Installing XP as a second OS

Here we can see “Installing XP as a second OS”

When trying to set up a dual-boot between Windows XP and Windows Vista, one of the most typical issues is installing Windows XP on a computer that already has Windows 7/Vista installed. When you install Windows XP, it will replace the bootmgr/BCD that comes with subsequent versions of Windows (Vista, 7, and 8) with its own.

Windows XP can be installed on a PC with Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8.

If you follow these steps, you should be able to install Windows XP on a system that already has a newer version of Windows – with minimal fuss and no data loss.

Preparing the machine for the installation of Windows XP

The first step is to prepare your computer for Windows XP installation. There are a few things you should do first:

1. Start by booting into the free GParted Live CD or a commercial partition editor.
2. Windows Vista/7 uses the partition manager to resize the partition to create room for Windows XP at the end of the drive.
3. Create a new partition once you’ve shrunk the Windows Vista/7 partition. Check to see if it’s been formatted in NTFS. It doesn’t have to be the primary, and it shouldn’t be turned on.
4. Boot from the Windows XP installation CD.

It’s critical that this partition was formed at the end of the drive; otherwise, your partition numbers and offsets may have changed, and you won’t be able to boot into Windows.

Windows XP is being installed

You won’t be able to install Windows XP from within a newer version of Windows; instead, you’ll need to boot from the CD:

1. Ensure that your BIOS is set to boot from a CD. You may also choose where to boot by pressing F8 on some machines; you can use that option instead.
2. When the “Press any key to enter Windows Setup…” message appears, insert your Windows XP CD into the drive and press a key.
3. Make sure you use F6 to load the SATA drives by installing Windows XP to a SATA drive.
4. When a screen with a selection of hard disks and partitions appears, pick the empty NTFS partition you made in the previous section with the arrow keys, then hit ‘Enter’ to proceed.
5. Allow Windows XP installation to complete. Do not interrupt it, as it will reboot multiple times.

Setting up the Dual-Boot

Once the Windows XP setup is complete, it will immediately boot you into the newly installed copy of Windows XP – notice that you will not be able to boot into Vista/7 or see a boot menu choice for it at this time. This is because Windows XP contains its bootloader, which does not recognize subsequent versions of Windows, on top of the Windows Vista bootloader.

1. Download and install the Microsoft.NET 2.0 Framework SP1 in Windows XP.
2. Get the most recent version of EasyBCD and install it.
3. To reinstall the EasyBCD bootloader, go to the “Bootloader Setup” tab and select “Install the Windows Vista/7 bootloader to the MBR” then “Write MBR.”
4. After that, go to the “Add New Entry” page and choose “Windows NT/2k/XP/2003” from the drop-down list, give it a name, and then click “Add Entry” to complete the process. Leave the automated setup selection selected, and do not change the drive in EasyBCD again. EasyBCD’s settings may appear to be incorrect, but they aren’t.
5. Restart your computer now.

Finishing Up

• When you restart your machine, you should be faced with the EasyBCD boot menu if everything went adequately (assuming you followed the instructions above to the letter).
• The old Windows Vista/7 entry will be present, and the new Windows XP entry you made in the previous steps. By selecting each, you should access the appropriate operating system without difficulty.
• You may use EasyBCD to personalize your dual-boot by renaming entries, changing the default OS, and adjusting the menu timeout in any OS.
• Take a look at the “Useful Utilities” page and download iReboot — it’s free, and you’ll love it.

Conclusion

I hope you found this information helpful. Please fill out the form below if you have any queries or comments.

User Questions

1. Is it possible to dual boot Windows XP and Vista?

Installing Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8 after Windows XP will create an automatic dual-boot, as the newer versions of Windows will identify and configure the dual-boot automatically.

2. Is it possible to run Windows XP and Windows 10 on the same machine?

So, if you need to run a copy of Windows XP, you can use an application called VirtualXP to run it within Windows 10. Many of you would argue that using a virtual machine to run on Windows operating system within another is the only way to go.

3. Is it possible to install Windows XP on a Windows 7 machine?

Windows 7’s Windows XP Mode allows you to run older software developed for Windows XP. You’ll need a 1GHz processor and a virtualization-capable CPU to install Windows XP Mode on your Windows 7 PC. You’ll also need at least 15 GB of free hard disk space and Windows 7 Professional or above.

4. Installing windows XP as a second OS on a new windows 10 tower

Installing windows XP as a second OS on a new windows 10 tower from retrocomputing

5. Installing Windows XP 32 Bit as a second OS on a windows 10 desktop

Installing Windows XP 32 Bit as a second OS on a windows 10 desktop from computers