dv2500t/dv6500t/dv9500t Current/ Duel Boot Vista/XP

I just wanted to start a thread that will help us all with a duel boot Vista/XP setup on the new dv2500t/dv6500t/dv9500t or just a install of Windows XP.The best link that i have found for just a install of Windows XP on the new models is http://www.nogodforme.com/HPDV6500T.htm
The best thread that i have found for duel boot Vista/XP is
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=125539


I customized a HP Pavilion dv9500t CTO NB which is estimated to be built by June 20, 2007. I would like a duel boot Vista/XP, but i have never done it before. Hopefully this thread will help me and many others do a duel boot Vista/XP.

My customized PC includes:

-
- Upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit)
- Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo T7500 (2.2GHz/4MB L2Cache)
- 17.0" WSXGA+ BrightView Widescreen (1680x1050)
- $50 off upgrade from 1GB (2 Dimm) to 2GB (2 Dimm)!
- 511MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS
- HP Imprint (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader +Webcam
- Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network w/Bluetooth
- 200GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (100GB x 2)
- FREE Upgrade - LightScribe DVD+/-RW w/Double Layer
- HP Expresscard TV Tuner for Windows Vista Notebook
- High Capacity 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- Microsoft(R) Works 8.0

I would like to have Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit) duel boot with XP. I will have Dual Hard Drive (100GB x 2). Is one OS(Vista Ultimate) on one hard drive and one OS(XP) on the other hard drive the best way to setup a duel boot? Or is there a better way with dual hard drive?


Any thoughts on duel boot Vista/XP will help us all out.

 

I think the way the harddisk is split is good..You shouldnt have any problems..

 

Does anyone have thoughts on a duel boot Vista/XP that will help us all out.

This quote is from this link http://www.nogodforme.com/HPDV6500T.htm

Where do you find these XP drivers for the dv9500t?


Here are some XP drivers

HP Quick Launch Buttons http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?softwareitem=ob-49029-1&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=3369393&os=228&lang=en

Synaptics Touchpad http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?softwareitem=ob-48345-1&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=3369393&os=228&lang=en

HP Wireless Assistant http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?softwareitem=ob-48908-1&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=3369393&os=228&lang=en

NVIDIA Driver for 8000s for XP http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_2k_158.22.html
The 9500t has the 8600M GS which is not on the support list

Product Support List Windows XP 32-bit – 158.22

GeForce 7050 PV / nForce 630a
GeForce 7025 / nForce 630a
GeForce 8300 GS
GeForce 8400 GS
GeForce 8500 GT
GeForce 8600 GT
GeForce 8600 GTS
GeForce 8800 GTS
GeForce 8800 GTX
GeForce 8800 Ultra
Quadro FX 4600
Quadro FX 5600

 

thanks! i used the same guide and i loved it. i was going to do the same thing but you already did it. it was from THAT guide where i got my SATA drivers.... they were pretty difficult for me to find.

btw, i have 8400M GS and that driver doesnt work (nvidia)

 

Just curious, but what's the point of dual booting between two different versions of Windows? Windows is Windows, why do you need two different versions to boot into?

 

I'm answering Lupin's question about dual-boot.

Hi Lupin. No you it's wrong to say "Windows is Windows." Some will want to dual-boot Windows XP Pro and Windows Vista (Ultimate, Business, etc.) so that they can have the latest opsys but still have the older opsys around for compatability with other programs (games, specialized apps, etc.).

Others will want to be able to run some version of Windows and some flavor of Linux on the same machine. Some will want to be able to run a 32-bit Windows and a 64-bit Windows on the same machine, for speed vs. compatibility or other (usu. testing) reasons. Still others, like me, are IT workers who will want to run a client and server operating system on the same machine. That's why I wanted to make my HP Pavilion dv9500t dual-boot Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit) and Windows Server 2003 R2 (64-bit).

But, as I've detailed in a prior thread, the Pavilion dv9500t thwarts dual-boot by ocking down the BIOS so the user can't control the SATA capabilities, thus the hard drive(s) are hidden to all operating systems except the on HP ships/tells you you can use. The stripped-down version of Phoenix BIOS delivered on the dv9500t (current version is F.08A) severely limits what the user can do. Specifically, it provides no way to set "SATA Nativity" which really should be called "HP Hidden Drive Mode."

