installing vista without removing xp on a single drive

i want to install vista but since im guessing not all my programs and games
might not be compatible with vista i would like to keep xp pro, what are the
steps i have to take to get this done right the first time and without
loosing any files

On Sat, 10 Jun 2006 19:51:02 -0700, daniel
<daniel@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>i want to install vista but since im guessing not all my programs and games
>might not be compatible with vista i would like to keep xp pro, what are the
>steps i have to take to get this done right the first time and without
>loosing any files

You really need to install XP on a different partition. If you don't
have room for another partition on the drive(s) already in the
machine, you're going to need to install another hard drive for this
beta test. Assuming you have room in your case for another drive, all
you'd need to do would be pick up a small 30-80GB drive.

If you had imaging software, such as Ghost or True Image, you could
image your current XP setup and return to it after you're finished
with the beta, but then you'd have the hassle of backing up all the
files you'd accumulated while you had Vista installed. By far the
better choice is to put it on a different partition and dual boot.

Ron

how can i create a second partition on my drive? i have the space i just
dont know how to create a second partition without reformatting?

how can i create a second partition on my drive? i have the space i just
dont know how to create a second partition without reformatting?

If you already have XP installed but have lots of extra room on your drive
you can use any partition program to go ahead and create partitions without
messing your installation.

"daniel" wrote:

> how can i create a second partition on my drive? i have the space i just
> dont know how to create a second partition without reformatting?

On Sat, 10 Jun 2006 21:01:02 -0700, daniel
<daniel@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>how can i create a second partition on my drive? i have the space i just
>dont know how to create a second partition without reformatting?

You'd need to purchase a copy of Partition Magic. There are freeware
programs that can shrink a partition and then create a new one from
the freed space, like Partition Magic does, but I'd not trust a
critical task like this to any freeware program. Even PM does not
guarantee that nothing can go wrong.
Interestingly, for beta testing Vista, you'd need only a 40GB drive.
If you look around, you should be able to find one for less than the
cost of PM -- problem solved.

You will need to use a third-party program. Disk Manager in XP will not
allow you to partition the system drive. Your best bet is to follow
milleron's advice and add a second drive. They are very inexpensive.

"daniel" <daniel@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:8AA0244C-AD4C-457F-8ABF-618A5062A748@microsoft.com...
> how can i create a second partition on my drive? i have the space i just
> dont know how to create a second partition without reformatting?

I recommend defragging the system drive first.

"Leonaitis" <Leonaitis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:4DCEC3AA-603C-4913-B944-B28C6379F94D@microsoft.com...
> If you already have XP installed but have lots of extra room on your drive
> you can use any partition program to go ahead and create partitions
> without
> messing your installation.
>
> "daniel" wrote:
>
>> how can i create a second partition on my drive? i have the space i just
>> dont know how to create a second partition without reformatting?

On Sat, 10 Jun 2006 19:51:02 -0700, daniel
<daniel@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>i want to install vista but since im guessing not all my programs and games
>might not be compatible with vista i would like to keep xp pro, what are the
>steps i have to take to get this done right the first time and without
>loosing any files

You really need to install XP on a different partition. If you don't
have room for another partition on the drive(s) already in the
machine, you're going to need to install another hard drive for this
beta test. Assuming you have room in your case for another drive, all
you'd need to do would be pick up a small 30-80GB drive.

If you had imaging software, such as Ghost or True Image, you could
image your current XP setup and return to it after you're finished
with the beta, but then you'd have the hassle of backing up all the
files you'd accumulated while you had Vista installed. By far the
better choice is to put it on a different partition and dual boot.

Ron