Dual boot configuration - need help

I am running Windows Vista Home Basic. I began with a 250 GB HDD but have now partitioned it - roughly in half - using Vista's built-in partitioning facility, I now have a 116 GB 'c' Drive and a brand new freshly formatted 111 GB 'e' Drive. I want to have Windows XP Pro on the 'e' Drive. If I boot-up from the XP installation CD, Setup stops and aborts immediately it detects the Vista. If I run the XP CD from within Vista, I don't get the install option. If I shove the Vista out the door and start over with installing XP, I have lost the partition created from within Vista and I have never been able tro find any built-in partitioning facility within XP. I genuinely cannot afford to purchase a Partition Magic type of application that I intend using only the one time. Free partitioning applications are not the real deal - they allow you to get so far but when the time comes to commit yourself to the partition you have created, a little dialog box pops up and says the trial version does not actually activate the partition. So what can I do to get Windows XP onto my 'e' Drive. I have tried Microsoft Virtual PC but as it is installing, a dialog box pops up saying that my operating system (Vista Home Basic) is not supported but it allows me to continue. So I get the XP installing nicely on the Virtual PC ... until Setup reaches the point where it asks me to choose where I want XP to be installed and then it states it cannot detect any Hard Drive and so it cannot continue. (so how do you get XP to install on the Virtual PC?). Please feel free to e-mail me jim@jimobasa.com with any genuine advice/tips. THANKS.

 

When installing Windows systems, you need to start with the older OS first, in this case XP, then install the newer system, Vista, afterwards. This is because the "boot loader" in older versions doesn't recognize the newer OS, and either won't let you install, or it destroys the newer boot files and you end up only accessing the old system (no dual boot, in other words).

I believe you can normally get around this by using third party booting programs such as System Commander...but I think even those might have a problem with Vista as it uses a unique booting format.

 

Disconnect the Vista HD when installing XP. Then when you start it, it should give you the option.