Can you have installed Windows 8.1 and then add Windows 7 to it, so that you have a dual boot computer?

[ITNation]

I currently have Windows 8.1 installed on my Toshiba laptop computer. I'd like to add a Windows 7 to it, so that I have 2 OSs on my system. However, I learned in the A+ books that if you want to achieve this, you have to 1. install OSs on 2 different partitions (which is an easy step to do) and 2. the older OS ( in this case Windows 7) has to be installed first and then Windows 8.1. However, on my laptop, that is not the case as Windows 8.1 came pre-installed on the laptop. Is this possible to do? My boss told me that I can wipe everything from my current system and then install Windows 7 first and then Windows 8.1, but that's not the path I want t go.

 

[Alabalcho]

Make sure you have bootable Windows 7 and 8.1 disk (or USB) key before you start messing with that.
Once you have them, make sure you can boot Windows 8 off that disk/USB, and perform "repair boot".
If that still works, make a partition for your Windows 7 installation, boot Windows 7 install, choose "custom", put it into that spare partition. Once install is finished and you can reboot into Windows 7, boot with Windows 8, repair boot. If you're lucky, you will have boot menu with both Windodws 7 and Windows 8. If not - install (from within Windows 8) EasyBCD, and add your Windows 7 partition.

 

[basroil]

If you have Windows 8.1 Pro, why not just enable Hyper-V and virtualize Windows 7? It has zero risk involved, and you can run both OSes at the same time (though Win 7 will run in a degraded mode where only DX9_3 is available in software rendering)

 

[ITNation]

What I want to do this is I have a Cannon printer that I want to install on my Windows 8.1 laptop. Cannon does does not have drivers for Windows 8.1, but only has a driver for Windows 7. If I enable Hyper-v and do the virtualization on my laptop, would I then be able to install that printer driver on my laptop?

 

[basroil]

What I want to do this is I have a Cannon printer that I want to install on my Windows 8.1 laptop. Cannon does does not have drivers for Windows 8.1, but only has a driver for Windows 7. If I enable Hyper-v and do the virtualization on my laptop, would I then be able to install that printer driver on my laptop?

Only if it's an ethernet connected printer. 99% of the time the printer will run just fine with generic drivers though. And new printers aren't expensive either, usually that's the best way to go simply because of toner costs.

 

[ITNation]

No. This is a special printer. It's called Selphy CP900 and it prints photos 4"x 6" in size. I use it wireless now because I cannot install the driver on Windows 8.1.

 

[basroil]

That is one of those mostly useless printers (dye sub but reduced quality to keep it at consumer prices) that Canon actually abandoned since nobody really used them. You can probably install the Windows 7 drivers on Windows 8 for that model though, especially since the CP910 (yours is CP900) has unified drivers for Windows Vista to 8.

 

[ITNation]

Nope. I just tried it and could not install the Windows 7 driver on my computer. The install would not even start. There are no drivers for Windows 8 or 8.1 at all on Cannon's website..

 

[Alabalcho]

I haven't tried Hyper-V on Windows 8/8.1, but under Windows 10, Hyper-V does not provide USB support. If you want to go virtualization router, try VirtualBox - you can then "attach" the printer to the VM running Windwos 7.

 

[Yamata_no_Orochi]

If you have Windows 8.1 Pro, why not just enable Hyper-V and virtualize Windows 7? It has zero risk involved, and you can run both OSes at the same time (though Win 7 will run in a degraded mode where only DX9_3 is available in software rendering)

Then he has to make sure that laptop of his has enough ram to DUAL RUN both the VM and the original OS on top of that or else he's choking himself out. Probably needs to do more than experimentation.