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[clippertm Profile]

Hello Everyone!

I purchased Windows Vista Ultimate x64 a few days ago, along with a new hard drive, but I am having troubles dualbooting

Currently, Windows XP Professional x86 SP2 is installed on the C: drive. I am planning to use it for quite a while, because numerous applications I used are not Vista compatible yet, and I would like it to remain on C: .

I would like to install Vista on the D: drive, without interfering with the C: drive. Last time I did that, I could only boot Vista, regardless of the disk boot order, and I had to format the two drives, and reinstall XP, because VISTA had apparently modified the boot instructions in the C: drive

(I also unplugged the Vista drive but I still I could not even boot XP...)

This is quite time consuming, and I would like to know if anyone of you has written a fail-proof tutorial on that.

Many thanks,

[kd1966 Profile YIM]

Hi and welcome to PROnetworks! Before you get all wrapped up in another failed scenario, please take a look at our guides on dual booting. I'd also add this for your next go around........ Install XP (64 or 32) FIRST; XP is now you SYSTEM DRIVE, and this is important because subsequent Vista installs will place their boot files/folders on this SYSTEM drive, so you are not exactly correct in saying that Vista "modified" your XP booting, Vista simply places its boot files and folders on the System drive which in your case - and in most dual boot scenarios - is the XP drive.
Please don't unplug your drives, as this just makes recovery take more time (Can we azzume you are using SATA drives?)
Please post a screenshot of your Disk Mgmt from XP before you begin with your next dual boot.

NOTHING is "fail-proof" with computers.......... we have guides, but there are so many variables that can come into play that we cannot anticipate them all, and even if we could, the guides would be so long it would overwhelm the servers.......lol

[papakal Profile]

I got a new computer with Vista preinstalled. I wanted XP because of software issues so I bought another hard drive, set it up as the boot drive (SATA 0), installed XP and tried to dual boot - no go. I then reinstalled Vista on the original drive (now SATA 3) and dual boot went without a hitch. Vista definitely has to be the last install......I set it up so that XP was the default boot because Vista is just a toy for now IMHO.....

[clippertm Profile]

Hello kd1966,

Thank you for your reply!

XP x86 is installed as the system drive on C: now.

D: is empty.

I am using S-ATA drives.

Here is a screenshot of the Disk Management.

Let me know what you think!

Many thanks,




Edit by NT50: Changed Image to Thumbnail

[clippertm Profile]

Hello Papakal,

I believe Vista it should be install last as well. Unfortunately I am limited to only two S-ATA (working on a laptop). I am not really planning to use Vista on a regular basis either: I could not even find any working GeForce Go 7900 64-bit drivers!

[JabbaPapa Profile]

As you are using SATA drives _and_ you are using XP x86 and Vista x64, you would probably be wise to seek a tailor-made solution (from us guys I mean ) rather than following the standard dual-boot setup advice

Most likely boot issue is that Vista pre-boot, after setup, is switching the boot order of your hard drives, so that dual-boot is not automatically created.

In your shoes, I would unplug the new drive, then reinstall XP from scratch on the current drive C: , booting from CD and deleting the current partition ; then when prompted create a new 25-30 GB partition (NTFS) for the XP

When done, reboot from the Vista DVD without plugging the new drive back in, then create a new partition in the remaining space, and install Vista there.

Plug the new drive back in, then use it for your data partition (for both Windows setups)