Install Windows Se7en alongside Windows Vista?

Nick T. wrote:

> I'd also like to know. I'm watching this conversation. One thing,
> however: I've heard alot of people telling about how windows 7 messed up
> their boot sectors/mbr/whatever. Then again, alot of people say that
> it's really stable, and that it can be used to replace vista already. So
> really, it's up to you. I mean, it's alot faster, and it looks cool
> (albeit superbar sounds like something from a cheezy sci-fi movie ).

Jeez..., Windows7 is a Beta - this means it is for *testing only*. Do
not install it on a system that is important to you. Windows7 Beta
expires 1 August, 2009. It can not be upgraded nor downgraded - this
means that as of 1 August it will stop working and you will have to
replace it and completely re-install all of the programs you were using
with it. As with many early Beta releases it is not complete in that
some parts that will be in the release version are not in the Beta
version at present.

If you must try it, at least install it to a separate drive so that any
interaction with your main system will be minimal - but there is no
guarantee that it still will not cause a problem because it is a *test*
version.

All of this info is available on the MS site. If you download it, only
download it from MS sites. Otherwise you have no idea of the actual
content of versions downloaded from bit torrents and other sites - think
spyware, malware, etc.

My best advice is that if you are a novice computer user, stay away from
Beta releases until you have a good knowledge of computers and operating
systems.

I would not advise it.....it's a beta program. If it screws up what will it
take down with it??
I installed a separate HD and disconnected the HD that held XP and then I
installed W7.
No messing with the boot sector of the XP drive. I just pick which HD to
boot from during the boot
process by means of F12
easy as pie...and no problems so far

peter

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"Xandu" <guest@unknown-email.com> wrote in message
news:f4d08cbc2a9a27070e4c793e041ae10d@nntp-gateway.com...

>
> Can I install the new
>
> *::WINDOWS
> SE7EN 6956 ::*::[image: HTTP://BTJUNKIE.ORG/IMAGES/DOWN.GIF]
> ::
> (\"HTTP://DL.BTJUNKIE.ORG/TORRENT/WINDOWS-SE7EN-6956-ISO-AND-BOOTABLE/39525D7D4A14B2EC4EA9F92C508F58C53E5BD742307A/DOWNLOAD.TORRENT\")
> beta alongside my Vista PC? Without formatting the C:/ drive.
>
>
> --
> Xandu

Windows 7 is currently in Beta. That means it is an unfinished product that
can be extremely buggy. It isn't something I would recommend installing
unless, like me, you are a beta software tester.

While I have to say that Windows 7, for me, is extremely stable, it may not
be for others and i certainly would not install it on a production machine.
If you are going to test it, then test it on a 'test' machine rather than a
machine you use everyday for general purposes.

Can you install it? Yes, of course you can, you just need either a second
hard drive or a second partition on your current hard drive. I run Windows
Vista and Windows 7 on separate hard drives on the same machine but, if my
system crashes, I have adequate backup to replace both hard drives with
recent images of both operating systems.

You just need to be aware that things can, and very often, do go wrong which
could result in your computer not being bootable. If you have contingency
plans in place should this happen then test Windows 7, if not then leave it
alone until it is finally released and 'don't' download it from a bit
torrent site or warz site. If it is not an 'official' Microsoft download
then leave well alone.

--

--
John Barnett MVP
Windows XP Associate Expert
Windows Desktop Experience

Web: http://www.winuser.co.uk
Web: http://www.silversurfer-guide.com
Web: http://vistasupport.mvps.org
Web: http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org

The information in this mail/post is supplied "as is". No warranty of any
kind, either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy,
reliability or content of this mail/post. The Author shall not be liable for
any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the
use of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this
mail/post..


"Xandu" <guest@unknown-email.com> wrote in message
news:f4d08cbc2a9a27070e4c793e041ae10d@nntp-gateway.com...

>
> Can I install the new
>
> *::WINDOWS
> SE7EN 6956 ::*::[image: HTTP://BTJUNKIE.ORG/IMAGES/DOWN.GIF]
> ::
> (\"HTTP://DL.BTJUNKIE.ORG/TORRENT/WINDOWS-SE7EN-6956-ISO-AND-BOOTABLE/39525D7D4A14B2EC4EA9F92C508F58C53E5BD742307A/DOWNLOAD.TORRENT\")
> beta alongside my Vista PC? Without formatting the C:/ drive.
>
>
> --
> Xandu

Xandu wrote:

> Can I install the new
>
> *::WINDOWS
> SE7EN 6956 ::*::[image: HTTP://BTJUNKIE.ORG/IMAGES/DOWN.GIF]
> :: (\"HTTP://DL.BTJUNKIE.ORG/TORRENT/WINDOWS-SE7EN-6956-ISO-AND-BOOTABLE/39525D7D4A14B2EC4EA9F92C508F58C53E5BD742307A/DOWNLOAD.TORRENT\")
> beta alongside my Vista PC? Without formatting the C:/ drive.
>
>

Yes you can install it alongside Vista but partitioning the drive is
highly recommended if you don't want to invite problems. Even then
whatever you choose to do is at your own risk. Before you start it would
be wise to either make a full backup or clone of your Vista install in
case things go really, really, wrong. Seagate Disk Wizard or Maxtor's
Maxblast (newest version) can be used for that if you own a Seagate or
Maxtor drive. Vista Boot Pro is a handy utility to get for managing dual
or multi boot scenarios.

