Can Windows Vista [Ultimate Edition - Beta 2] co-exists in one PC?

[Guest]

I have my MCE 2005 in this box - and I would like to test the hardware
compatibility of Vista on it. Can I dual-patition the harddrive and load
Vista on the other drive partition? Not sure if it overwrites the same files
on MBR - when you install it.

Someone may have asked this question before, but I did a search on your
archive and could not suggest me any occurrences. I'll keep trying... but if
you know the answer - please share. Thanks.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I have my MCE 2005 in this box - and I would like to test the hardware
compatibility of Vista on it. Can I dual-patition the harddrive and load
Vista on the other drive partition? Not sure if it overwrites the same files
on MBR - when you install it.

Someone may have asked this question before, but I did a search on your
archive and could not suggest me any occurrences. I'll keep trying... but if
you know the answer - please share. Thanks.

Yes, you can dual-boot Vista with earlier versions of Windows, as long
as you've a separate partition on which to install it.

The Vista installation will "set aside" WinXP's system files (Boot.ini,
NTLDR, and NTDetect.com) in favor of its own, completely different boot
manager. This new boot manager requires the use of BCDEdit, and is far
from user friendly.

Boot Configuration Data in Windows Vista
download.microsoft.com/download/a/f/7/af7777e5-7dcd-4800-8a0a-b18336565f5b/BCD.doc

I strongly recommend that you download and install VistaBootPRO from
http://www.pro-networks.org. This utility can be installed to both the
Vista and WinXP operating systems, and provides a convenient means of
editing the boot process, as well as simplifying the removal of the
Vista boot process, should you tire of dual-booting.


--

Bruce Chambers

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They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

 

[Jeff]

Bruce,
Sounds good for me also. However;having gone to the site that you
posted;a quick synopsis of requirements say that : The Vista boot loader
(installs with Vista, not removed by formatting)--Um; this confuses me. Does
that statement mean what I take to mean ; that Vista boot loader is somehow
permanently written into the hard-drive?
Jeff

 

[michael e dziatkowicz]

no that means you have to do a fdisk /mbr or whatever the /mbr command is to
rewrite the master boot record of the hard drive (basically what the hard
drive sees when it reads at boot up). A simple format won't get rid of it
but the /mbr command will wipe it away.

 

[Jeff]

Thanks,
Jeff

no that means you have to do a fdisk /mbr or whatever the /mbr command is
to rewrite the master boot record of the hard drive (basically what the
hard drive sees when it reads at boot up). A simple format won't get rid
of it but the /mbr command will wipe it away.

 

[Richard Urban]

Yes!

Use a third party boot manager. Install each operating system on a "primary"
DOS partition. Hide the non-used operating systems from the system you are
currently installing. Then hide the non-used operating systems from the one
you are currently using.

I have used System Commander successfully for over 13 years now, with every
operating system imaginable. I have never had conflicts. Because the
operating system being installed thinks it is the "only" one on the system,
it never loads it dual boot service. This instead is handled by the 3rd
party boot
manager.

Therefore, each operating system is it's own entity, with zero interaction
with the other installed operating systems. It can't interact because it
doesn't even see it!


--
Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Guest]

Thanks a lot guys! I will keep driving -- as I want to experience and use
the Beta before the 'real version comes to the market". These were quite
informative and more than what I need. I will share you my findings in the
process. Pat-Keone

 

[Guest]

Richard,

Have you installed Vista in a System Commander environment yet? If so, how
did it go?

I too have been using SC for a long time and did a Vista B2 install last
night. I didn't use the OS wizard. I manually setup a blank partition and
installed Vista to it. Once the install was complete, I booted from the SC
(v8.13) floppy, but it said that SC was not installed. After some
investigating, it appears that Vista made all the other partitions (I have a
total of 6 spread out over 3 physical drives) hidden. I had to unhide the
primary partition on drive 0. When I rebooted, it went straight into XP. I
went into SC (in Windows XP) and had it rewrite the boot record. A reboot
then got me back to my usual SC menu, but Vista was not there. By this time
it was really late, so I gave up for the night. I'll take another look
tonight, but can't figure out why SC is not finding the new Vista install.

Thanks for any tips you may have!
John