I want my XP back!

[Alsenor]

Hi, everyone.
I notice there are a lot of experienced users in this forum, and am hoping for some helpful advice.
My synopsis:
After suffering a crashhappy W95, then a mildly better W98, and a disaster of a W Millenium, I came to the conclusion that new operating systems serve only one purpose - the software and hardware maker's need for more sales.
But then came XP, and I said "finally".
After happily using XP for a few years it became time for a new machine. I tried to buy one with XP, but Vista was here by then, and I had to get an XP Media Center as a compromise. It was not the same as my previous experience, so I settled with Vista, until I had enough of the sluggishness.
A few months ago I gave in to recommendations of a friend to switch to W7, and bought a new HP with W7 on it.
Very pretty, and reasonably spunky for a while, but after multiple HP and MS "updates" getting less and less so.
I am left with the feeling that all my new and much better hardware is wasted on new operating systems, which are usually introduced with much fanfare, but are mostly eye-candy and a great resource appetite.

This is my current system: http://ggholiday.com/TEMP/system-info.html
I feel it would make my old XP really fly, and am toying with the idea of swapping out the 600GB HD for a smaller one and install XP on it.

Am I wrong, or over-expecting?
Thank you for any useful advice you may have.

 

[Alsenor]

I recommend adding another HDD for XP. Factory Image "D" is the partition (and it should be hidden) the mfr installed to allow you to re-install Win7 in case of corruption or failure of the system. You want to keep that intact, well I would want you to leave it alone if you were planning to bring it to me to fix after a failure.

Yes, of course. I have used that feature already a couple of times when I fooled around with the possibilities.

The 78GB partition: 2 choices:
1) format it and assign it a drive letter so you can use it for Your Documents in Win7 - this would be helpful if you add XP because you could then set XP's My Documents to that same partition. The result is that if either OSes crash, your data is intact on that primary partition (if the HDD fails, you lose the OS and the data anyway, so back your data up).
2) Move it to the C partition, expanding the Win7 partition capacity.

The Disk Manager only offers deletion for that partition. It doesn't let me do anything else.

If you add a HDD for XP, I would choose 2) above, then partition the new HDD (say a 500GB size) into two partitions: First partition 75GB, Primary, active for installing XP. Second partition 425GB, Primary, for data. Then I would set My Documents in both Win7 and XP to that partition.

Sounds good. All I have to figure out is how to be offered the two boot options then.

I've used three different partitioning programs (Partition Wizard works on x64 systems and it's Home edition is free). The first two partitions must be used for booting to OSes, and they should be Primary, not Logical (an OS failure will cause the loss of a logical partition), and Active.

Can't I just use the Disk Manager in W7?

(I hope these posts are helping, the possibilities are many, but only you know how you use your machine, and what you want to do.)

Thanks, they certainly are, and I do appreciate the guidance!

 

[Alsenor]

Best answer selected by Alsenor.

 

[treefrog07]

You're welcome.

Disk Manager does not have the same capabilities as partitioning software, try the link to Partition Wizard. After you install it, view the selections and read the descriptions of the functions. If you have question about the various functions, come back, or google them.

After you install XP, you should be able to boot to the Factory Image "D" to begin a "repair" of W7. That will find your original W7 installation, and offer to repair it - it takes very little time for this. Do not let it re-install W7 - you'll have to reload your applications.

And if you have more questions, we'll still be hanging around the forum!

 

[Alsenor]

You're welcome.

Disk Manager does not have the same capabilities as partitioning software, try the link to Partition Wizard. After you install it, view the selections and read the descriptions of the functions. If you have question about the various functions, come back, or google them.

After you install XP, you should be able to boot to the Factory Image "D" to begin a "repair" of W7. That will find your original W7 installation, and offer to repair it - it takes very little time for this. Do not let it re-install W7 - you'll have to reload your applications.

And if you have more questions, we'll still be hanging around the forum!

Okay, I dl'ed Partition Wizard and installed it. Then I deleted the data on the 78GB partition, which was some old backups by Acronis, gave it an "E" label, and made it a primary. Is it ready now to have XP installed on it, or do I have to take more precautions?

