Windows XP Install?

[Daniel C]

I currently have Windows Vista Home and I want to install XP as I'm not happy with the current state of Vista. When I get around to installing it, will I have to format my entire drive to be able to? Or is it possible to install XP onto a seperate partition, so that I will have the Vista installation still there when running XP so that I can copy all of my data over from the Vista partition to the XP partition? I ask because I do not want to lose all of my data, and I have too much stuff to just back it up onto DVDs.

[chezzrob]

Dual Boot Vista and XP
==============
There are step by step instructions on the net with screen pics of what to do dependant on which OS you got installed first. There are links to software you may need.
.
google dual boot vista xp

You load the OS on its own partition. When you boot on vista, vista will automatically call its partition C: When you boot on XP, XP will automatically call its partition C: Make sure you name the partitions to stop confusion.

If you want to run a program on both (eg office 2003) then you have to install it on both partitions. Likewise IE7 or any other program. Including antivirus etc.

If you are tight for HDD space, you will get away with 18 gig on XP for a small HDD and probably 25 gig for vista,. It depends on what programs you install. Make a third partition to extend the rest of the HDD for your files

here is some general info:
Partition the Hard drive – reasons
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Firstly C drive is compulsory for the Operating System (XP) (Vista), and you install all your programs on C drive.

D drive is made for YOUR files.

What you do is MOVE my documents to D drive. ( if you do this then both OS can see all the documents etc)

When you download music, videos, pictures from your camera or make any MS Office documents or save emails, you save it on D drive. Both OS can access D drive

The reason for this is to do with
1. Hard drive failure - usually a failed hard drive will not boot, but can often be seen when hooked up as a slave.
So when you get your new hard drive up and running, you can copy D drive from your old to your new. You haven’t lost anything.

2. Virus. Normally virus are programmed to infect C drive. If you get a bad virus all that has to be done is format the C drive partition then re install you OS and programs from disks.
You haven’t lost your personal stuff because its on D drive.

3. Scanning your C drive for virus or spyware. These malware programs live on C drive. It is not necessary to scan D drive. It is a lot quicker to scan a small partition than a large hard drive.


Now you can see the above is compromised by the fact that programs get updates and lots of programs are installed from the net. Therefore if you had to wipe out C drive it be hard to get it back to how it was.
To remedy this we use Norton Ghost to image C drive and store the Image on D drive.
(Vista requires a version 10 or newer of Ghost).

If you get a bad virus you just use the Ghost disk to boot up on, then copy the image stored on D drive back over C drive.
It takes less than 30 mins to rebuild C drive.
Also you may have this running on say a 250 gig HDD, and it fails. You buy a new 400 gig HDD and install both into you computer, the failed one as a slave.
Using the ghost disk to boot up on, you partition the 400 C drive to 30 gig (XP)and the remaining to D drive. Then you repack C drive from the image. Then Copy your old D drive files to your new one. In a time of less than 1 hour and it’s all running. The image loads all the drivers, OS everything.

Then you update new images of C drive every few months so that the one stored on D drive is not to far out of date.


On XP and Vista you create C drive to a maximum of (XP 30 gig, Vista 40 Gig) It doesn’t need to be any bigger, so don’t make C drive to big as you will not use it.

The Ghost images will be about 12 gig each for Vista and XP C drives. You could store them on a USB external HDD if you are lacking space. You can buy a 120 gig external drive for $us60.

Now google dual boot vista xp, choose the result that suits your existing setup.

[Angelic Loki]

you CAN repartition your drives from inside windows, check out link 1 for info how. Once you have done that, reformat the new partition, and put XP on it. When you reboot windows, the second partition with XP will show up as a second HDD, allowing you to transfer your files.

[dewman_byju]

Hi check this
http://lifehacker.com/software/dual-boot/dual-boot-windows-xp-on-a-pre+installed-vista-pc-248936.php