I want to install Vista

[Newtechie]

Hi John - mikey's way is a good way, but I don't wanna chance it given the
drawbacks he mentioned. I'm scared if something happens to the C drive then
it would be a big mess and I'd have to reinstall everything and I want to
avoid that. I want the XP system to be the first bootable drive.

 

[John Barnes]

You can't have everything you want. If you want XP to be your first
bootable drive and you want to boot to Vista you are going to have to have
the Vista boot files installed on it or change the BIOS every time.

 

[Mark D. VandenBerg]

You can't have everything you want. If you want XP to be your first
bootable drive and you want to boot to Vista you are going to have to have
the Vista boot files installed on it or change the BIOS every time.

Or a third-party bootmanager, installed in a separate, small, active
partition at the physical front of the first drive, such as BootMagic or
BootIt NG. Crisp and clean with no caffeine!

 

[Newtechie]

So say if I did it mikey's way and decided I didn't want Vista, then what?

 

[Newtechie]

Would that be installed on the drive of XP or Vista?

 

[John Barnes]

I would install Vista with only the Vista drive connected. Re-install the
XP drive. Make sure that the Vista drive is your 'system drive'. Then
download VistaBootPro and add your legacy (XP) boot to your Vista boot
process. In the mean time you can boot to either system by making it the
priority boot drive (many BIOS let you do that easily at boot time). Later,
if you decide you don't want Vista, you make your XP first in priority and
reformat the Vista drive.
If you do it Mickey's way, you again download VistaBootPro and use it to
restore your XP mbr (master boot record)
What version of Vista are you going to install?

 

[Newtechie]

Hi John. I'm intending to install RC2 if I can get it. Otherwise it'll be
RC1.

When you say make sure Vista is my system drive, do you mean the master?
Also do I have to add XP to the Vista boot file and if so how do I
accomplish that? I'm not familiar with using boot managers.

You may call me crazy but I don't get a boot menu from the BIOS on boot up.
The only options are <DEL>enter setup and F9 for xpress recovery. I don't
know if that's an option that has to be enabled. My motherboard is a
Gigabyte 8IPE1000-G model.

 

[John Barnes]

Hi John. I'm intending to install RC2 if I can get it. Otherwise it'll
be RC1.

When you say make sure Vista is my system drive, do you mean the master?

It doesn't make any difference whether master or slave, what matters is in
your BIOS that it is the first hard drive in boot PRIORITY

Also do I have to add XP to the Vista boot file and if so how do I
accomplish that? I'm not familiar with using boot managers.


You may call me crazy but I don't get a boot menu from the BIOS on boot
up.

You don't seem to have an easy way. Some BIOS like mine have an F8 for a
boot menu which allows selection of the sysem drive at boot time. It can't
be added.
You will need to use <DEL> to get to where you set boot priority, usually a
process in 2 places. One sets the boot priority of types of devices (CD,
Hard Drive, Floppy etc) and a second where you set the priority of the hard
drives within the previous section. It only takes a few seconds to change it
once you get used to finding it, so until you get the dual boot set up you
will be able to use this way of booting to whichever system you want. When
you get to this point if the above VistaBootPro process doesn't give you
access to XP we can address the way to get it to work at that time.

 

[andy]

Hi John. I'm intending to install RC2 if I can get it. Otherwise it'll be
RC1.

When you say make sure Vista is my system drive, do you mean the master?

Under Advanced BIOS Features is a setting called Hard Disk Boot
Priority, which contains a list of the drives that are connected. You
can change the order of the list, and whatever drive you place at the
top of the list is the drive that the BIOS will boot after POST. This
drive, which Microsoft calls the system drive, must have an active
primary partition that contains the files that Windows uses to boot
one or more Windows installations (dual boot). The other significance
of Hard Disk Boot Priority is the order of the list influences how
drives letters are assigned to partitions during Windows installation.

Also do I have to add XP to the Vista boot file and if so how do I
accomplish that? I'm not familiar with using boot managers.

You may call me crazy but I don't get a boot menu from the BIOS on boot up.

That's because your motherboard is a little too old. That feature was
added to BIOSes after your motherboard was made.

 

[Guest]

it is a known and proven fact that if you install vista by booting direct from the DVD it automatically steals the "C" drive regardless of the partition drive you attempt to install to.

the only way to retain the expected drive lettering is to install from within another os.



