Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and

XP
How to Setup a Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and XP
Published by Brink
04-28-2009

 Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and XP

How to Setup a Dual Boot Installation with

Windows 7 and XP
    Information
This will show you how to install Windows 7 and XP to dual boot with when you
already have either Windows 7 or XP installed first.

    Note
With a dual boot installaton, you will have two operating systems (OS) installed.
When you start the computer, you will have the choice to choose which OS you would
like to start up to. This method is the easiest way of doing a dual boot with these two
operating systems.

    Tip
When dual booting with another OS (ex: Vista or XP), you may not always have that
OS partition show up in Computer with a driver letter in Windows 7. If this happens,
then you will just need to add a drive letterto the OS (ex: Vista or XP) partition in
Windows 7 Disk Management for it to show up in Computer with a driver letter.

    Warning
To stop XP from deleting your Windows 7 System Restore Points everytime XP is
started, then see System Restore Points - Stop XP Dual Boot Delete to hide
Windows 7 from XP.

Windows 7 Minimum Hardware Requirements

NOTE: For more information on this, see: Windows 7 system requirements

 1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor

  1 GB RAM for 32-bit Windows 7 OR 2 GB RAM for 64-bit Windows 7
 16 GB available disk space 32-bit Windows 7 OR 20 GB for 64-bit Windows
7
 Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB memory (in order to enable Aero
theme)
 DVD-R/W Drive
 Internet or phone access to activate Windows 7.

Windows XP Minimum Hardware Requirements 

NOTE: For more information on this, see: System requirements for Windows XP
operating systems

 PC with 300 megahertz (MHz) or higher processor clock speed recommended;

233-MHz minimum required;* Intel Pentium/Celeron family, AMD
K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended
 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum
supported; may limit performance and some features)
 1.5 gigabyte (GB) of available hard disk space.*
 Super VGA (800 × 600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor
 CD-ROM or DVD drive
 Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

EXAMPLE: Windows Boot Manager

NOTE: This is the boot screen where you select what operating system that you
would like to start. By default, you have 30 seconds to choose another operating
system before the default operating system will start automatically.

METHOD ONE
When XP is Installed First
NOTE: If you have a RAID setup, you will need to have the Windows 7 RAID drivers
on a USB flash drive available to select and load while installing Windows 7.
1. To Create a New Partition from the XP Hard Disk Drive
A) With your Windows 7 installation disc boot into the Command Prompt from
theSystem Recovery Options screen. 
NOTE: Make sure that the CD/DVD drive is selected first in the boot order in
theBIOS.

B) In the command prompt, select and shrink the XP volume by how many MB

(1024 MB = 1 GB) you want to have for this Windows 7 partition. (See screenshot
below)
NOTE: You would do steps 2 to 9 in METHOD TWO at that link. Windows 7 will need a
minimum of 16 GB (16384 MB).

C) Click on the X at the top right corner to close the command prompt. (See
screenshot above)

D) Click on the X at the top right corner to close System Recovery Options. (See
screenshot below)

E) Go to step 3.
2. To Use a Separate Hard Disk Drive than the XP Drive
A) Boot from your Windows 7 installation disc.
NOTE: Make sure that the CD/DVD drive is selected first in the boot order in
theBIOS.
3. Click on the Install now button. (See screenshot below)

4. When you get to this point, select the partition (step 1) or hard drive to install
Windows 7 on. (See screenshot below)

5. Finish installing Windows 7.
NOTE: You would do step 9 on at that link to finish installing Windows 7.

6. When finished, restart the computer to have the option to boot from XP (Earlier
Verision of Windows) or Windows 7. (See screenshot below)
    Note
If you are only booting into Windows 7 and do not have XP listed in the Windows
Boot Manager, then you can install EasyBCD (step 8 Method Two below) to add XP
(or Windows 7) while started in Windows 7 the same way to the boot list.
METHOD TWO
When Windows 7 is Installed First

    Warning

 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 you will need to do either one of these
options to load the SATA drivers for XP.
o How to Slipstream SATA drivers into Windows XP setup CD with
Dual Boot of Windows 7 or Vista
o 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.

1. To Create a New Partition from the Windows 7 Hard Disk

Drive
NOTE: If you want to install XP on a separate hard drive instead, then skip this
step and go to step 2.
A) In Windows 7, select and shrink the Windows 7 volume in Disk Management by
how many MB (1024 MB = 1 GB) you want to have for this XP partition. (See
screenshots below)
NOTE: You would do all of Method One at that link.
2. Insert your XP installation disc, then restart the computer and press any key to
boot from it when prompted. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: Make sure that the CD/DVD drive is selected first in the boot order in
the BIOS.

3. From XP Setup, Press Enter. (See screenshot below)

    Warning

 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 you will need to do either one of
these options to load the SATA drivers for XP.
o How to Slipstream SATA drivers into Windows XP setup
CD with Dual Boot of Windows 7 or Vista
o 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 F6prompt while
installing XP.

4. Press F8. (See screenshot below)

NOTE: On some multimedia keyboards, you may need to press the F-
Lock or Function key before pressing F8.

5. Select the partition (step 1) or hard drive that you want to install XP on using the
arrow keys and press Enter.
6. Finish installing XP.

    Tip
If you get Error loading Operating System after XP restarts:

 Using your Windows 7 installation disc, boot to the command prompt

at startup.
 Type in these comands below, and press enter after each one.
o bootrec /FixMbr
o bootrec /FixBoot
o bootrec /RebuildBcd
 Exit the command prompt and restart the computer.
 At this point, Windows 7 should boot up the same way before trying to
install XP.
 Continue to step 8 below and run EasyBCD from Windows 7 instead.

7. In XP, download and install .Net Framework 2.0 (32-bit) verison or .Net

Framework 2.0 (64-bit) version and EasyBCD for your 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit
(x86) XP.
NOTE: In XP, Net Framework is required to be installed to run the free program
EasyBCD. 

8. Run EasyBCD.
NOTE: This is required to repair the Windows 7 boot file and add XP to the Windows
Boot Manager list.

9. On the left side of EasyBCD, click on the Add New Entry button. (See screenshot
below)
A) In the top section under Operating Systems, click on the Windows tab. (See
screenshot below)
B) To the right of Type, select Windows NT/2k/XP/2k3 from the drop down menu.
(See screenshot below)
WARNING: Be sure to leave the Automatically detect correct drive box
checked.
C) To the right of Name, you can leave the default Microsoft Windows XP as the
name to be displayed in the Windows Boot Manager, or you can type
whatever nameyou would like to have instead. (See screenshot below)
D) Click on the Add Entry button. (See screenshot below)

10. On the left side of EasyBCD, click on the Bootloader Setup button, select (dot)
the Install the Windows Vista/7 bootloader to the MBR option, and click on
the Write MBR button. (See screenshot below)

11. Close EasyBCD.

12. Restart the computer to have the option to boot from Microsoft Windows

XP or Windows 7. (See screenshot below)
     Tip
If Windows 7 will not start up when selected, then use your Windows 7 installation
DVD to do aStartup Repair.