Windows 7 and xp on the same pc

bullzeye82

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hi all

i currently have windows 7 installed on this machine.
its installed on my SSD and i use my other 2 sata HDD for movies n installing games on

Im just wondering if its possible to install Xp onto one of my other Hdd's?
just that i use a program that runs so much better on my old xp pc than it does on this windows 7 pc

is this possible?
 

Dhamilton

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Yes it is, sort of. The problem is that installing an older version of windows over a newer version will mess up boot.
If you are going to do a true dual boot it is best to go Older OS to Newest OS when installing.
You can however, if your processor can handle it and you have some tech skills, set up a virtual box for windows XP.
I use Oracle Virtual Box.
Last, you can set programs to run in compatibility mode for windows xp by right clicking the icon, select properties, Compatibility tab, select "Run this program in compatability mode for" and pick Windows XP
 

bullzeye82

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my processor is a i5 2500k would that be good enough? although i havent got a clue what your talking about lol

the HDD i want to install Xp on sits in the top of my case in the built in sata hdd dock.. if i was to unplug that once installed xp on. wont windows 7 just work as normal?
 

USAFRet

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I do this with Win 7 & 8. But rather than a boot manager, i just select the boot device in the BIOS at start up time.

Unplug all the drives except for the one you want XP on.
Install XP
Turn the PC off, and hook all the other drives back up.

At boot time, go into the BIOS and select which drive to boot from. When you want to switch, restart and again select which drive to boot from.
 

Dhamilton

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Your Processor does indeed support Virtualization, so that is an option.

Where in the case the HDD sit has no bearing on this disucssion.
This link explains in detail the steps to take to setup a real Dual Boot system
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/8057-dual-boot-installation-windows-7-xp.html

If you read it you will notice that installing WinXP then Win7 is a very easy process. While installing 7 then XP can get complicated fast.

The problems occur because of something called the Master Boot record.
So unless you want to physically remove the drive before loading into the other OS, you will need to Dual Boot or Virtualization.

I would recommend trying Compatibility mode as described in my first reply.
 

bullzeye82

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i have tried the compatability mode, but it doesent affect the program
is the solution above yours a good idea.. that looks easier to me
 

Dhamilton

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Its the same as what I said about when physically removing the drives between boots.
Same idea, go into BIOS and disable the drive with the OS you do not want.
Yes this is easier, but really who wants to have to go into BIOS everytime they wanna use a diff version of Windows.

 

USAFRet

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If you're rebooting anyway...

But yes, a virtual machine (which I also use) is far easier, once it is set up. VirtualBox all the way. Tried Hyper-V, but then found it does not pass the audio out to the host. Boo.
 

bullzeye82

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well, after trying to install xp on my other drive, i keep getting BSOD, 000000x7e
So this virtual machine might be my only way.
how does it work then isit like windows 7 but with xp skin or is it actually 2 seperate os's
 

USAFRet

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The virtual machine operates almost exactly like a whole other physical box.

It uses the host CD/DVD drive, and with VitualBox, you can set up a shared folder to share data between the two. Since you already have the XP license and install disk, trying it is free.

If you have two monitors, you can have them both open full screen at the same time. Assuming your left monitor is the primary, have Win7 open there, and the VirtualBox/XP open on the right. Click inside the XP window, and it captures the mouse and keyboard. Click over on the left, and use Win7.
Mostly seamless.

Costs nothing to try it.
 

USAFRet

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and given sufficient ram on your host box, you can have several all running at the same time. I have an XP, LinuxMint, and Win Server 2012, with Windows8 Pro as the host.....sometimes running all three at the same time.
 

USAFRet

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Create a Shared Folder between the two, bi-directional sharing. Copy your music files into that shared space.
You may be able to designate My Music as the shared folder (I have not tried this).