I have both 32bit and 64 bit versions of Windows 7 multi-booting with XP
and Vista, each in their own partitions/logical drives. Shared access
files can be kept on a separate partition or harddrive, or even just
folders that both operating systems can access, instead of in the
default folders each OS creates for itself.

Assuming you have a large enough block of 'empty' space on your
harddrive you can use Vista's Disk Management to shrink the Vista (C:\?)
partition and create some unallocated space (25GB or more?). Then with
the same tool create a new partition within that vacant space, format
the partition and allocate a logical drive letter that won't interfere
with your other existing drives. Then, while Vista is running, install
Windows 7 into the new partition/logical drive. After installation there
will be a boot screen with 30second window to decide which OS to choose,
otherwise Windows 7 will be the default boot OS when left unattended.
You can change the boot order after the fact if it doesn't suit you.

RalfG it is worth noting that when dual booting Windows 7 will not see a
Vista or XP partition simply because Windows 7 doesn't allocate a drive
letter to the 'older' operating system drive. This has caused many problems
for users. The simplest way around the problem is to assign a drive letter
yourself to the Vista or XP drive, then Windows 7 will see the drive.

If you use a card reader you will also notice that the drives on that are
also not visible. Again this is a default of Windows 7 (presumably to reduce
clutter in Windows Explorer). The card reader drive will only become visible
when the 'card' is inserted into the card reader.

--

--
John Barnett MVP
Windows XP Associate Expert
Windows Desktop Experience

Web: http://www.winuser.co.uk
Web: http://www.silversurfer-guide.com
Web: http://vistasupport.mvps.org
Web: http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org

The information in this mail/post is supplied "as is". No warranty of any
kind, either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy,
reliability or content of this mail/post. The Author shall not be liable for
any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the
use of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this
mail/post..


"RalfG" <itsnotme@ladedad.eda> wrote in message
news:#ngVxwReJHA.1336@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...

> Xandu wrote:

>> Can I install the new *::WINDOWS
>> SE7EN 6956 ::*::[image: HTTP://BTJUNKIE.ORG/IMAGES/DOWN.GIF] ::
>> (\"HTTP://DL.BTJUNKIE.ORG/TORRENT/WINDOWS-SE7EN-6956-ISO-AND-BOOTABLE/39525D7D4A14B2EC4EA9F92C508F58C53E5BD742307A/DOWNLOAD.TORRENT\")
>> beta alongside my Vista PC? Without formatting the C:/ drive.
>>
>>

>
> Yes you can install it alongside Vista but partitioning the drive is
> highly recommended if you don't want to invite problems. Even then
> whatever you choose to do is at your own risk. Before you start it would
> be wise to either make a full backup or clone of your Vista install in
> case things go really, really, wrong. Seagate Disk Wizard or Maxtor's
> Maxblast (newest version) can be used for that if you own a Seagate or
> Maxtor drive. Vista Boot Pro is a handy utility to get for managing dual
> or multi boot scenarios.
>
> I have both 32bit and 64 bit versions of Windows 7 multi-booting with XP
> and Vista, each in their own partitions/logical drives. Shared access
> files can be kept on a separate partition or harddrive, or even just
> folders that both operating systems can access, instead of in the default
> folders each OS creates for itself.
>
> Assuming you have a large enough block of 'empty' space on your harddrive
> you can use Vista's Disk Management to shrink the Vista (C:\?) partition
> and create some unallocated space (25GB or more?). Then with the same tool
> create a new partition within that vacant space, format the partition and
> allocate a logical drive letter that won't interfere with your other
> existing drives. Then, while Vista is running, install Windows 7 into the
> new partition/logical drive. After installation there will be a boot
> screen with 30second window to decide which OS to choose, otherwise
> Windows 7 will be the default boot OS when left unattended. You can change
> the boot order after the fact if it doesn't suit you.

John Barnett MVP wrote:

> RalfG it is worth noting that when dual booting Windows 7 will not see a
> Vista or XP partition simply because Windows 7 doesn't allocate a drive
> letter to the 'older' operating system drive. This has caused many
> problems for users. The simplest way around the problem is to assign a
> drive letter yourself to the Vista or XP drive, then Windows 7 will see
> the drive.