Now, most users actually won't know about this limitation or care about it, and HP likes it that way. But Power Users simply will not allow a company to tell them what OS they can use. Perhaps worst of all, not only does the dv9500t BIOS limitation cause operating systems suchs as Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 to report "No hard drives found," it also implies the liklihood of it being impossible to ever install whatever OS comes after Vista, unless HP suddenly becomes enlightened and issues a new "unlocked" BIOS for the dv9500t, something it's terrible track record would suggest as being extremely unlikely. Which is sad, because otherwise the dv9500t is a very nice machine. If they had only agreed to give me an industry-standard sort of BIOS, I wouldn't have sent mine back.

One way out of this mess would be to deploy VMware Workstation 6 on your dv9500t, then you could run other operating systems as virtual machines, which is something I will do with my new Sager NP9260 FORCE with which I replaced the dv9500t I sent back. Even with this, however, I am dual-booting Vista Ultimate and Windows Server, so I can run genuine VMware Server on top of the Windows Server 2003 R2. I need this because I'm a corporate IT Admin and Security Consultant and need to test all kinds of different environments. Actually, I got the Sager with the THREE hard drives option, so I will be able to put Windows Longhorn on E: once it goes GA.

Let me know if you have any other questions.
Incidentally, I noticed you favor Gentoo Linux. Does this mean you actually got Linux to dual-boot on your dv9500t?!!!

Cheers,
Hans

[email protected]

 

Wow that was a long response. In short Windows XP is more compatible and faster with games so people want to dual boot to it to get the best performance on 3d games.

For the first poster, I would rather use 1 drive for the OS and the other drive for all your data/files.

 

Dual boot between 32-bit and 64-bit makes sense, dual boot between client OS and server OS makes sense, dual boot between Windows and Linux makes sense.

But I can't understand why you'd want to dual boot between XP and Vista for 'compatibility' reasons.

Applications are either Vista compatible or they're not. If all your apps/games are compatible with XP, but they're not all compatible with Vista - why are you using Vista? You should be using XP, obviously.

If all of your apps/games are compatible with Vista, why are you bothering with XP since Vista comes pre-installed?

I don't get it, seems like a very easy decision and no one should need to have both. Having both when it's not necessary is a waste of disk space, plus now you have 'two' systems you need to maintain, patch, update, etc., not to mention buy anti-virus and other utility software for. Seems like an expensive hassle that's entirely unnecessary. Not telling anyone what to do, just trying to understand why someone would want all that trouble for apparently zero benefit.

Yes, works perfectly. Any modern Linux distro includes SATA support by default and installs just fine on the dv9500t. It "just works". (See the link in my sig for installation details). SATA Nativity is not required for dual-booting, you just need some good boot-loader software and that's it!

 

i dont even use Vista, i use XP on my Vista-laptop
its because Vista was slow, and XP is atleast twice as fast (no kidding)
im only having trouble with my display, wireless, and webcam drivers.

 

Methinks someone is being a grumpy, passive-aggressive, highfalutin Linux snob

 

Who me?

But seriously, it was an honest question and was curious what the motivating factors are for that particular dual boot combination.

The other combinations that were mentioned make perfect sense, 32/64 bit, client/server OS, but XP and Vista? ... Why?

 

You must have heard the outcry over Vista in the past 6 months? It really has a LOT of changes that can cause compatibility problems. It is not just a look and feel upgrade -- they made giant changes to the underlying OS. Many things will not work correctly, especially games. Nvidia still doesn't have a good driver out for vista (afaik). The User access control stuff causes other problems, as does the filesystem and registry virtualization.

It's just a huge change, so it makes sense to keep something else around that you know is working.

 

I didn't realize the changes were so deep, thanks for explaining that.

I was aware that there were more than a few compatibility issues, particularly with games and video drivers. So my point here is that you know your applications and games are working fine under XP, and you know they're not working very well under Vista - why bother keeping Vista? Why not kick Vista to the curb in favor of XP? I don't understand the purpose in keeping around an operating system that doesn't work for you. Why bother with the extra baggage?

Maybe in a year or two once Vista has matured a little and the compatibility issues have been resolved - THEN blow away XP and install Vista.