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I have a HP Pavilion with 2 SATA harddrives. Vista is pre-installed on HD0. Now I want to add an XP install and I consider different ways to do it: - Partition HD0 in two parts, install XP on the new logical drive - Install XP on HD1 and handle hd selection with BIOS (boot option).
What strategy is the best? Pro's/cons?
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i have hp pav with 2 satas i use xp on channel 3 and vista ultimate on
channel 4 hd0 and hd1 respectively. vista ultimate is the lite version
i changed the boot ini in vista through bcdedit as i wanted xp to be
main and vista second on stratup also changed the start earlier versions
of windows to xp pro on main startup screen. its really up to you which
way you do but most user have xp first and vista second..if you have
vista first you wont need to change boot ini as vista will be main os, i
have hp pavilion 5251 but have changed alot,, it was on a 3800 am2 xp
64 but now updated to a xp 5200 am2 dual core low energy cpu 65 watts
also change the heatsink i use the artic freezer 64 pro cooler ( its a
monster) must be 5 inches tall and 5 inches wide with 92 mm fan with
cool and quiet enabled i can even hear it.
--
Generator
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Hi, Zeke.
As you obviously recognize, there are many possibilities. The simplest (not necessarily the best) might be this:
Use Disk Management to shrink Drive C: to leave room for WinXP at the end of HD0. (10 GB should be more than enough.) Create a new partition in that space. Then boot from the WinXP CD-ROM and install WinXP there. This, unfortunately, will overwrite Vista's boot sector and boot-up files on Drive C:, leaving you unable to boot into Vista. Then boot from the Vista DVD and use its Repair Boot function.
The Golden Rule of dual-booting, of course, is to always install the newest OS last, because its Setup program knows how to handle earlier versions, but it's too late for that on your system. WinXP has no idea what to do if it finds Vista onboard, so it simply overwrites the boot sector and installs its own files on the System Partition. These can be restored by Vista's BCDEdit.exe, which will also run in WinXP, or by a third-party program (such as EasyBCD from NeoSmart: http://neosmart.net/, which is free and makes the job easier), or with the Vista DVD-ROM (which should be included with an OEM installation, but often is not).
One side benefit to installing WinXP at the far end of the disk is that, when you decide to retire WinXP, you can simply delete that partition and Extend Drive C: to use that space.
Other strategies might include installing WinXP on HD1 and making its partition bootable, as insurance against the day when HD0 has a problem and won't boot. With a little extra effort, you can put dual-boot menus on both HDs, just in case.
RC -- R. C. White, CPA San Marcos, TX rc[ at ]grandecom.net Microsoft Windows MVP (Running Windows Live Mail beta in Vista Ultimate x64)
"Zeke" <zeke[ at ]jehenna.com> wrote in message news:OVTSdNIxHHA.2432[ at ]TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
[Quoted Text] >I have a HP Pavilion with 2 SATA harddrives. Vista is pre-installed on HD0. >Now I want to add an XP install and I consider different ways to do it: > - Partition HD0 in two parts, install XP on the new logical drive > - Install XP on HD1 and handle hd selection with BIOS (boot option). > > What strategy is the best? Pro's/cons?
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Do not create a dual boot system - unless there is a pressing need or reason for doing so - other than just "liking" the idea. Sooner or later a decision will be made to remove XP - and that is not as simple as uninstalling XP and reorganizing the partition or separate HD.
In a dual boot setup, Vista installs files, including a hiddden folder titled simply "Boot" at the XP location and since XP requires Boot.ini - Viasta looks for it first and if XP is not selected to boot, Vista looks for it's boot manager BCDStore.
Removing XP and the associated partition removes the Boot folder which requiring use of BCDEdit or a third party boot manager.
r "Zeke" <zeke[ at ]jehenna.com> wrote in message news:OVTSdNIxHHA.2432[ at ]TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
[Quoted Text] >I have a HP Pavilion with 2 SATA harddrives. Vista is pre-installed on HD0. >Now I want to add an XP install and I consider different ways to do it: > - Partition HD0 in two parts, install XP on the new logical drive > - Install XP on HD1 and handle hd selection with BIOS (boot option). > > What strategy is the best? Pro's/cons?
