Installing Vista and Windows Xp On Two Separate Drives

[Joe]

I have Windows Vista Home Premium installed on my C drive. I want to
add a new hard drive, but intall Windows XP home on it. Is this
complicated,and where can I find information on how to do it?

 

[Bill Starbuck]

I suggest that you investigate two products. Virtual PC (sold by Microsoft)
will let you run one operating system inside another one.
(http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/virtualpc/overview.mspx)
PartitionMagic (sold by Symantec) will let you choose between operating
system when you boot the computer.
(http://shop.symantecstore.com/store/symnahho/en_US/DisplayProductDetailsPage/productID.44316200)

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

I suggest that you investigate two products. Virtual PC (sold by Microsoft)
will let you run one operating system inside another one.
(http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/virtualpc/overview.mspx)
PartitionMagic (sold by Symantec) will let you choose between operating
system when you boot the computer.
(http://shop.symantecstore.com/store/symnahho/en_US/DisplayProductDetailsPage/productID.44316200)

I am sure you misspoke about (sold by MS). VPC is a free download and an
excellent recommendation.

Partition Magic may not be necessary. VistaBoot Pro 3.3 will run from the
XP Home partition and can correct the boot issues arising from the wrong
installation order. It can see the Vista partition and general the
appropriate boot code on the boot drive, which course is the Vista drive.
He will then have the normal boot options screen.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

I have Windows Vista Home Premium installed on my C drive. I want to
add a new hard drive, but intall Windows XP home on it. Is this
complicated,and where can I find information on how to do it?

Consider adding the hard drive for data and installing XP Home on Virtual PC
as Bill suggests. There is no dual boot necessary. Also, booting XP in a
dual boot machine will destroy the Vista restore points, shadow copies,
backups made with the Vista Backup and Restore center and other VSS related
files. Bad idea. There is a fix that requires registry editing after a
dual boot configuration is set up but Bill's idea is much better.