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Installing XP on Same Drive as VISTA

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Guest DALTech_Ops

Nick, or anyone else, I am considering installing XP on the same hard drive as Vista and setting a dual boot. I'm still in search a really good sweet spot for FSX as is everyone else. The hard drive I currently have is huge and can easily accomodate both OS's, FSX, and hords of addons.1. Can XP be installed on same drive as Vista? 2. Would there be an option at boot up as to which one I loaded?Thanks,Mitch

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No - you cannot install XP on a computer/ hard drive with Vista.You can install Vista on a computer/ hard drive with XP and get an option as to which OS you want to start.XP was the first of the two OS to be released and needs to be on the computer/ hard drive first if you want a reliable dual-boot configuration.There are some tricks which can supposedly make XP work on a computer with Vista already installed - but they are extremely detailed technically and very prone to problems.

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Guest DALTech_Ops

Ok, thanks you very much Reggie.Mitch

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I beg to differ.Xp can be installed after vista but it is tricky-you will need to create a separate partition on the drive first so backup everything first!.Easier if ure installing to another hard drive!Once xp is installed your computer will not recognise vista and boot to xp.you will then need to edit the boot.ini file with a boot manager in order to get a choice of os when you reboot.Be prepared to spend a few days,and have alternate access to the internet to search for answers if you run into trouble.Definitely doable!Jay

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> .. installing XP on the same drive as Vista .. First, a disclaimer: Using more than one OS is dangerous. Just forget one critical step and you might mess up your system, so that you have to install everything from scratch !Backup your whole system before messing around like that ..If something goes wrong, my answer will be to start from scratch and use your backups ..Be prepared to start from scratch several times until everything works !Still here ? OK, my PC has two drives. Disk 1 boots XP, Vista and Win2K. Disk 2 boots XP64, Linux, and i could still add two other Windows OS, e.g. Win2008 Server or whatever. Disk 1 is partitioned like this:- BootUS boot manager in the MBR (Master Boot Record) of disk 1- XP in first primary partition- Vista in second primary partition- Win 2K in third primary partition- an extended partition containing just one shared logical partitionDisk 2 is partitioned like this- XP64 in first primary partition- empty second and third primary partition for two other OS- an extended partition containing several logical partitionsThat extended partition on disk 2 contains:- a shared logocal partition- three logical linux partions (swap, boot, root).Using the BootUs boot manager, i can select XP, XP64, Vista, Win2K or Linux.The easiest way to install an additional OS is using a VM (virtual machine) by using MS Virtual PC, VmWare Workstation or something similar. Problem: You cant run FSX or any other DirectX 3D accelerated stuff inside the VM, cause the VM emulates some really ancient GPU from last millenium ..As Reggie already said, the next best option is to install XP first, then Vista. Each OS needs its own partition, so you have to partition the disk using PartitionMagic or something similar. When you install the second OS (Vista), it will be added to the boot menu of the first OS (XP). Problems: Now the 2nd OS depends on the 1st. You cant delete XP without destroying Vista, because they share the boot.ini file in the XP partition.As Reggie said, you cant install Vista first and then XP, if you want to use the official MS OS selection mechanism (boot.ini).On my previous PC i had several OS installed, each independent from each other. I used the XFDisk boot manager ( http://www.mecronome.de/xfdisk/ ) for that. XFDisk can only boot from disk 1. To boot from more than one disk, i use the BootUs boot manager ( http://www.boot-us.com/ ). Read its manual and check the support section on that site for lots of info about using several OS ..Make sure that you understand:- primary partitions- extended partitions- logical partitions- partition types- how to resize and move partitions- how to activate partitions- how to hide partitions (during OS installation)- how to remap partition letters- how to remap physical disks numbers during booting- how to install a boot manager without using a partition- all MS OS need a primary boot partition on the first disk- when installing an OS, hide the partitions of all other OSThere are several limitations, mostly for historical reasons ..Still want to try a multi OS installation ?For some recommendation i need to know:- list of OSs to install (XP and Vista ?)- which OSs need DirectX 3D (both ?)- why not XP + Vista with shared boot.ini (the offical MS way)Martin

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Guest Nick_N

I would do it on 2 different drives, not partitions. That is of course my opinion based on max performance desired and what I intended to do with Vista compared to XP.If I was going to use Vista just to get to know it and work with it as a starter situation, partitioning and placing XP on the first and Vista on the second is OK. But I would not do that if it was my intention to use the OS with the installation of an application that demands performance.

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It's not all that hard. XP installed first is easiest. If Vista is already installed you'll want to download a program called EasyBCD from NeoSmart Technologies.Here's a rather simple tutorial if your comfortable with a computer:[h1][a name=InstallingXPAfterVista-AddingWindowsXPtoaPCwithWindowsVistaAlreadyInstalled][/a]Adding Windows XP to a PC with Windows Vista Already Installed[/h1][p]One of the most common problems encountered in configuring a dual-boot between Windows XP and Windows Vista happens when you try to install Windows XP on a computer with Windows Vista already installed. When you install Windows XP, it'll remove the Vista bootloader and use its own instead.[/p][p]If you follow these instructions, you should be able to add Windows XP to a system that already has Windows Vista

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Yes. I too have used the above method without undue stress.Would have to agree with Nick re the performance though. Although I had both on one large drive to begin with, I have seen significant improvements with XP & Vista now on separate drives.

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