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Hi, AJR.
[Quoted Text] > In a dual boot setup, Vista installs files, including a hiddden folder > titled simply "Boot" at the XP location
Not necessarily "the XP location". Vista writes a new boot sector and installs its files in the System Partition. Many (probably most) users misunderstand the terms "System Partition" and "Boot Volume" (or "Boot Partition") because they are actually counter-intuitive. (Not Microsoft's fault; these terms were inherited from way back.) For an explanation, see this KB article: Definition of System Partition and Boot Partition http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314470/EN-US/
The MS dual-boot (or single-boot) configuration is like a "Y" or a tree. The System Partition is the trunk of this tree, which may contain many branches - although in most cases, there's just one. That trunk holds the boot sector and the startup files. Each branch can be a "boot volume" for ONE operating system. So we can have WinXP on one branch and Vista x86 on a second branch (and Vista x64 and WinXP x64 - and others - on other branches). No matter how many OSes are installed, the boot always starts at the trunk of the tree and then, depending on instructions found there, branches to one of the boot volumes to load the system installed on that branch. (Note that the boot sector is the first physical sector on the partition. It is NOT a file; it is outside not in the Root or any folder and normal file commands can't touch it at all.)
When WinXP Setup runs, it writes the WinXP boot sector and startup files (NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM and Boot.ini) into the Root of that System Partition, and then installs the rest of WinXP into the \Windows folder on whichever branch the user chooses. MOST of the time, the user chooses (or defaults to) the System Partition, which is almost always good old Drive C:. That makes it impossible to reformat WinXP's boot volume without also reformatting the System Partition - and wiping out the startup files.
When Vista Setup runs, it writes its own boot sector and startup files into the Root of the System Partition. If it finds WinXP's files already there, it first preserves the WinXP boot sector in a new file in the Root (Bootsect.bak) before overwriting it. It does not delete the WinXP startup files, but adds Vista's own bootmgr file and \Boot folder alongside those and creates the dual-boot menu.
To remove WinXP later, DO NOT REFORMAT Drive C:. Just boot into Vista and delete C:\Windows, the boot folder for WinXP. That leaves the boot sector and all the startup files (for both WinXP and Vista) intact. For final cleanup, delete the 3 WinXP startup files and use BCDEdit.exe - or a third-party program - to remove WinXP from the dual-boot menu.
RC -- R. C. White, CPA San Marcos, TX rc[ at ]grandecom.net Microsoft Windows MVP (Running Windows Live Mail beta in Vista Ultimate x64)
"AJR" <ajrjdr[ at ]comcast.net> wrote in message news:#pUACKKxHHA.3756[ at ]TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl... > Do not create a dual boot system - unless there is a pressing need or > reason for doing so - other than just "liking" the idea. Sooner or later > a decision will be made to remove XP - and that is not as simple as > uninstalling XP and reorganizing the partition or separate HD. > > In a dual boot setup, Vista installs files, including a hiddden folder > titled simply "Boot" at the XP location and since XP requires Boot.ini - > Viasta looks for it first and if XP is not selected to boot, Vista looks > for it's boot manager BCDStore. > > Removing XP and the associated partition removes the Boot folder which > requiring use of BCDEdit or a third party boot manager. > > r > "Zeke" <zeke[ at ]jehenna.com> wrote in message > news:OVTSdNIxHHA.2432[ at ]TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl... >>I have a HP Pavilion with 2 SATA harddrives. Vista is pre-installed on >>HD0. Now I want to add an XP install and I consider different ways to do >>it: >> - Partition HD0 in two parts, install XP on the new logical drive >> - Install XP on HD1 and handle hd selection with BIOS (boot option). >> >> What strategy is the best? Pro's/cons?
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For the easiest and cleanest installation, before installing XP, change the boot priority in the BIOS so that the XP drive will become the system partition. Install XP. Then you can either switch the boot priority back or leave it. If you switch back, Vista will be your default boot and you can use the BIOS selection to boot XP. You can accomplish this with a second partition on HD0, but you will have to make the new XP partition as the 'active' partition prior to installing, then you can switch back. You will also have to use EasyBCD or VistaBootPro to set up your dual boot.
