven't installed windows for a while hey

Cheers

 

[KSoD]

Nope. Wont mess anything up at all. Getting the BCD setup properly might be a bit tricky for the dual boot. But that is the only obstacle you will face.

 

[S0ULphIRE]

Tricky in what way? I'm going to be talking someone through this over MSN

 

[KSoD]

Depending on how your system is setup, the boot drive most likely will be the XP Drive. In which Win7 will not be happy when trying to add the XP entry to the boot loader.

It isnt that tough if you use EasyBCD 2.0, but still nothing is ever perfect when it comes to dual booting on separate drives.

 

[WhiteFlare]

Windows 7 is not duel boot friendly (at least with Linux). When Windows 7 updates, it overwrites the loader allowing you to choose what you want to boot.

Virtual Machines is where its at now days. Try using Virtual PC, VMware, or Virtual Box. I prefer Virtual Box.

Good luck.

 

[carnageX]

You're limited in a Virtual Machine. If the user wants to play a game in the other OS, a VM is not a practical application for that. Plus, you're not gonna get all the good eye-candy in Win7 if you install it in a VM, since you're not taking full advantage of your hardware.

 

[KSoD]

Windows 7 is not duel boot friendly (at least with Linux). When Windows 7 updates, it overwrites the loader allowing you to choose what you want to boot.

Virtual Machines is where its at now days. Try using Virtual PC, VMware, or Virtual Box. I prefer Virtual Box.

Good luck.

Not true. I have had no issues at all dual booting Win7 with any Linux. Even ones installed using Wubi. If you choose to use GRUB or LILO or one of hte Linux boot loaders, then i could see this as an issue. But if you use the product i suggested and let Windows handle the boot options, then there is no hassle at all. You can select any OS easily.