Dual Booting XP and Vista

txhackerz

Weaksauce
Joined
May 6, 2002
Messages
90
I recently got an upgrade copy of Vista and was wondering by using something similar to this method:
1. Boot with the Windows Vista Upgrade DVD.

2. Click "Install Now."

3. Do not enter a Product Key When prompted.

4. When prompted, select the Vista product edition that you do have.

6. Install Vista normally.

7. Once the install is complete, restart the DVD-based Setup from within Windows Vista. Perform an in-place upgrade.

8. Enter your Product Key when prompted.

be able to dual boot xp and vista. I have a copy of xp and could clean install vista then xp, but would have to redo all my xp stuff.. anyone have any ideas? possible/not?
thanks
 
i just made a new partition for vista, started the vista installation from my xp and then selected the new partition for the vista install. worked like a charm
 
If you install vista from with in your xp install i'm pretty sure your going to lose XP using the upgrade dvd, now if you want to install both like the above poster stated make some room for VIsta on you C drive, or get a second HDD then install vista using the "clean install using the upgrade DVD" instructions,searh the forums they are quite simple. its a good thing that XP is installed first becouse windows will generate the boot loader screen automaticly and it just makes things easier.
 
If you're trying to set up a "new" dual boot, you really really should install XP first, most anyone that is worth their salt when it comes to tech knowledge and Windows would agree there. The "proper" method is chronological: install the oldest OS first, making space for the new one (meaning create a partition for XP and for Vista during the XP install if you install that first).

So by that method you'd:

1. Install XP. During the installation, decide on how much space you want to assign for XP and create the partition using the XP setup. After that partition is created, make a second partition (at least 20GB for Vista, any edition, if you want more that's fine, but you need to get the partition created). The rest of the drive is up to you, but use the XP installer/setup to create all the partitions for you at that point - it's not necessary to format the other partitions at this point, just create them.

2. After XP is up and running, you can install that upgrade edition of Vista as a clean install, it's really simple and doesn't require the "double install" that someone else mentioned.

Works like this:

A) Install Vista without using a key, and put the installation on that second partition you created during Step 1 above. You'll need to choose the same edition you actually have, however - you can choose any edition for 30 days, but then you'd end up wiping it and starting over again anyway, so pick the one you actually have the first time out.

One tip I'll stick in at this point: Don't activate the upgrade edition until you absolutely have to. Use the 30 day "grace period" to ensure everything works for your machine and hardware combination. If it's all working after the installation or you can get the drivers you need and you're happy with it, go for the activation, but don't activate Vista until you're 100% sure you've taken care of all the issues or driver problems.

B) Once the installation is done, you'll need to run an Adminstrative Command Prompt, but it's not hard. After you reboot into Vista nice and clean and you're staring at the Desktop, click Start, All Programs, Accessories. When you see Command Prompt there on the list, right click directly on the Command Prompt menu entry and choose "Run as Administrator" when the right click menu appears. UAC will ask for permission to do this, so click Continue.

That Administrator Command Prompt is pretty powerful, so do these commands in sequence:

- Type slmgr.vbs -ipk <your Product Key for the upgrade edition, capital letters (just to be sure) with the hyphens too> and then press Enter

Looks like this:

ipkar8.jpg


After you press Enter you'll see the prompt again like you did when you first opened the Admin Command Prompt. But it's working, this particular command takes roughly 30 seconds to 2 mins to complete based on the power of your PC - it's running some pretty serious calculations, so just wait it out.

When that process is done, a popup box will appear onscreen telling you the Product Key was successfully installed. That's what -ipk stands for: Install Product Key.

Next command is: slmgr.vbs -ato and then press Enter. Looks like this:

atowu0.png


-ato means AcTivate Online, basically; it's connecting to Microsoft's servers to send the installed Product Key and tie your hardware to it. Again, like before, you'll have anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 full minutes of wait time before this process is done. Once it is done, you'll see another popup dialog telling you the activation was successful. If you get a message saying it wasn't, go back and check to make sure you typed the Product Key that came with the upgrade edition perfectly. If that's not the problem, then it's possible that key was already used, I have no idea. All I know is that the activation of a brand new key or unused never activated one is that simple: two commands.

You can do one last command to absolutely verify it really is licensed and activated properly. That command is:

slmgr.vbs -dlv (and then press Enter)

dlvdp1.png


-dlv basically means Display License Verification or something to that effect. If you type slmgr.vbs and hit Enter you'll get a list of the available options, but just those three relate to the work you need to do to get an upgrade edition installed and activated as though it were a totally clean install.

Another 30 second to 2 minute wait time then a final box will appear. The last line or the line just above the bottom should show Status: Licensed

If it does, congrats, you just "clean installed" an upgrade version of Vista without any issues and activated it too nice and clean.

Go have fun with it, and I hope this helps...
 
I'm finally getting around to validating my Vista Business but the key won't take using the above method. I get an error 0xc004f061 which says "The Software Licensing Service determined that this specified product key can only be used for upgrading, not for clean installations."

If I can't get the key to validate, and I have to do the dual install method, will it keep all the stuff I've installed already? Of am I going to have to start from scratch again? It sucks to do a clean test install where everything is set up and working, then blow it up and do it again :mad:
 
That's Windows for you, not quite what you need it to be right when you need it, unfortunately.

I can't duplicate that error people seem to keep having on any installation I try it on and I have:

- Retail Vista x86 and x64 DVDs and Upgrade DVDs also
- OEM x86 and x64 DVDs
- Brand specific OEM (Dell, HP, and Gateway) x86 DVDs and Express Upgrade DVDs also
- MSDN x86 and x64 DVDs
- Vista Business x86 from the PowerNow promotion last November

and I've tried to repeat the glitch with all of them with doing the single install method I've been using since nearly day 1 and I've never - not once - been able to duplicate it. It always works for me, one shot, done. I'm not sure what else to tell you other than most likely if that method described above doesn't work for you, then you'll end up doing the double-install method, more than likely. :(
 
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