Creating dual boot XP

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Guest

I have bought a computer with Vista but I did not like it (e.g. no Outlook
Express, keeps flashing up annoying messages such as falsely saying my
anti-virus is not working and about music downloads).

So I bought a copy of XP, created a partition and tried to install it, but I
have been sold a version of XP which says it is only for a new computer, and
I get a message that I cannot install because the computer already has a
newer operating system.

Is there any way I can get round this and install XP? I have looked at
articles on how to uninstall Vista but they were beyond my knowledge to
follow.

Thanks for any help.
Dudley
 
=?Utf-8?B?RHVkbGV5?= said:
I have bought a computer with Vista but I did not like it (e.g. no Outlook
Express, keeps flashing up annoying messages such as falsely saying my
anti-virus is not working and about music downloads).

So I bought a copy of XP, created a partition and tried to install it, but I
have been sold a version of XP which says it is only for a new computer, and
I get a message that I cannot install because the computer already has a
newer operating system.

Is there any way I can get round this and install XP? I have looked at
articles on how to uninstall Vista but they were beyond my knowledge to
follow.
Click to expand...

Did you boot from the XP-CD?
 
I put the CD in the drive and followed the installation instructions until it
would not go further.

Following your query, I tried to boot from the XP CDROM but it gave the
message 'No boot device available'.

Dudley
 
Hi, Dudley.

The correct strategy is to boot from the WinXP CD, as Jawade said, and let
it reformat the hard drive and create a partition to install WinXP. Then
boot from the Vista DVD-ROM and let it create the dual-boot system as it
installs Vista into a different partition. The Golden Rule of dual-booting
is to always install the newest operating system last, since its Setup knows
how to handle earlier systems.

But there are several potential flies in that ointment. First, as you've
already encountered, that OEM WinXP CD apparently does not have drivers for
whatever hard drive is in your computer. You'll need to find drivers for
that drive - and possibly update the computer's BIOS as well - and put those
drivers onto a floppy diskette. When WinXP Setup invites you to press F6 to
install mass storage drivers, press F6 and wait patiently until Setup stops
with instructions for how to use that diskette to install the drivers.

The next fly is the Vista DVD-ROM: Did you get one? Is it the full retail
DVD? Or is it only a "recovery" disk that won't work to install Vista from
scratch?

You don't "uninstall Vista". You either delete its entire \Windows folder,
or you reformat the partition that holds that folder.

You haven't yet given us any details about the make and model of your
computer (or motherboard, etc., if you built it yourself), your hard
drive(s), or the specific version of Vista that you have. So it doesn't
make much sense for us to continue shooting in the dark until you tell us
more about your system.

Have you discussed this at all with the vendor who sold you the computer?

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail 2008 in Vista Ultimate x64)
 
Go into your bios at startup; either hit Delete, F2, or whatever it tells you
to do to get into Bios.
Read the startup screen
Some comps say hit F12 to change boot order.

Set your Boot order to boot from your Cd/DVD Drive 1st, reboot with XP disk
in DDrive, and follows what the others have said.
 
Thanks very much for the advice. I have a Dell Inspiron 531 with Vista Home
Premium with an ST325082 disk drive. I do not have a sloppy drive, but
presumably I can use the flash drive?

Dudley
 
Dudley said:
I have bought a computer with Vista but I did not like it (e.g. no Outlook
Express, keeps flashing up annoying messages such as falsely saying my
anti-virus is not working and about music downloads).

So I bought a copy of XP, created a partition and tried to install it, but I
have been sold a version of XP which says it is only for a new computer, and
I get a message that I cannot install because the computer already has a
newer operating system.

Is there any way I can get round this and install XP? I have looked at
articles on how to uninstall Vista but they were beyond my knowledge to
follow.

Thanks for any help.
Dudley
Click to expand...


The older OS must be installed first unless you wish to acquire and
use some 3rd-party partition and boot management utility 3rd-party
products. Having an OEM installation of Vista further complicates
matters, as you probably did not receive a real Vista installation DVD
with the system.

However, dual-booting is no longer necessary in most situations.

Why not download a Virtual Machine application, such as Microsoft's
VirtualPC 2007 (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.asp?) or
Innotek's VirtualBox (http://www.virtualbox.org/) and run Win2K and your
legacy applications within a virtual computer. Both are free and work
with Vista. (Microsoft does not support the use of VirtualPC 2007 on
Vista Home editions, but several people have reported that it works just
fine.)


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot
 
Hi, Dudley.

Thanks for the additional details. But I still have some questions and
comments.
I have a Dell Inspiron 531
Click to expand...

OK. I've never had a Dell and I don't recognize that model, but I'm sure
others here will.
with Vista Home
Premium
Click to expand...

Was it pre-installed on the computer? Or did you buy a retail package and
add Vista? Upgrade or full version?

My GUESS is that Vista was pre-installed and that you got only a "recovery"
disk that will put your computer back to factory condition. In other words,
if you install WinXP and then run this recovery disk, it will wipe out WinXP
and you'll have to start over again. :>(
with an ST325082 disk drive.
Click to expand...

I recognize that as a Seagate drive model, a 250 GB drive. But it doesn't
tell me if it is IDE/PATA or SATA or SCSI or something else. The Seagate
site http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/product_finder/ list over a
dozen different models with that basic number, but with suffixes - like
ST3250820A for the Ultra ATA/100 model, ST3250820AS for the SATA, and
several others. The Ultra ATA/100 (also known as IDE or PATA), interface is
a couple of decades old and you should not need any special drivers. But if
that is true, you should not be getting the 'No boot device available' error
message that you reported. Since you did get that message, maybe you should
ask Dell or Seagate if any special drivers are required - and where to get
them.
I do not have a sloppy drive, but
presumably I can use the flash drive?
Click to expand...

I can't tell if you are joking, but the word is "floppy". (It goes back
more than 30 years to distinguish the then-new small flexible vinyl
diskettes from hard disk platters. Nowadays the floppy material is inside a
stiff plastic cover.) Vista will accept the special drivers on a USB thumb
drive or a CD, I've heard, but WinXP insists that they be on a floppy
diskette.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail 2008 in Vista Ultimate x64)
 
The older OS must be installed first unless you wish to acquire and
use some 3rd-party partition and boot management utility 3rd-party
products. Having an OEM installation of Vista further complicates
matters, as you probably did not receive a real Vista installation DVD
with the system.

However, dual-booting is no longer necessary in most situations.

Why not download a Virtual Machine application, such as Microsoft's
VirtualPC 2007 (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.asp?) or
Innotek's VirtualBox (http://www.virtualbox.org/) and run Win2K and your
legacy applications within a virtual computer. Both are free and work
with Vista. (Microsoft does not support the use of VirtualPC 2007 on
Vista Home editions, but several people have reported that it works just
fine.)
Click to expand...

Will XP run in a VM?
 
Make sure you can get the drivers you need for XP before you proceed. That
may be particularly difficult if you are talking about a laptop or notebook.
You will need a floppy if you need drivers for a SATA drive controller.
 
MikeV06 said:
Will XP run in a VM?
Click to expand...


Yes, it will. That's how I run it now, when I need to refresh my
memory about its features/capabilities: In a VirtualBox VM hosting on a
Vista Business PC.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot
 
Many thanks to everyone who has given advice. I have downloaded VirtualPC
2007. It is in - for some reason - the Documents folder on the desktop. I
opted for 256mb RAM instead of the default 128. There are now three files:
Virtual machine Settings file 13kb, Saved State 1427kb, and Hard Drive Image
131kb.

Does this sound right and can you advise what I do next?

Thanks very much again.

Dudley
 
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