That has not been my experience. I did a clean install of Win7 to a
separate drive. I now have a triple boot menu on boot up. Once in '7' it
sees all my drives and assigns drive letters as expected for the other
OS's. The only drives I don't see are the card readers as you mention
below. But if I insert a card into a reader it comes right up with the
next available drive letter.

>
> If you use a card reader you will also notice that the drives on that
> are also not visible. Again this is a default of Windows 7 (presumably
> to reduce clutter in Windows Explorer). The card reader drive will only
> become visible when the 'card' is inserted into the card reader.
>

Your first operating system drive is C: When another operating system is
installed and booted up the new drive/partition you installed it on
allocates the drive letter C: to it. If you boot to Vista or XP your drive
will show as C:, if you then boot to Windows 7 this drive will also show as
C:

At some point the C: drive letter is removed from one hard drive/partition
and allocated to the other operating system, thus leaving the 'original'
drive/partition without a drive letter.

In Windows Vista the 'original' drive would automatically be allocated a new
drive letter. In my case, for example Vista is drive C: whereas Windows 7 is
drive H. However, in Windows 7, Win 7 is designated as drive C: and Vista
does not have a drive letter, hence it cannot be seen. It is only when I
manually allocate a drive letter that the drive is seen in Windows Explorer.
From the information I received from Microsoft when I bugged this problem
this is how it is 'supposed' to work - Windows 7 takes the C: drive letter
in a dual boot system and the other operating system remains invisible
unless manually allocated a drive letter.

--

--
John Barnett MVP
Windows XP Associate Expert
Windows Desktop Experience

Web: http://www.winuser.co.uk
Web: http://www.silversurfer-guide.com
Web: http://vistasupport.mvps.org
Web: http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org

The information in this mail/post is supplied "as is". No warranty of any
kind, either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy,
reliability or content of this mail/post. The Author shall not be liable for
any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the
use of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this
mail/post..


"Hobo" <hobo@nil.spam> wrote in message
news:Oc6dnb0-cpwS-e7UnZ2dnUVZ_qXinZ2d@giganews.com...

> John Barnett MVP wrote:

>> RalfG it is worth noting that when dual booting Windows 7 will not see a
>> Vista or XP partition simply because Windows 7 doesn't allocate a drive
>> letter to the 'older' operating system drive. This has caused many
>> problems for users. The simplest way around the problem is to assign a
>> drive letter yourself to the Vista or XP drive, then Windows 7 will see
>> the drive.

>
> That has not been my experience. I did a clean install of Win7 to a
> separate drive. I now have a triple boot menu on boot up. Once in '7' it
> sees all my drives and assigns drive letters as expected for the other
> OS's. The only drives I don't see are the card readers as you mention
> below. But if I insert a card into a reader it comes right up with the
> next available drive letter.
>
>
>

>>
>> If you use a card reader you will also notice that the drives on that are
>> also not visible. Again this is a default of Windows 7 (presumably to
>> reduce clutter in Windows Explorer). The card reader drive will only
>> become visible when the 'card' is inserted into the card reader.
>>

I suspect that the differences we experienced may have something to do
with the way Win7 was installed. I don't know how you installed yours,
but each of my three OS's are installed on a primary partition on its
own drive. I did not disconnect the other two drives when I installed
'7'. Upon booting '7', the other OS drives are/were identified as D: and
E: as one would normally expect. The only way I can see the other OS
drives not being readily identified is if Win7 was installed with the
other drives disconnected, or perhaps the way in which the motherboard
and its drivers handle the drive assignments.

Anyway, from what I read on TechNet, some installs have readily
identified the other OS drives and some have not. Unfortunately info
about the installation manner and hardware has not been included with
the TechNet queries.


John Barnett MVP wrote:

> Your first operating system drive is C: When another operating system is
> installed and booted up the new drive/partition you installed it on
> allocates the drive letter C: to it. If you boot to Vista or XP your
> drive will show as C:, if you then boot to Windows 7 this drive will
> also show as C:
>
> At some point the C: drive letter is removed from one hard
> drive/partition and allocated to the other operating system, thus
> leaving the 'original' drive/partition without a drive letter.
>
> In Windows Vista the 'original' drive would automatically be allocated a
> new drive letter. In my case, for example Vista is drive C: whereas
> Windows 7 is drive H. However, in Windows 7, Win 7 is designated as
> drive C: and Vista does not have a drive letter, hence it cannot be
> seen. It is only when I manually allocate a drive letter that the drive
> is seen in Windows Explorer. From the information I received from
> Microsoft when I bugged this problem this is how it is 'supposed' to
> work - Windows 7 takes the C: drive letter in a dual boot system and the
> other operating system remains invisible unless manually allocated a
> drive letter.
>