Vista & XP Dual Boot

  • Thread starter Thread starter John C. Iliff
  • Start date Start date
J

John C. Iliff

Need some advice, please. I am currently dual booting with Vista &
XP...works fine, but I'm aware of the problems that XP causes when
it sees Vista (e.g., wiping out Vista restore); no such problems when Vista
sees XP. So, my plan is:

1. Install BING (BootItNG... www.terabyteunlimited.com )
2. Install XP to separate HDD, NOT drive C: (F:, e.g.)
3. Install Vista to drive C:

This will automatically install the dual boot menu, and everything will work
fine from there. Now, I'd like to hide Vista from XP in BING, and leave XP
visible from Vista.

What will happen to the dual boot menu, in windows, when I choose to boot
from the BING menu? If I boot to Vista from BING, will I still get the
windows dual boot menu? Can I disable the dual boot menu, and just use BING?
Can I not install BING, and still use the 'Hide' functions?

OR...

Load BING, load WinXP, go into BING at bootup, hide the WinXP drive, and
boot to the Vista DVD.

After the install of Vista completes, reboot, hide Vista for the XP boot,
and leave XP unhidden for the Vista boot.

Wouldn't this accomplish what I'm after, and NOT create a dual boot menu,
since the Vista install wouldn't see XP during the install?

Any/all inputs to the above are welcome! Thanks...


John
 
Hi,

Install each separately with the volume containing the other set to hidden.
Do not bother with the Vista bootloader for dual booting, rather use BING.
Once both are installed, unhide the XP volume in the Vista boot entry edit
options.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
Could someone recommend a good, reliable, easy to use
boot manager?
Any free ones out there?

dom

| Hi,
|
| Install each separately with the volume containing the other set to hidden.
| Do not bother with the Vista bootloader for dual booting, rather use BING.
| Once both are installed, unhide the XP volume in the Vista boot entry edit
| options.
|
| --
| Best of Luck,
 
Sorry, don't know of any free ones. I can highly recommend BootItNG (Boot It
Next Generation) www.terabyteunlimited.com ...Great program, it's been
around for awhile, not free (currently $34.95), and a fairly steep learning
curve. But, there is good support in their newsgroup.

John
 
Not too many products out there with newsgroup support like BING's, where
the program's author answers the questions directly.

Really though, if you stay out of the advanced options and follow the
step-by-step help files, it's not too hard to learn and use. Personally, I
found it easier to learn than GRUB/LILO, and certainly easier for the novice
than Vista's bcdedit.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
Thank you.
Looks like that's the way I'll go.


| Sorry, don't know of any free ones. I can highly recommend BootItNG (Boot It
| Next Generation) www.terabyteunlimited.com ...Great program, it's been
| around for awhile, not free (currently $34.95), and a fairly steep learning
| curve. But, there is good support in their newsgroup.
|
| John
|
| | > Could someone recommend a good, reliable, easy to use
| > boot manager?
| > Any free ones out there?
| >
| > dom
|
|
 
Thanks for the info.
Most likely that's the way to go.
Thank you

| Not too many products out there with newsgroup support like BING's, where
| the program's author answers the questions directly.
|
| Really though, if you stay out of the advanced options and follow the
| step-by-step help files, it's not too hard to learn and use. Personally, I
| found it easier to learn than GRUB/LILO, and certainly easier for the novice
| than Vista's bcdedit.
|
| --
| Best of Luck,
|
| Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
|
| Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
|
| | > Sorry, don't know of any free ones. I can highly recommend BootItNG (Boot
| > It Next Generation) www.terabyteunlimited.com ...Great program, it's been
| > around for awhile, not free (currently $34.95), and a fairly steep
| > learning curve. But, there is good support in their newsgroup.
| >
| > John
| >
| > | >> Could someone recommend a good, reliable, easy to use
| >> boot manager?
| >> Any free ones out there?
| >>
| >> dom
| >
| >
|
 
Hey Rick...

