Question Dual boot Windows 11 with Windows 7

[mdwood]

I have an ASUS TUF Gaming Z590-PLUS WIFI with Windows 11 Pro installed and am trying to install Windows 7 Pro to dual boot. I have created a bootable USB thumb drive from my original Windows 7 Pro DVD but when I boot from it it always freezes after the initial loading of install files and on the waiting Windows symbol. I've booted from the DVD and the USB but it always freezes when it hits that initial logo screen.

I've pretty much resigned myself to keep running the 2nd PC for my Win 7 only apps but would love to eliminate it if anyone has any ideas. Thanks.

 

[Colif]

its likely because Intel haven't supplied any win 7 drivers for that chipset. It can't boot win 7.

TUF Gaming Z590-PLUS WIFI｜Motherboards｜ASUS Global

TUF Gaming Z590-PLUS WIFI is an Intel® Z590 (LGA 1200) ATX gaming motherboard with 16 DrMOS power stages, PCIe® 4.0, one 64 Gbps M.2 slots, Intel® WiFi 6 and 2.5 Gb Ethernet, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C®, front panel USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C®, Two-way AI Noise Cancelation, and Thunderbolt⢠4...

www.asus.com

You might want to consider using a VM to run win 7 in instead of installing it that way. It might work out better, depending on what apps are.

 

[mdwood]

its likely because Intel haven't supplied any win 7 drivers for that chipset. It can't boot win 7.

TUF Gaming Z590-PLUS WIFI｜Motherboards｜ASUS Global

TUF Gaming Z590-PLUS WIFI is an Intel® Z590 (LGA 1200) ATX gaming motherboard with 16 DrMOS power stages, PCIe® 4.0, one 64 Gbps M.2 slots, Intel® WiFi 6 and 2.5 Gb Ethernet, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C®, front panel USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C®, Two-way AI Noise Cancelation, and Thunderbolt⢠4...

www.asus.com

You might want to consider using a VM to run win 7 in instead of installing it that way. It might work out better, depending on what apps are.

Thanks that makes sense, I haven't really played with VMs yet guess that's my next adventure.

 

[Alan Alan]

I'm not sure, but it's possible windows 7 simply won't run on a usb port. It's been a long time but I think I tried it once and failed. I would think windows 7 drivers for your hardware might be a problem, have you checked to see if your machine will actually run on win 7. You might do a backup of your current C drive using Macrium free software on to your usb drive. Don't do a clone just a drive backup. Make sure you also install the Macrium PE boot on the USB drive so you can restore the drive. Then try to boot off that drive and be sure it will restore your C drive from the file. If you get that far, install win 7 on your hard drive and see if will work. I would first check to see if win 7 drivers are available for all of your hardware before going thru the trouble. If it works then you know it will run off a hard drive but not a usb drive. Pop in another drive and then restore your win 11 to that drive from the usb with macrium then your good to go.

 

[Colif]

If he could get win 7 on, The order of install is likely a problem still.
Win 7 has no idea what Win 11 is so when it went to write its details into the boot order, instead of just adding itself, its more likely to remove/replace win 11. I assume its win 7 64bit as if its not, its even more fun as it can't boot off GPT.
If it let him install, he would probably have to install 7 first and then add win 11 after, as Win 11 knows what WIn 7 was. It doesn't over write its boot files.
if there were win 7 USB drivers, you could maybe put those into the install. But intel didn't make any drivers for his chipset AFAIK. So it may not just be USB he lacks.

 

[hotaru.hino]

I'm having a bit of trouble trying to think of apps that are "Windows 7 only." The only thing I can think of are apps that SmartScreen might flag as "you really shouldn't install this app", but the only one I've encountered that does this are intrusive/broken DRM frameworks.

i.e., Does some app not even run on a newer version of Windows?

 

[TerryLaze]

I'm having a bit of trouble trying to think of apps that are "Windows 7 only." The only thing I can think of are apps that SmartScreen might flag as "you really shouldn't install this app", but the only one I've encountered that does this are intrusive/broken DRM frameworks.

i.e., Does some app not even run on a newer version of Windows?

Well I have an old scanner that installs its drivers under win 10-11 but then still doesn't recognize the scanner, it only works correctly on win 7.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Well I have an old scanner that installs its drivers under win 10-11 but then still doesn't recognize the scanner, it only works correctly on win 7.

While yes drivers are software, I would argue this fits more as a hardware issue. Especially if the manufacturer doesn't officially support Windows 10.

EDIT: And even then you should be able to talk to the scanner in a VM once you let the VM have exclusive control of that USB port.

