Since you will be installing XP *after* Vista has already been
installed, you will have to follow a different procedure that
involves going back and repairing the Vista boot files. Here is
just one of many tutorials on that sequence of installations:
http://apcmag.com/5485/dualbooting_vista_and_xp
But since you will have 2 HDs, why not just install XP on the
2nd HD independently of Vista and let the BIOS do the dual-
booting for you? That way, removal of XP will not affect
the booting of Vista at all and no diddling with EasyBCD or
VistaBootPro to return Vista eventually to mono-booting will
be necessary.
To do that, just disconnect the 1st HD (that contains Vista)
before installing XP on the 2nd HD. After the XP installation
is done, re-connect the 1st HD. To select one or the other
OS to boot, just go into the BIOS and re-set the Hard Drive
Boot Order at boot time. In some BIOSes, there is a section
to allow rearranging of the HD boot order (NOT the *device*
boot order - called the Boot Sequence) which defines the
meaning of "x" in "rdisk(x)" in the boot.ini file. The HD at the
head of the HD boot order will be "rdisk(0)" in the boot.ini file,
and the BIOS will pass control to the MBR in that HD. Other
BIOSes just allow enabling or disabling of individual HDs, and
the relative HD boot order depends on the no. of the SATA
connector or in the case of PATA HDs, on their position in the
sequence:
Master, IDE ch. 0
Slave, IDR ch. 0,
Master, IDE ch.1,
Slave, IDE ch. 1.
If you have the latter type of BIOS, merely enabling the HD
that you want and disabling the other HD will accomplish
your goal of dual-booting the 2 OSes.
*TimDaniels*