"Zeke" <zeke[ at ]jehenna.com> wrote in message news:OVTSdNIxHHA.2432[ at ]TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
[Quoted Text] >I have a HP Pavilion with 2 SATA harddrives. Vista is pre-installed on HD0. >Now I want to add an XP install and I consider different ways to do it: > - Partition HD0 in two parts, install XP on the new logical drive > - Install XP on HD1 and handle hd selection with BIOS (boot option). > > What strategy is the best? Pro's/cons?
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Zeke skrev:
[Quoted Text] > I have a HP Pavilion with 2 SATA harddrives. Vista is pre-installed on > HD0. Now I want to add an XP install and I consider different ways to do > it: > - Partition HD0 in two parts, install XP on the new logical drive > - Install XP on HD1 and handle hd selection with BIOS (boot option). > > What strategy is the best? Pro's/cons?
Thanx for your input. However, my primary question is left unanswered. What would be the pros / cons to let the boot selector in BIOS do the job?
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not sure about the pros,,but the cons would be entering the bios and
changing the boot order all the time..it would be a strange way of doing
it..when you can do it from the start screen. turn on pc hit f1 enter
setup change boot drives f10 to save and reboot start os...easy way.
turn on pc start windows with xp or vista done.
--
Generator
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Thought my post covered it. If you install on different drives you can control it in the BIOS. If you install on one drive, you have to use the Vista boot files to select the system or change the active drive each time.
"Zeke" <zeke[ at ]jehenna.com> wrote in message news:uCgAFFWxHHA.4736[ at ]TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
[Quoted Text] > Zeke skrev: >> I have a HP Pavilion with 2 SATA harddrives. Vista is pre-installed on >> HD0. Now I want to add an XP install and I consider different ways to do >> it: >> - Partition HD0 in two parts, install XP on the new logical drive >> - Install XP on HD1 and handle hd selection with BIOS (boot option). >> >> What strategy is the best? Pro's/cons? > > Thanx for your input. However, my primary question is left unanswered. > What would be the pros / cons to let the boot selector in BIOS do the job?
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Most modern BIOS's give you a function key which allows you to select which drive to use as the priority drive. Works as easily as going thru the Vista boot screen
"Generator" <Generator.2to258[ at ]no-mx.forums.net> wrote in message news:Generator.2to258[ at ]no-mx.forums.net...
[Quoted Text] > > not sure about the pros,,but the cons would be entering the bios and > changing the boot order all the time..it would be a strange way of doing > it..when you can do it from the start screen. turn on pc hit f1 enter > setup change boot drives f10 to save and reboot start os...easy way. > turn on pc start windows with xp or vista done. > > > -- > Generator
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Forgot to mention that this method does require that each selected drive must have its own boot files.
"John Barnes" <jbarnes[ at ]email.net> wrote in message news:%23kXKeXWxHHA.312[ at ]TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
[Quoted Text] > Most modern BIOS's give you a function key which allows you to select > which drive to use as the priority drive. Works as easily as going thru > the Vista boot screen > > "Generator" <Generator.2to258[ at ]no-mx.forums.net> wrote in message > news:Generator.2to258[ at ]no-mx.forums.net... >> >> not sure about the pros,,but the cons would be entering the bios and >> changing the boot order all the time..it would be a strange way of doing >> it..when you can do it from the start screen. turn on pc hit f1 enter >> setup change boot drives f10 to save and reboot start os...easy way. >> turn on pc start windows with xp or vista done. >> >> >> -- >> Generator >
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On Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:51:29 +0200, Zeke <zeke[ at ]jehenna.com> wrote, quoted or indirectly quoted someone who said :
[Quoted Text] >I have a HP Pavilion with 2 SATA harddrives. Vista is pre-installed on >HD0. Now I want to add an XP install and I consider different ways to do > it: > - Partition HD0 in two parts, install XP on the new logical drive > - Install XP on HD1 and handle hd selection with BIOS (boot option). > >What strategy is the best? Pro's/cons?
see http://mindprod.com/jgloss/bootmanager.html for your options. -- Roedy Green Canadian Mind Products The Java Glossary http://mindprod.com
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