Dual Booting XP & Windows 7 RC

I am more or less sure I know how to dual boot, differant partitions blah, blah, blah.

But is it possible to create a new partition for Windows 7 RC without erasing the XP partition? Basically XP is at present using 35.7GB of the 320GB HDD it's on, can I create a 120GB partition for W7RC to run on then install onto it without erasing the XP partition?

That may just be the same question twice but it makes sence to me LOL

Oh yeah, if it is possible what software will I need. I doubt XP will let me do it :-D

:major2-Bit-Geek:major

 

Yes, it's totally possible to create a 2nd partition without losing your current XP installation, and, no, XP won't let you do it. Download BootIT and create a boot CD. Boot to it. When it comes up, you'll be prompted to install to the hard drive, say "NO" or click Cancel and it will enter 'Maintenance Mode', this is what we need. You'll then see a button for "Partition Work". Select it, then select the "Resize" option to shrink the XP partition. Then use the "Create" option for the 2nd W7 partition. Just to be safe, you may want to back up anything you consider "important" from the XP partition. Playing around with partitions ALWAYS has some risk to it, and the worst scenario is always a very real possibility. However, I have tried the exact same thing you're trying to do (with XP and Vista) and it worked out fine. Be sure to run a good cleaning of the XP drive first (get rid of junk, temps, etc) and run a good defrag or two to try to get as much data as possible into one 'chunk' near the beginning of the drive. You can also try using EASEUS Partition Manager, it runs from within Windows so you don't need to create a boot CD. I haven't used it for this type of project though. Other bootable partition managers are available (like CPM for example) but BootIT is easy to use and utilizes the familiar Windows-type of GUI with mouse functionality. Many of the other bootable partition tools look like old DOS based apps with lines of text and cumbersome navigation. You can find other tools for partitioning in the Major Geeks Drive Utilities download section.
Good luck!

[dlb]

(Don't worry about the $hareware status of BootIt - it is fully functional for your needs)

 

I was thinking of dual booting with windows 7 RC and windows XP. Is it possible to install windows 7 on a external hard drive and leave windows xp on the internal hard drive and dual boot it that way

 

Thanx for the help but I sort of managed it on my own for once :-D

After posting that I actually found EASEUS Partition Manager and used it to shrink my XP partition from the whole drive (320GB) to 200GB, then created another partition with 120GB of space plenty for now.

I have Windows 7 RC installed now and I am amazed how fast it was, Fortmatting took seconds & the full install of the OS took 20mins. I would allocate 4 hours for an XP format & install I could rack up 6 hours to get all the drivers I needed on top of the install :-D

I really love W7, it's slower than XP but that is to be expected it's new. I love the new taskbar too & the new themes

I can see W7 being a massive hit once it comes out, installing it is so simple 7 quick, the interface is nice & clean and it finds all the major drivers you need as you are setting it up, it even gets you connected to the internet.

I have only been using it for about 4 hours and I am definately sold, Windows 7 Ultimate will be my next OS for sure :cool

:major2-Bit-Geek:major

 

YUP!!! I've used W7 a little bit too, and I must say I really like it, A LOT!!! Personally, I found it to be just as fast as XP, and it's everything that Vista should have been had it not been rushed. I see W7 catching on much more than Vista has, and I see a full version of W7Ultimate in my future also.

(glad you got the dual-boot figured out OK :-D)

to sexyandy81: you probably should start your own thread if you plan on taking your question further... but... yes, you can use an external drive IF your motherboard supports booting to an external USB device. Most MBs made in the past 2-3 years or so will have this feature, and W7 should have no problems recognizing the external during installation.