(e-mail address removed)

if you install Vista from inside XP you will have Vista as C: in the end.
and if you are running a dual boot (forget how you achieved it) then when you
boot to the other OS (not Vista) that OS will also be C:
why? because C: is Always the system drive. there are ways around it, but it
is not to your advantage because any system program you install with always
default to C: and some programs you dont have a choice as to where they will
install.
so you see andy there is no stealing going on it is just the way it is
beacause MS wants it this way. this always works because you can only boot
one system at a time you cant boot Vista and also Boot XP and have them run
simultainuously. it makes no difference wether you boot from inside or out,
the OS that you are using will always be C:

 

[John Barnes]

You are wrong. Mickeyhsd is correct about drive lettering installation.

 

[John Barnes]

why? because C: is Always the system drive.

Any drive with a primary partition can be the system drive depending on boot
priority

there are ways around it, but it
is not to your advantage because any system program you install with
always
default to C:

Not true

and some programs you dont have a choice as to where they will
install.

certainly would be OLD programs that most likely wouldn't install in Vista
anyway. Some do put temporary files on the C drive, but install on the
active os

this always works because you can only boot
one system at a time you cant boot Vista and also Boot XP and have them
run
simultainuously.

You got something right (unless using a virtual machine)

it makes no difference wether you boot from inside or out,
the OS that you are using will always be C:

wrong.

 

[Guest]

look, maybe i have not explained it correctly, or you are misunderstanding
me or maybe i am totaly wrong and a schmuck!

system is dual boot:
XP and Vista
Vista is the newest OS, installed last using its boot loader.

turn computer on > boot menu > select Vista
once up and running click start > computer > view drives --- Vista is C:
(unless you changed something or special circumstances)

restart

boot menu > select XP
once up and running click start > My Computer > view drives --- XP is C:
(it must be magic or just my computer and all the others i run, or just my
part of the universe or......)

is that wrong, does that not happen in your system?

 

[John Barnes]

I realise that is the way it is on YOUR computer, but your general
statements are wrong as I (and mickeyhsd) pointed out. 1. Install from
within another Windows OS and it will retain the letter assigned to that
partition in that OS. 2. Install from the DVD and you get the results you
have.

You are right that it makes no difference to the computer, but many are
bothered having different drive letters for the same os so they post here
regularly asking how to accomplish having the same letters assigned to the
same partitions regardless of which system they are booted into.

 

[Guest]

so you are saying if begin installation of vista from inside XP i will still
end up with dual boot situation?
and you are also saying that if i begin installation of a system program
(like an update) it will not default to C: (the system partition -- not
implying that you cant change the path)? and if i do what you are saying and
install Vista from inside XP i will not only have dual boot but also Vista
will be C: and XP will be D: REGARDLESS of which OS i am in?

 

[Newtechie]

Hi guys - it's nothing to argue or debate about and I really appreciate both
of your input. We're all here to help each other but some people do things
differently than others and it all boils down to what works for you. That
being said, I'll be installing RC2 tonight so I'm hoping one of you will be
around - especially post installation. Keep in mind that I'm putting Vista
on a drive by itself and wanting a boot menu to select between OSes.
Are there any known problems that should occur?

Newtechie

 

[John Barnes]

so you are saying if begin installation of vista from inside XP i will

still
end up with dual boot situation?

You will if you select to install to a specified partition, not upgrade the
current system.

and you are also saying that if i begin installation of a system program
(like an update) it will not default to C: (the system partition -- not
implying that you cant change the path)?

Windows updates will update the system you are booted to. No othere systems
are affected.

and if i do what you are saying and

install Vista from inside XP i will not only have dual boot but also Vista
will be C: and XP will be D: REGARDLESS of which OS i am in?

Since you have XP on C and if you set up a clean partition D, when you
install Vista (from within XP) and do a clean install pointing to D, you
will have XP on C in both systems and Vista on D on both systems.

 

[Newtechie]

Ok John - so knowing the way I'm going to install, does that mean I'm going
to have 2 C drives even though Vista will be on a separate hard drive? I'm
preparing to install.

 

[John Barnes]

Yes.

Ok John - so knowing the way I'm going to install, does that mean I'm
going to have 2 C drives even though Vista will be on a separate hard
drive? I'm preparing to install.

 

[John Barnes]

Just to be clear. Each OS will see itself as the C drive.