Need to know everything about Dual Booting Vista

[pc1x1]

So I am going to have to move to Vista 64, and I have many apps that run only on XP, so hes my question, what if any drawbacks of dual booting, I have 1.22 terabytes of space, and currently use about 240. So I should have plenty of space for vista 64. Anything I need to know? Thanks!

 

[Joe Average]

Before I even attempt to help this time, how about you post some of those "only works in XP" applications so I can know if that's absolutely accurate or not. We get this type of post on occasion and it typically turns out the software does work with XP - the issue becomes one of it being x64 compatible which doesn't have anything to do with the OS itself, just the version of the OS.

Just toss a few application names out if you will, and if it's really really old software like 16 bit old then you can run it in a VM without noticing it under x64 if necessary. If you're having an interest in running some x64 edition of Vista, you can get stuff to work with some basic planning ahead.

 

[SatTech]

Just make sure and install XP first, then Vista. You can do it the other way, but it's much more difficult.

 

[pc1x1]

Its just mostly games, and my internet adapter does not work with Vista, I know because I already talked to Hawking Tech. I have a huge list of stuff, Ill compile it soon though But one example is my Sony Clie, its XP only as far as I can gather. Also my Disc Stakka, is XP only.

I did install XP already.

 

[Joe Average]

Ah, well... ok, some of that is valid as my Wife has a CLIE herself and I know those issues well. You *can* access the CLIE through a VM running XP, however; I do that for her when she wants to use my XP x64 machine for updates, etc. Games can be a problem, especially the 16 bit code in some older ones.

If you've got XP installed already, the proper thing now would be to install Vista afterward - the "method" for dual booting XP and Vista is put XP on first, then put on Vista second, and the Vista bootloader will "see" XP and Vista obviously and then when you boot you'll be able to choose between one or the other. Vista will become the default OS with a timer on it, also.

 

[pc1x1]

So quick question, I have Vista 64 bit retail, I ploop the cd in, and it will do its business, create its own boot loader etc? Also how do I edit the boot loader so WinXP is default but I have 5 seconds to choose Vista etc? I have done it before with previous version, but wondering if Vista is any different and could use a refresh noneless.

 

[Joe Average]

Install it just like regular old XP, and the Vista bootloader will become the default bootloader. After you're done you can go into the System properties just like in XP and find the Advanced settings for Startup and Recovery, edit the boot.ini so XP becomes the default OS, change the timer to 5 seconds, save it and that's about it.

 

[hoffstetter]

You'll need to make a partition for vista which means you'll have to resize your XP partition. I think you can do it durring the install process but it's something you need to have figured out before you jump into things.
If you google you can find a walkthrough.

The only downside to multibooting is that you have to pay attention to the menu when you start up. It's really annoying to turn on your comp and look back and realize your in the wrong os and have to shutdown and restart.

 

[hoffstetter]

I'm impressed that you were able to build a 64 bit system with a nic that's not vista compatible. That reminds me of the creative cd drive I bought right before xp came out that never got drivers for xp. Thanks creative. A-holes

 

[Mithent]

Install it just like regular old XP, and the Vista bootloader will become the default bootloader. After you're done you can go into the System properties just like in XP and find the Advanced settings for Startup and Recovery, edit the boot.ini so XP becomes the default OS, change the timer to 5 seconds, save it and that's about it.

Vista doesn't have a boot.ini, it uses the BCD instead. But you can still change the default OS and the time to display the list in Startup and Recovery options, so it doesn't change anything as far as this is concerned.

 

[Wolf-R1]

Just make sure and install XP first, then Vista. You can do it the other way, but it's much more difficult.

I agree with this. I have a dual boot of XP/Vista64 setup at home and this was best for less hassles later on.