Tag: dual boot system
December 02, 2009 by
Jason
To add Windows 7 to a system alongside an existing version of Window, you first need to make sure that you have an available partition (or unformatted disk space) separate from the partition that contains the system files for your current Windows installation.
The target partition can be a separate partition on the same physical disk, or it can be on a different hard disk. If your system contains a single disk with a single partition used as drive C, you cannot create a multiboot system unless you add a new disk or use software tools to shrink the existing partition and create a new partition from the free space. (The Windows 7 Disk Management console, Diskmgmt.msc, includes this capability; to shrink partitions on a system running an older Windows version, you’ll need third-party software.) The new partition does not need to be empty; however, it should not contain system files for another Windows installation. Run the setup program, choose the Custom (Advanced) option, and select the disk and partition you want to use for the new installation.
The setup program automatically handles details of adding the newly installed operating system to the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store.
And how do you edit and configure the Boot Configuration Data store? Surprisingly, the only official tool is a command-line utility called Bcdedit. Bcdedit isn’t an interactive program; instead, you perform tasks by appending switches and parameters to the Bcdedit command line. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »
January 14, 2009 by
Jason
For those of you who have waited long for the beta release of Windows 7, Micosoft has finally released the link for you to download a copy to test. In case you have not downloaded, here is the link:
The file size is about 2.4GB in size, so make sure you are on a broadband connection and have several hours to spare. You will have to burn it into a DVD to use it.
Once you have downloaded it, you will have to install it on a working machine in order to access the full functionality. As this is still a beta release and not suitable for daily production use, it is not wise to erase or upgrade your existing Vista to Windows 7. A good way is to create a dual boot system where you can choose to boot into Vista or Win 7. Here’s how it’s done:
Read More»
Posted in Windows 7, Windows Vista | 1 Comment »
There are two ways to run several operating systems on your computer. You can run them with virtualization inside one another, or you can install them alongside each other and boot each individually, this is the easiest method for most users.
You don’t even have to create a dual boot system with Linux, in this case, Ubuntu. It can be installed by itself without Vista or any other operating installed first. Most users purchasing a new computer will find Vista installed so this is the route I will take for this tutorial.
Let’s take a look at installing Ubuntu alongside Vista on a computer, assuming Vista is installed first as this will cover most instances. Read More»
Posted in Linux, Windows Vista | 7 Comments »
February 21, 2008 by
Jason
My tips explained how to set up a Vista machine to dual-boot between that OS and Windows XP.
But booting to XP on a dual-boot system has the negative side-effect of deleting any Vista restore points, in addition to all but its latest backup file, and a Registry workaround is required to prevent this.
XP dual-boot is not system-restore friendly
Ian Brown was the first to describe an unfortunate fact of dual-booting XP and Vista: Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista, Windows XP | 1 Comment »
February 14, 2008 by
Jason
Fortunately, you can have your XP cake and eat your Vista, too, by setting up your system to boot between the two operating systems.
Add an XP option to your new Vista system
If a new computer arrived in your recent past, or you plan to buy one in the near future, chances are it will come with Windows Vista installed. Although some manufacturers still give you the option of getting XP on your new system, that option is likely to dry up for most consumers later this year when Microsoft stops selling Windows XP.
If you’re not ready to dive into Vista all at once, there is an answer: set up your Vista computer to dual-boot between Vista and XP. Read More»
Posted in Computer, Windows Vista, Windows XP | 13 Comments »