Install Vista from XP Desktop?

[Jack Barrett]

I have downloaded Vista RC-1 on my XP desktop.
My question is this:

How do I move the Vista file off my desktop without burning a DVD and load
it for dual boot?
My wife and I each ahve our user accounts in XP and I want to run both OS's
on the same computer and not mess with our XP OS.
Is there any way to restart>find the Vista file>and load it

This is my first time using Vista and I want to partition my hard for dual
boot so I can test and run Vista on the same pc.

New to Beta Testing .....jack

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Do not install pre-release operating systems on a production or primary home
computer. Doing so, even on a separate partition or hard drive, may render
your XP installation inoperable. You only have to read many of the threads
in this newsgroup to see what I mean. There are already reports in the
TechBeta newsgroups of attempts to set up RC1 and XP in dual boot that
resulted in XP becoming inaccessible.

I can verify the issue because I just set up RC1 build 5600 on a separate
hard drive on my test box and the boot options menu no longer lists my XP
base system. I will have to do a repair to the MBR to regain access to XP.
I have no guarantee that something will not go wrong. Which is why I use a
test box and will keep Vista away from my primary computer until Vista is
released and has Microsoft Product Support Services support.

While these problems are usually reparable, there is no Microsoft support
for repairing your system. Returning to an XP only system may require a
clean reinstallation of XP with the resulting loss of all your programs and
files, if you do not have a full backup from before you started.

 

[Mark D. VandenBerg]

I have downloaded Vista RC-1 on my XP desktop.
My question is this:

How do I move the Vista file off my desktop without burning a DVD and load
it for dual boot?
My wife and I each ahve our user accounts in XP and I want to run both
OS's
on the same computer and not mess with our XP OS.
Is there any way to restart>find the Vista file>and load it

This is my first time using Vista and I want to partition my hard for dual
boot so I can test and run Vista on the same pc.

New to Beta Testing .....jack

I assume you do not own or have access to a DVD burner?

You need to either burn the image to a DVD or somehow create a virtual drive
and mount the image there (Daemon tools). The file itself is not something
you can just click on and run. Do some searching on the internet for
software and proceedures for this.

I would strongly suggest not using a computer you and your wife rely upon
for testing any beta software, especially an operating system. As an
example, I had a system set up as dual-boot, and also took extra care to
make sure the two operating system partitions were hidden from each other.
Vista decided that it needed to check a third partition for errors, and
since that third partition was also used by XP, somehow XP became corrupt
and not bootable. Luckily I perform daily backups, so very little data
(couple of emails) was lost, but there is the loss of time. Colin had
something go wrong on another computer in his home network that also had to
be reformatted. These issues are real and should not be taken lightly.

Mark

 

[Anon]

FWIW dual boot has been fine for me on PRE-RC1 and RC1, with XP SP2.

 

[John Barnes]

Excellent advice for someone admitedly a novice.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

I have been triple booting Vista x86, Vista x64, and XP Pro x64 successfully
since build 5112. But not on a production or primary home computer. On a
dedicated test box.

The Microsoft GetReady site says not to do it with a production or primary
home computer and that is what I am advising the OP about.

I really don't give a flip whether you got it to work or not. I care about
giving the OP responsible advice concerning a computer on which he has
important files and on which he and his wife depend for the programs and
files important to both of them.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Now that I have given you the stern warning, let me tell how to do it
without risk to your system. You must have at least 768MB of ram in your
system to do this.

Download Virtual Server 2005 R2 from
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/virtualserver/software/default.mspx
You may have spend a little time learning this software, but what it does is
run a virtual computer on your real computer. The virtual computer does not
touch your real computer in any way that can cause trouble. You can use the
Vista .iso file in the virtual drive that the program sets up for the
virtual machine and Vista installs and runs in this virtual machine just
like on a real one. You can then check out how Vista looks and works
without risking any harm to your computer. The only downside is that Vista
will be a little slower and you will not see the special graphics. It may
be that your computer's video adaptor does not support the special effects
anyway, so that may not be any loss.

I would recommend Virtual PC for this because it is much easier to use than
Virtual Server except that the .iso file is too large for the virtual cd
drive in VPC. The one in Virtual Server can handle large .iso files easily.

 

[Mark D. VandenBerg]

The sage of the newsgroup...

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

yeah, yeah, yeah....

The sage of the newsgroup...

 

[Jim Fraas]

Some people only HAVE ONE computer.
I got my current PC (2.8 ghz with i gig ram and 128 megs ram on video card)
Mainly because of the Forthcoming Vista tests.
Idid my apartitions on this one and am careful to not having vista touch the
XP drive.

Once RC1 comes out I will devote more space to RC1 and less to XP and once
the GM is out I wil lreformat and install ONLY VISTA!

I am aware of the risks.

 

[David Wilkinson]

Colin Barnhorst wrote:

I would recommend Virtual PC for this because it is much easier to use than
Virtual Server except that the .iso file is too large for the virtual cd
drive in VPC. The one in Virtual Server can handle large .iso files easily.

But you can run Vista under Virtual PC if you first burn the download to
DVD. If you have a DVD burner, there is free burning software (I use
BurnCdcc). And of course Virtual PC is now free also.

David Wilkinson

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

I just run the Vista vm created under VS under VPC after it is created.
Also, have you installed Vista from a physical dvd? The WIM file is 2.8GB.

 

[David Wilkinson]

I just run the Vista vm created under VS under VPC after it is created.
Also, have you installed Vista from a physical dvd? The WIM file is 2.8GB.

Colin:

No, I have not, but I thought that it was possible, no?

David Wilkinson