Adding old XP drive to Vista system

C

cstanton

Member
I have recently built a new system running Vista 64 Ultimate. I would like to install the XP system drive from my old computer in the new computer. Do I have to reinstall XP on the old system drive or can EasyBCD create a dual boot setup without requiring changes to the old system installation?

Thanks,
Curtis
 
cstanton said:
I have recently built a new system running Vista 64 Ultimate. I would like to install the XP system drive from my old computer in the new computer. Do I have to reinstall XP on the old system drive or can EasyBCD create a dual boot setup without requiring changes to the old system installation?

Thanks,
Curtis
Click to expand...

Let me get this straight...you have Vista on your internal hard drive, and you want to replace your newer internal harddrive with your old XP harddrive?!!! :smile: And you still expect Vista to remain on your computer, despite replacing the new harddrive with the old? :wtf: Forget it.

It is possible, however, to either install Vista on your old harddrive, once you replace the new one, on a separate partition than XP, in which case you can manage a dual boot. Otherwise, you will have to leave the old hard drive out of your computer, and not replace the new hard drive! :wink: You could always attach it, via USB, to your computer like a external hard drive, in which case you could indeed manage a dual boot. :smile:

Cheers!

-Coolname007
 
Last edited:
No Coolname007, he just wants to add the drive as a slave in the new system and dual-boot through the use of EasyBCD.

You are best off re-installing here, because it'll choke for sure until you do a repair install on it and even than it might not work because they put in piracy checks that cause Windows to panic if the hardware of the new system it is running on is significally different from the system it was previously in. Disable Vista's drive during the installation or do startup repair from Vista's disc if XP boots straight away after installing XP. Open EasyBCD from Vista and add a new entry for XP and reboot to test if it is working.
 
Thanks, kairozamorro, dang, I had a strong feeling that XP registration issues would prevent me from just adding the XP drive and dual booting; Oh well.

The XP drive will be going from a Pentium system to a Core i7 system -- probably guaranteeing an MS panic attack.

I appreciate your advice,
Curtis
 
If your old XP system contained the same number of partitions as it will see on the new system, and any software installed on other than the C:\ drive still maps to the same partition letter.
Or if your XP system was a single partition with absolutely everything on C:\, then you should be able to dual boot the XP drive as-is.
The new hardware should be detected and appropriate drivers installed.
Validation will probably be an issue, but easily fixed with a phone call to the MS freephone number, provided that the XP is not an OEM serial number, in which case you'll be prevented from ever using it on another PC.
In all other cases, a clean reinstall and reinstallation of your 3rd party apps will be needed.
Remember an install (or repair install) of XP after Vista will overwrite the Vista MBR and require a repair of the Vista boot.
 
Last edited:
Terry60 said:
Remember an install (or repair install) of XP after Vista will overwrite the Vista MBR and require a repair of the Vista boot.
Click to expand...

Unless you hide your Vista partition before you hide XP, and make the XP partition active, in which case you will be able to boot into Vista afterwards, by simply making the Vista partition active, instead of the XP one. :wink:

Cheers! :smile:

-Coolname007
 
Thanks guys, sounds like I may be out of luck. There were five drives in the old computer and there would be five completely different drives plus the old XP drive in the new computer. The drive letters are different and some of the drives are partitioned differently. And, for the coup de grâce, Both Vista and XP are OEM versions.

If it won't cause problems with the Vista installation, I may try a repair install (and if that doesn't work, a clean install) and see what happens.

Thanks again,
Curtis
 
If you take the system drive out and put it in the new PC depending on the boot order in your BIOS will determine which OS boots.

From there you might get a boot problem with XP. This will be due to the hardware profile that XP has stored will have changed. A simple repair install will fix that issue.

Now to get a dual boot system working you will have to make the Vista drive the active boot drive in the BIOS. From there it should boot into Vista. IF it does you are golden. Just add a entry for XP and follow the instructions in the Wiki on how to get it working.

Also to do a repair install of XP you will need the serial. Being a OEM you technically cant transfer it to a new system.

Best hope is to try it.
 
If it's an OEM copy of the XP CD, it won't validate automatically, and the MS help desk won't give you a manual code. (unless you possess the most amazing silver-tongue)
It's unfortunate, but that's why the OEM copies are so much cheaper. Single system - one-time use only.
(it's not so much your licence, as that of the original PC)
 
Last edited:
Back
Top