 

[simontompkins]

It may help to know how you are doing this - have you partitioned one hard drive or is are you doing it with separate hard drives?

I used to install both a 32 bit and 64 bit windows 7 and after trial and error found it best not let either OS know the other was being installed. It seemed to create problems, my guess is something to do with switching the boot drive when you've installed another os when the existing os is still 'visible"

To keep it 'clean' I disconnected one hard drive and connected another hard drive to put the 'new' os in. So in your case maybe disconnect the win 11 drive and put on another drive and boot from that one and put win 7 on that one. Then just use the BIOS to change the boot disk.

Before you go through that rigmarole another thought occurs. When I was doing it it was with IDE and EIDE cables. Thing was you could have two primary drives but only one primary drive per cable.

Are you using one cable to connect two drives - if you are I'd first of all try using a separate cable for each drive.

 

[Alan Alan]

If he could get win 7 on, The order of install is likely a problem still.
Win 7 has no idea what Win 11 is so when it went to write its details into the boot order, instead of just adding itself, its more likely to remove/replace win 11. I assume its win 7 64bit as if its not, its even more fun as it can't boot off GPT.
If it let him install, he would probably have to install 7 first and then add win 11 after, as Win 11 knows what WIn 7 was. It doesn't over write its boot files.
if there were win 7 USB drivers, you could maybe put those into the install. But intel didn't make any drivers for his chipset AFAIK. So it may not just be USB he lacks.

I don't think the boot order is a big problem, can't you go into the bios and choose which op sys to run. No chipset drivers, now that's what I call a big problem. Hey I got an idea, let's learn to write drivers, there are manufacturers holding us ransom by not making new driver. However if Microsuck configured Windows 11 to export drivers that are backwards compatible for chipsets and other older but perfectly good hardware, they might actually get people to buy win 11 just so they can use older peripherals. In reality, they would be fools not to. Everything out there has a driver that was written for some version of Windows. Microsoft should have no problem interpreting those old drivers and exporting a new driver for win 11. Their backwards compatibility is a good idea but they didn't do a very good job with it. I have an old sound card that actually works with win 11 because of the compatibility option but I still have to change the sample rate manually on it because they didn't figure it out. Win 7 never had that problem, so it's very possible they need to work on their backwards compatibility option. Also it's possible to take a win11 driver for the chipset and generate a driver for windows 7. That is if the new chipset could even work on Win 7.

 

[USAFRet]

I don't think the boot order is a big problem, can't you go into the bios and choose which op sys to run. No chipset drivers, now that's what I call a big problem.

The order they are installed IS a problem.

An earlier Windows knows nothing about the later versions. And WILL overwrite the boot partition.

It has been this way every version this century.

The way to get around this is to install each OS on its own physical drive, with ONLY that drive connected.
Select which one to boot into at power up.

Hey I got an idea, let's learn to write drivers, there are manufacturers holding us ransom by not making new driver.

Go for it.

Windows is remarkably compatible with thousands of pieces of hardware, and literally millions of different PC configurations.

Can you personally do better?
I invite you to get into writing drivers for the Linux kernal.

However if Microsuck configured Windows 11 to export drivers that are backwards compatible for chipsets and other older but perfectly good hardware, they might actually get people to buy win 11 just so they can use older peripherals.

MS earns a vanishingly small revenue of people buying a standalone OS.

Win 10 spoiled us on compatibility with older hardware.
No Windows OS before was so backwards compatible.
And now, people think that is/was the norm. It isn't.

 

[TerryLaze]

The order they are installed IS a problem.

An earlier Windows knows nothing about the later versions. And WILL overwrite the boot partition.

It has been this way every version this century.

It doesn't matter that much.
Win 7 already used the same bcdstore as win 11 so the only thing that could get deleted is the boot entry of windows 11 which you can easily re enter with easybcd or if you do a bit of reading with the included command line tools of windows.

 

[Alan Alan]

I actually meant using two different drives. Win7 on one, 11 on the other.

 

[USAFRet]

I actually meant using two different drives. Win7 on one, 11 on the other.

So then install one, with only that drive connected.
Repeat the process with the other drive.

At start up, interrupt the boot process to choose which one.

 

[Alan Alan]

So then install one, with only that drive connected.
Repeat the process with the other drive.

At start up, interrupt the boot process to choose which one.

That's about the only way I can think of doing it. But you might use a usb boot drive installer for win 7, boot to it and install win 7 on a different drive. Possibly a different partition if you only have one drive. Seems like the partition should work as the partition is not made by Win11. You would think either operating system could read and write files to either drive. Just not be able to run executable files on the other drive.