Yep; we really need specifics,and we could help you have a very good dual
boot experience. I don't have a clue from what you typed what your errors
were, how you burned, if you setup and burned from XP as I would advise. I
don't know what a capping error means but I can promise you I've looked at a
few errors from MSFT in Windows., I tthink you should be commended though
for deploying your recovery disk and pulling your XP out of it--good job!
Now you can make sure you have a good burn and succeed in dual booting and
you'll feel a lot better and it has some definite advantages, I think
because you don't have to move all your files and folders and settings from
XP when you can access them from the Vista desktop easily.
Most likely your errors had zero to do with dual booting if you tried this
correctly and more possibly to do with your Iso burn. I find it easy to
dual boot using these steps:
Here's how most people dual boot the system and it works well, and has
worked well with every build of Vista through 5384.4 (Beta 2) with a bonus
tip. Always install the olderst Windows Operating System first, and that's
XP in this case.
1) Burn the DVD from XP. Use iso tab/burn slowly/close session. 3) You
can find Checksums that will check the integrity of the burn. There are md5
hashes on the web you can use to check--I don't know if an ISO download CRC
tool is made for the public download. Maybe someone can tell you.
An added tip is to optimize your burn do this:
Get to Device Manager by typing devmgmt.msc in run/win key + pause break or
Rt. click My Computer>Prop>hardware tab>Device Manager if you like 5 steps
instead of one cmd. If you're set to PMI here change to DMO and if set to
DMO change to PMI:
a.. Click the + in front of IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers
a.. Double Click the Secondary IDE Controller
a.. Click Advanced Settings
a.. Under Device 1 Next to Transfer Mode choose DMA (or vise versa)
a.. Click OK
a.. Reboot your System
2) When you burn the DVD from Windows XP, you will have the Vista setup
screens on your XP desktop and you will have the option to direct it to the
volume/partition/drive where you have made space. I would give yourself
30-40GB depending on how many programs you plan to install on the Vista
boot. Vista does not take that much space nor do its files and this is
documented on this group, but you will get crowded if you use much less than
20GB fast.
The reason for going into the Vista setup this way from the XP desktop is
you will not get your drive letters rearranged. If you boot from start
outside of XP, this will happen. So be sure to burn the Iso from XP and go
into the Vista setup from the XP desktop--it will be waiting for you when
you complete burning the Iso.
3) This will install easily and you will then have a black and white screen
when you start up that has a list of the current Windows Version (Vista) and
the Previous Windows version.
4) If you leave files/folders/apps in the space you plan to install Vista,
it will tuck them into a Windows Old folder or two. It is optimum to start
fresh and clean, but you should not lose what you have on the drive.
5) The *bonus tip*--How to Access the XP desktop with a click from Vista and
use the XP files and folders without wasting time and space moving them:
6) Once on the Vista boot's desktop, you can save time and real estate by
making a shortcut to the XP desktop assuming XP is on C:\ by typing
C:\Documents and Settings\Bill's Profile\Desktop and dragging the folder
icon from the name bar of the Explorer Window that comes up on the Vista
desktop. If it were an XP explorer folder, you'd be dragging from the
corner of the title bar. This difference also occurs in an IE Windows in XP
and Vista as to dragging the shortcut from the Title Bar in XP and the
Address Bar in Vista.
If you run into problems along the way, and give us specifics, someone would
and could help you.
Good luck,
CH