 

[Alsenor]

I understand that in most cases the OS Cd will prompt me to select the drive or partition I want the installation to go into.
But now we come to the most important question - the boot options.
Since only one partition can be declared as "active", how can I choose at bootup whether I want to open W7 or XP? It only boots into the active partition, doesn't it?

 

[treefrog07]

Install XP to the 78 GB partition. After XP installation is complete, run XP to be sure it has loaded.

Then you can restart the computer, and select the option for restoring Win7 from the hidden partition (should be in your manual). You should see a screen that allows you to select:
-- Install Win7 and (in the lower portion of the screen) there should be a line:
-- Repair Win7 installation, choose that.

When the repair is done you'll have a screen after POST that lists WinXP and Win7 as your choices - the default will be Win7, if you do not select one yourself.

 

[Alsenor]

Install XP to the 78 GB partition. After XP installation is complete, run XP to be sure it has loaded.

Then you can restart the computer, and select the option for restoring Win7 from the hidden partition (should be in your manual). You should see a screen that allows you to select:
-- Install Win7 and (in the lower portion of the screen) there should be a line:
-- Repair Win7 installation, choose that.

When the repair is done you'll have a screen after POST that lists WinXP and Win7 as your choices - the default will be Win7, if you do not select one yourself.

What makes the W7 partition hidden?

 

[Alsenor]

Install XP to the 78 GB partition. After XP installation is complete, run XP to be sure it has loaded.

Then you can restart the computer, ...(snip)

Let me understand this right.
1. I boot up into my W7
2. I insert my XP installation CD and select partition "E" to install it.
...after installing XP on the "E" partition I am still in my W7 OS, right?
I need to run XP to test it - how can I do that while in W7?

 

[aford10]

If you're setting up a dual boot system, follow this guide.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/8057-dual-boot-installation-windows-7-xp.html

 

[Alsenor]

If you're setting up a dual boot system, follow this guide.
It]http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/8057-dual-boot-installation-windows-7-xp.html

It says:
* If you have a RAID setup, you will need to have the XP RAID drivers on a Floppy disc available to select and load at the F6 prompt while installing XP.
* If you have a SATA drive, then see How to Load SATA Drivers in Windows XP Setup on your Dual Boot PC with Vista or Windows 7 for how to load your SATA drivers from a Floppy disc at the F6 prompt while installing XP.
But I don't have a floppy drive on my machine!

 

[aford10]

You're not running a RAID array, are you? Your specs show a single drive.

 

[treefrog07]

aford10's link is a good guide - you are installing XP after W7.
-- Don't worry about the RAID drivers, you're not using RAID.
-- Boot from the XP install CD, right after POST - NOT from within W7.
-- You may have to set your boot order in the BIOS from 1st: HDD to 1st: CD/DVD drive, if XP doesn't try to install right after the POST screen.

 

[aford10]

aford10's link is a good guide - you are installing XP after W7.
-- Don't worry about the RAID drivers, you're not using RAID.
-- Boot from the XP install CD, right after POST - NOT from within W7.
-- You may have to set your boot order in the BIOS from 1st: HDD to 1st: CD/DVD drive, if XP doesn't try to install right after the POST screen.

Yep
You'll probably want to start at #2 under Method 2.

 

[Alsenor]

You're not running a RAID array, are you? Your specs show a single drive.

I did not set up a RAID array (at least not knowingly! ). Yes, I currently only run a single drive.
But, method 2 also warns:
If you have a SATA drive, then see How to Load SATA Drivers in Windows XP Setup on your Dual Boot PC with Vista or Windows 7 for how to load your SATA drivers from a Floppy disc at the F6 prompt while installing XP.
I believe I do have a SATA drive.

 

[Alsenor]

aford10's link is a good guide - you are installing XP after W7.
-- Don't worry about the RAID drivers, you're not using RAID.
-- Boot from the XP install CD, right after POST - NOT from within W7.
-- You may have to set your boot order in the BIOS from 1st: HDD to 1st: CD/DVD drive, if XP doesn't try to install right after the POST screen.

