WXP on second partition

[Brendan Tierney]

I upgrade installed Vista Ultimate over WXP pro, so now Vista is the only
OS present on my HD.
I would like to reinstall WXP on a second partition from the original instal
discs.
I seem to remember from these boards that there were some caveats about not
having WXP as the main OS.
Can I do this and if so are there any consequential problems? Any other
comments also welcomed.

 

[Rick Rogers]

Hi,

a) You can do this, but....

b) The installation will overwrite the Vista bootloader, you will need to
boot with the Vista disk and do a startup repair once setup is completed.
VistaBootPro can also help you with this (easier for some). If the target
volume for XP was created under Vista, you will have to delete and recreate
it as part of XP setup due to minor changes in the file system that will
cause problems for XP.

c) Make sure XP's System Restore does not monitor the Vista volume, as there
are known problems with this.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Mike Brannigan]

I upgrade installed Vista Ultimate over WXP pro, so now Vista is the only
OS present on my HD.
I would like to reinstall WXP on a second partition from the original
instal discs.
I seem to remember from these boards that there were some caveats about
not having WXP as the main OS.
Can I do this and if so are there any consequential problems? Any other
comments also welcomed.

Brendan,

One other quick question - was the Vista you used an upgrade copy?
If it was an upgrade then you no longer have a Windows XP license to use to
do your second install as that license is now part of the Vista license and
gone.

If your Vista was a full retail or OEM copy then follow Ricks advice to
install the additional XP install.

 

[Brendan Tierney]

Thank you both, Mike and Rick.
The Vista I used was an upgrade copy, so I guess I've got a no-go on this.
Thanks again,

 

[Pipboy]

Thank you both, Mike and Rick.
The Vista I used was an upgrade copy, so I guess I've got a no-go on this.
Thanks again,

Unfortunately uou learned the hard way, but if you had done a bit of
research on the web you would have found out there is an easy method to
install Upgrade version of Vista cleanly without having to lose your XP
license.

 

[Pipboy]

One other quick question - was the Vista you used an upgrade copy?
If it was an upgrade then you no longer have a Windows XP license to use to
do your second install as that license is now part of the Vista license and
gone.

And what if someone decides they don't like Vista and want to go back to
their now invalid copy of XP?

 

[Mike Brannigan]

Unfortunately uou learned the hard way, but if you had done a bit of
research on the web you would have found out there is an easy method to
install Upgrade version of Vista cleanly without having to lose your XP
license.

That "method" does not still allow you to use your XP license.
Irrespective of the method of install the qualifying license used to justify
the purchase of the upgrade version is void as it is absorbed in licensing
terms to make up the full Vista license - that is why the upgrade is
cheaper.

 

[Mike Brannigan]

And what if someone decides they don't like Vista and want to go back to
their now invalid copy of XP?

Then they cleanly reinstall XP and their Vista upgrade license is still
theirs to do with as they please.
This is just a licensing thing not a physical thing.

 

[Pipboy]

That "method" does not still allow you to use your XP license.
Irrespective of the method of install the qualifying license used to justify
the purchase of the upgrade version is void as it is absorbed in licensing
terms to make up the full Vista license - that is why the upgrade is
cheaper.

Whatever. The XP license is never used in the method I am talking about so
it is still valid.

 

[Pipboy]

Then they cleanly reinstall XP and their Vista upgrade license is still
theirs to do with as they please.
This is just a licensing thing not a physical thing.

I know we are talking about the license and not the physical disk. If they
made their XP license invalid by upgrading to Vista then the XP license can
no longer be used.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Brendan, to be clear about this, it's a licensing issue, not
a physical impossibility. Physically it can be done.

Gary VanderMolen

Thank you both, Mike and Rick.
The Vista I used was an upgrade copy, so I guess I've got a no-go on this.
Thanks again,