prospective beginner

  • Thread starter Thread starter FireBrick
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FireBrick

Can I make Vista a dual boot type install?

So I can run my legacy programs that run under XP Pro.

But switch to Vista when I wish to use it's features.

Many of my specialized devices (hardware type) do not Vista Drivers as yet,
and may not for a while.

So I'd like to be able to boot to one version to use my existing setup, and
then boot to Vista when that's needed.

And obviously when my drivers are updated, I'd make a complete switch.

Is this possible?
I have two SATA drives, Windows XP is on C: where most of my programs are.
(I've run the compatibility module and it reports the driver non existence
issue)

So what's the verdict?

--
 
Yes. Create a second partition on your hard drive of around 40GB then
install Vista to the 'second' partition. You will then have XP on partition
1 and Vista on partition 2. After installing a dual boot menu will appear
allowing you to access either XP or Vista. One word of warning, because of
the way shadow copying works, if you access XP you will loose all system
restore points on Vista. If you don't use system restore then you have no
problem. Alternatively ensure you have a current backup image in case of any
problems. Workarounds include using a third party boot manager or, if you
are using Vista Ultimate use bitlocker encryption.

--
John Barnett MVP
Associate Expert
Windows - Shell/User

Web: http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org
Web: http://vistasupport.mvps.org

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FireBrick said:
Can I make Vista a dual boot type install?

So I can run my legacy programs that run under XP Pro.

But switch to Vista when I wish to use it's features.

Many of my specialized devices (hardware type) do not Vista Drivers as
yet, and may not for a while.

So I'd like to be able to boot to one version to use my existing setup,
and then boot to Vista when that's needed.

And obviously when my drivers are updated, I'd make a complete switch.

Is this possible?
I have two SATA drives, Windows XP is on C: where most of my programs are.
(I've run the compatibility module and it reports the driver non existence
issue)
Click to expand...

Yes you can dual boot XP and Vista, but first what version of Vista were
you planning to get? Per the Vista upgrade license you cannot have the
Vista upgrade version and the qualifying OS installed at the same time. So
to dual boot XP and Vista will require a full version of Vista, either OEM
or retail.

There is one issue to be aware of in a dual boot scenario. Whenever XP is
booted, it will delete all the System Restore points, Shadow copy files and
backups created by Vista if XP can see the Vista partition. Vista does not
delete XP restore points.

There is no solution to this, though there are several work arounds. To
avoid this you must hide the Vista partition from XP. One way is to encrypt
the Vista volume with Bitlocker. This is only available on the Enterprise
and Ultimate versions. The other option is to use 3rd part boot loader to
hide the Vista partition.

Another way to protect yourself besides these two is to use a drive imaging
program to regularly image the Vista partition, so you have it as a backup.
The Ultimate, Enterprise and Business versions come with Complete PC Backup
which is an imaging backup. 3rd party software that does this in Vista is
Acronis True Image Home, v. 10.
 
I would definitely read the posts in these MS forums, before undertaking
an attempt at dual booting XP and Vista. Personally, I can see no
compelling reason to install Vista on my computer, and after reading some
of the problems these other folks are experiencing, you may come to the
same conclusion.
 
Bill said:
I would definitely read the posts in these MS forums, before undertaking
an attempt at dual booting XP and Vista. Personally, I can see no
compelling reason to install Vista on my computer, and after reading some
of the problems these other folks are experiencing, you may come to the
same conclusion.
Click to expand...

If you went to an hospital emergency room you wouldn't likely run into a
group of healthy folks either. Been running Vista through the TechBeta and
now Ultimate RTM since November on this nearly 5 y/o machine, P4 2.53 GHz,
1GB RAM system in a multi-boot with two installations of XP. It runs Vista
better than XP, and XP feels old when I log into it. I'm just dual booting
at the moment to keep use of my old legacy printer.

That said the decision to move to a new OS should be based on some objective
criteria. Personally I would only do a clean install, rather than in
upgrade in place.
 
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