I am not sure what the POST screen is. But, in any case, you say that if my boot order is set to CD/DVD first (which I will have to make sure first) then I can boot from the installation CD?

 

[aford10]

If you have XP SP2 or SP3, then you already have SATA support. You don't need to load SATA drivers.

 

[treefrog07]

I am not sure what the POST screen is. But, in any case, you say that if my boot order is set to CD/DVD first (which I will have to make sure first) then I can boot from the installation CD?

Yes.

The POST screen is either the mfr's logo/picture, like "Dell," or the BIOS POST which shows the CPU speed, the RAM capacity and check, etc.

 

[Alsenor]

Yes.

The POST screen is either the mfr's logo/picture, like "Dell," or the BIOS POST which shows the CPU speed, the RAM capacity and check, etc.

I get it. Its the text that never shows long enough for me to read all of it!

 

[Alsenor]

If you have XP SP2 or SP3, then you already have SATA support. You don't need to load SATA drivers.

I am not sure about that, but suspect that the CD I have is pre-SP2, and needs to wait for an online update to get to that level.
Correction: the CD I have is with SP2.

 

[aford10]

You can download the SP, and slipstream it into a new install disc, using nlite.
http://www.nliteos.com/

 

[treefrog07]

Yes, that text.

nLite is a very powerful tool for customizing your XP installation. Download XPsp3 here. You will need to copy your XP install CD to a folder on your computer, then you will need to remember the folder your downloaded sp3.

If you choose to do more than add the sp3 update, please be sure you understand the effects of the changes you make from the XP's default settings.

 

[Alsenor]

Weird thing -
I just thought I would jump into the pool and give it a trial run. I labeled the 78GB partition, made it a primary, and formatted it again for good measure. It shows on Partition Magic as *:XP and as "hidden" now, and for some reason it does not let me assign a drive letter nor unhide it. When I run any of my old installation CDs the "install" option is grayed out!
edit:
after using "retry" it gave me the install option, but then said it could not be installed "because the Windows version on my computer was newer than the version to be installed".

What now?

 

[treefrog07]

I think I would follow these steps:
1) delete the 78GB partition, let PM perform the operation and reboot if required,
2) reboot, if PM did not require it.
3) Format the the unallocated space to NTFS, set the partition to Active, and reboot.
4) Install XP to the 78GB parition.
Check PM's help; I'm certain my PM8 (before Norton got hold of it) recommended not having more than 3 bootable partitions on an HDD, confirm that's true with your version.
(I still think you'd be better-off with XP on a second HDD, e.g., you buy a 500GB HDD, partition it to 50GB and 450GB (both primary), then install XP to the 50GB partition and use the 450GB for "My Documents," by changing the properties of the My Documents folder to the 450GB partiton .)

 

[Alsenor]

(I still think you'd be better-off with XP on a second HDD, e.g., you buy a 500GB HDD, partition it to 50GB and 450GB (both primary), then install XP to the 50GB partition and use the 450GB for "My Documents," by changing the properties of the My Documents folder to the 450GB partiton .)

I was wondering about that, and can still do it. Meanwhile, I had ordered a IDE to SATA adaptor to try and mount my old 160GB IDE drive as a second, which still has a functional XP installation on it. It arrived yesterday and I am eager to test it. If I slip that into my tower as a second drive, there will be 2 OS on 2 different drives. What will happen at boot time?

 

[treefrog07]

Unless you change the boot order in your BIOS, the system will boot to W7. You will find the old HDD in windows explorer, probably listed as Drive D. All the folders and files should be available to you through W7, with the possible exception of various "Document and Settings" folders and files that W7 will "protect."

If you change the boot order to make the old HDD (with XP already installed) first:

-- It may boot into XP. If it does, XP will find the new hardware and ask you to provide the drivers.

-- If it does not boot into XP, you have two options:

---- Perform a repair install to get it to boot - this is because it still has all the old hardware drivers from the earlier machine, and none of the hardware drivers required for your new machine.

---- Or you can do a clean install of XP. You will still need the XP drivers for your machine's hardware, and XPsp2.

Don't worry about partitioning the old HDD right now, you can do that after you have both OSes booting (and working) on the new machine.