Problem Multiple boot system

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Hi folks

Currently I have dual boot for Xp Pro and Vista Bus. I have a third drive in the system for other data and training material storage.

I hardly use my Vista boot but have dumped some stuff in there (and a couple of program installs - but from Xp) and there is a problem with it in that it will just not take Vista SP2.

My Xp drive is now getting very flaky but there's a lot of stuff on there I just don't have time to sort for the moment (work, Uni etc. committments).

I also have a W7 Pro u/g which I have not installed (due to the Vista issue with the SP).

I need :

Xp Pro fresh install for my gaming (which will give me time to sort the old Xp disk out)

W7 install to have a look at that (will need to install Vista first and SP's so I can use the W7 u/g disk)

Effectively therefore, I would have a quadruple boot sytsem temporarily which would buy me some time.

Not being a multiple boot expert - should this work ok ? (m/b etc will handle all the drives np)

Cheers

 

Buy a new hard disk £50, set it first in boot order, install Windows 7, use the other drive as is as a data drive until you get the stuff off it.

I think Windows 7 gives option of fresh install does it not, mine does ? Upgrades often don't tend to work out well, if you have an upgrade only edition install a fresh vista on the drive and upgrade that.

Vista is crap, forget about it.

Windows 7 will play your games fine I would think, how old are these games ?

Yes you can have multiple boots, the primary boot drive which contains the mbr and normally the bootmanager will allow you then to chose a partition to boot off any drive. As you said you have no time, I'd really not bother.

After all that if you really hanker for XP you can create a VM or use msconfig / bcdedit to create extra boot options.

You may even realise why people bitch about MS and decide to install Ubuntu !

 

I think your right about Windows 7 u/g does let you do a fresh install

http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/clean_install_upgrade_media.asp

 

Yes the Windows 7 Upgrade discs allow a direct upgrade migrating all your files and settings from the previous install to the latest one or you can just a do a fresh install. The upgrade discs are cheaper than the non-upgrade discs but serve the same purpose, never understood that.

 

Thanks guys for the comments

I have plenty of disks lying around so at the moment am re-installing Xp Pro on a 120Gb for just gaming only (wading my way thru SP's as we speak).

My W7 is an u/g via their student scheme and it needs to install on top of an existing Vista (to SP2) so the plan atm is to get the Xp going (I need to game !) and it's needed for CoD as all sorts of probs with the older games on Vista and W7.

Once I can game I'll chuck another data drive in to migrate data that's currently stored on the current Vista drive. Then I can just redo Vista followed by the W7 u/g.

Once all that's done I can spend my time sorting out the old original Xp Pro and see what's needed and what isn't.

It's a bit of a pig of a system as it's had all sorts dumped on it from when I had the business etc. Biggest problem is finding the time (and inclination) to get it sorted and I can't be arsed ! It's only cropped up now due to some CoD WaW probs I'm having and a fresh install seems the best way to check that issue out (I won't bother with the ins and outs or I'll get distracted from the new setup).

At least I have my lappy to use in desperation ! (Oh and that's Vista Bus btw )

Cheers folks - if it all goe badly I may disappear for a few days (having chucked the lappy in frustration !). I hould ahve sorted this all better before (I certainly would at a clients !) but it's been a case of do as I say not as I do for a while

 

Oh yeh ... backup ? Who said that ?!

 

Xp SP3 going on now. The think I'll reconnect the other drives and get the multi-boot option sorted.

Then I wanna play so WaW to install next to see if my probs with it are sorted.

 

Mine was student upgrade edition too, still had no problems with fresh install of Windows 7.

Most games from the last 10 years are DirectX and Win32 API based, theres no reason they won't work well on Win 7.

I have no problem installing windows 32 bit executables on my 64 bit Win 7 thanks to WOW64 support. It even has support for some common 16 bit installers.

Time to ditch XP and Vista !

Windows 7 outperforms Vista easilly and also XP SP3 under most conditions.

 

Ah may check that W7 then - ta

As to the games - lots of CoD players reporting probs with CoD/UO and CoD2 (that never worked under Vista at all) so we'll see how we go (but I'll still have my Xp for that )

 

Well I don't have games, but apparently many have been tested and benchmarked on Win 7.

Modern games should have patches to make them work by now, Win 7 was in beta for a long time.

Win7 also has an XP mode and 'run as admin' etc to make it behave more XP like when needed.

COD2 is reported to work.