Didn't work! XP on C:\, clean HDD on D:\; I hid XP from D:\, hid D: from
C:\; When I booted to the Vista DVD, it still 'sees' C: and D:! Went ahead
with the install, but when booting from BING it will not boot to D:\
(Vista), only to C:\, and then I get the dual boot menu from Vista boot
loader. I've fiddled through 3 installations of Vista, leaving XP on C:\. It
looks like I'll have to install XP on D:\, so the boot loader will install
to C:\ and not mess anything up. Can't get rid of the boot loader. I tried
to edit the BCD (w/VistaBootPro...which works fine.), but that disables
Vista. I'm going in circles, and obviously missed something to begin with.
There seems to be no way to hide both drives from the Vista
installation...hidden or not, Vista sees them.

John
 
I used BING successfully. XP was already on C:.
- I used BING to create a second partition out of C:.
- Made sure that partitions were in this order XP, Vista, BING boot
partition.
- Hid Vista partition from XP, hid XP partition from Vista, hid BING
partition from XP and Vista.
- During Vista install all three partitions were visible but I made sure
to install to Vista partition.
- Once install was done I could only boot Vista as the BING boot loader
was disabled. I booted off the BING CD to re-enable the BING boot
loader. At that point I also un-hid the XP partition from Vista.

I can now boot XP on C: as before or Vista as C: with the XP partition
as D:. This was the first time I used BING. I watched all the tutorials
and just took my time.
 
its so simple and easy, to just leave all disks alone, format the intended vista partition/drive.
with xp on "C" insert the vista dvd and install to "D" if that is where you want it.
then vista becomes "D" to xp "C".
also dual boot menu is setup providing "Earlier Windows and Vista.

your problem is probably causes because of trying to screw around with the system.



(e-mail address removed)



Hey Rick...

Didn't work! XP on C:\, clean HDD on D:\; I hid XP from D:\, hid D: from
C:\; When I booted to the Vista DVD, it still 'sees' C: and D:! Went ahead
with the install, but when booting from BING it will not boot to D:\
(Vista), only to C:\, and then I get the dual boot menu from Vista boot
loader. I've fiddled through 3 installations of Vista, leaving XP on C:\. It
looks like I'll have to install XP on D:\, so the boot loader will install
to C:\ and not mess anything up. Can't get rid of the boot loader. I tried
to edit the BCD (w/VistaBootPro...which works fine.), but that disables
Vista. I'm going in circles, and obviously missed something to begin with.
There seems to be no way to hide both drives from the Vista
installation...hidden or not, Vista sees them.

John
 
You're absolutely right...my "problem IS caused because of trying to screw
around with the system." And, because of the interaction between Vista and
XP, I will continue to "screw around" with the system, until I can get it
working, dual boot, as I like it!

My original dual boot was exactly as you describe it, and it worked fine,
but XP DOES interfere with Vista in your (my previous) configuration.

John
its so simple and easy, to just leave all disks alone, format the intended
vista partition/drive.
with xp on "C" insert the vista dvd and install to "D" if that is where you
want it.
then vista becomes "D" to xp "C".
also dual boot menu is setup providing "Earlier Windows and Vista.

your problem is probably causes because of trying to screw around with the
system.


(e-mail address removed)

Hey Rick...

Didn't work! XP on C:\, clean HDD on D:\; I hid XP from D:\, hid D: from
C:\; When I booted to the Vista DVD, it still 'sees' C: and D:! Went ahead
with the install, but when booting from BING it will not boot to D:\
(Vista), only to C:\, and then I get the dual boot menu from Vista boot
loader. I've fiddled through 3 installations of Vista, leaving XP on C:\. It
looks like I'll have to install XP on D:\, so the boot loader will install
to C:\ and not mess anything up. Can't get rid of the boot loader. I tried
to edit the BCD (w/VistaBootPro...which works fine.), but that disables
Vista. I'm going in circles, and obviously missed something to begin with.
There seems to be no way to hide both drives from the Vista
installation...hidden or not, Vista sees them.

John
 
Thanks Jerry.

I did just that - took time to read the bumph and watched the videos several
times to get the hang of the logic behind them. It all works now. Have even
got the TV tuner to work in the Media Centre
 
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