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    Can i use XP also...

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by DarkMortar, Aug 5, 2007.

  1. DarkMortar

    DarkMortar Notebook Consultant

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    ok i use vista, and yes i do like it better than xp, but i think vista is giving me issues with a lot of older games i like to play, and its a resource hog. So is it possible for me to run either xp or vista via a partion on something? I have an OEM xp disk im afraid it wont work with a new laptop tho.
     
    DarkMortar, Aug 5, 2007
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  2. minimalism

    minimalism Notebook Geek

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    Yeah, you can double boot XP and Vista if you make a partition for each.
     
    minimalism, Aug 5, 2007
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  3. DarkMortar

    DarkMortar Notebook Consultant

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    ok, im worried about driver support and ruining something, how do i do this?
     
    DarkMortar, Aug 5, 2007
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  4. lixuelai

    lixuelai Notebook Virtuoso NBR Reviewer

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    lol if something works for Vista it is like guaranteed to work for XP. You wont have as good initial drivers since XP does not come with as many drivers as Vista however there will be alot more online. Just make you sure download the ethernet card XP driver beforehand to be safe.

    As to how to do it the easy way to is to use Vista to carve out a partition for the XP install (Computer management). Install XP. This will result in the bootloader being overwritten so you will only be able to boot XP. Pop in the Vista disk and do a restore. Choose restore boot (dont remember the exact name). This makes Vista the default OS. Then go back into Vista and download VistaBootPro and configure the options there. If you dont want VistaBootPro you can run BCDedit in command prompt (administrator mode). VistaBootPro is third party software that provides a visual interface. Functions are similar.

    Now if you want to get slightly complicated use GRUB (the bootloader that comes with many Linux distros like ubuntu). This will help if you run even more OSes.
     
    lixuelai, Aug 5, 2007
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  5. John Ratsey

    John Ratsey Moderately inquisitive Super Moderator

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    1. Create two extra partitions on your HDD. One will be for XP and one is for all your files.

    2. Download all the XP drivers and software and put them on the third partition.

    3. Get XP (which will need its own key) and install it. Then load all the drivers from the third partition. Note that if your XP is not very new then you may need to slipstream the drivers (particularly the HDD driver) into the installation using nLite.

    4. You will notice that you no longer have the option to boot Vista. Don't panic! Look for BCD Edit which set up your dual boot menu.

    John
     
    John Ratsey, Aug 5, 2007
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  6. minimalism

    minimalism Notebook Geek

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    VistaBootPro is a good free program for managing the double-boot.
     
    minimalism, Aug 5, 2007
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