XP after Vista

B

bengo

Member
Hi all,
I'm about to install XP on a Vista-machine for dual-boot.
But before I live up to my reputation and screw the whole thing up, I'd like to ask a couple of questions first. I've tried the search -function here already, but since I'm not a native English-speaker, I need some more clarification.
I've got two separate drives:
C-drive (0) SATA : Vista and everything else is on there.
D-drive (1) SATA : is currently empty. I want to put XP on this one
But, after investigation, it seems the D-drive is the "system, active" drive, and it has a file named BOOTSECT.BAK. Am I allowed/required to wipe this file before I install XP ?
Anything else I need to watch out for with this configuration ?

Thank you
 
Hi Bengo, welcome to NST.
Your post is a little confusing. Can you post a Disk Management screenshot (see the last point of the sticky thread)
Also, set your folder options like this, then have another look at what's on D:\
 
Hi Bengo.
If D:/ is actually "system", then that HDD should be first in the BIOS boot sequence (not second).
Which means drive 0 = soon-to-be-XP-disk, and drive 1 = Vista disk (which is the exact opposite of what you wrote if I understand the post correctly).
At any rate, if the soon-to-be-XP disk is indeed "system", then you can use EasyBCD 2.0 Beta | Diagnostic Boot Center | Change Boot Drive to move Vista's boot files to its own HDD. Then simply, reboot, and test booting without the soon-to-be-XP disk connected (and/or with the Vista disk first in the boot sequence in the BIOS), and see if it boots fine. If so, you're good to format. If it fails, because there is no MBR/PBR, etc., then you'll need to boot from the Vista DVD with only the Vista HDD connected, and run Startup Repair 3 times to fix its MBR, after which Vista should boot perfectly fine from its own HDD, and you can reformat the soon-to-be-XP disk, and install XP to its own HDD.

When you install XP, you'll want to disconnect the Vista HDD, so XP's bootloader gets written to its own HDD, so you'll be able to standalone boot it if necessary, then you can reconnect Vista, and put it first in the BIOS, and then simply use EasyBCD 2.0 Beta to add an XP entry, letting it auto-configure, and you'll have your dual-boot.
 
Before you go overwriting it, just check it's not your hidden recovery facility
 
Thank you for replying.
Seems I got the discnumbering wrong in the first post when I look at the screenshots.
Is this the information you need ?
Allthough it is a dutch version of Vista you'll recognize most of it I think.
Wisselbestand = swapfile
In orde = no problem detected, okay
Opstarten : start up
Schijfbeheer = disc managment
 

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OK. A lot of that is there by error and can be safely deleted. Your Video files ? will need to be saved somewhere else, and you will need to use EasyBCD 2.0 latest build / Diagnostics / Change boot drive to copy all the boot files onto C: then change the BIOS to boot from the Vista HDD.
Once all that is done, you can format D: and install XP on it (do so with Vista temporarily disconnected and it will protect your boot files on Vista from being regressed to XP versions)
When XP install is running OK alone, reconnect the Vista HDD, (make sure it's first in the BIOS again), then boot Vista and use Easy2 add/remove entries to add an XP entry. Let it autoconfigure and don't change the disk value it uses (it knows what it's doing).
 
Terry60 said:
OK. A lot of that is there by error and can be safely deleted. Your Video files ? will need to be saved somewhere else, and you will need to use EasyBCD 2.0 latest build / Diagnostics / Change boot drive to copy all the boot files onto C: then change the BIOS to boot from the Vista HDD.
Once all that is done, you can format D: and install XP on it (do so with Vista temporarily disconnected and it will protect your boot files on Vista from being regressed to XP versions)
When XP install is running OK alone, reconnect the Vista HDD, (make sure it's first in the BIOS again), then boot Vista and use Easy2 add/remove entries to add an XP entry. Let it autoconfigure and don't change the disk value it uses (it knows what it's doing).
Click to expand...
Which is basically what I wrote in Post #3....:brows:
 
Hi again, I went into BIOS and saw that the 3rd bootdevice is called "SS-Samsung...." The other drive is called "PS-Samsung..." How do I know which drive is C or D ? Also, looking at disc-managment now, it appears C is the Disc 0, and D is Disc 1. Is it normal that drivenumbers switch when rebooting ? Thank you
 
Yes Disk 0 is the boot drive in the BIOS and normally will be reflected in the Disk Management numbering, though both Vista and W7 can get confused (in opposite ways) if you have a mix of SATA and IDE drives.
Disk letters aren't "real". They're just Windows registry entries, different in every system. The BIOS (or Linux if you run it) won't know anything about them.

Jake, yes I was just confirming your post, having jumped in to stop premature installation of XP until the full contents of the D: disk had been confirmed.
 
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Okay, I've followed the instructions and everything went as advertised until it was time to boot up. I do get the dual-boot screen presenting me with both Vista and XP, but I can't launch XP. Vista launches fine. When I choose XP the screen goes black and all actions stop. Any advice ?

Addendum:

Solved by removing and adding the xp entry in easybcd. Thank you.
 
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