Installing XP on a Windows 7 Partition

I am currently running Windows 7 Enterprise.

I want to be able to run Windows XP and have tried things like VirtualBox and Windows Virtual PC... Those haven't worked. I want to play a few old games and they just won't respond when I use WVP and VirtualBox.

So, I shrunk my main hard disk volume to create and format a new 5gb disk and tried to follow the instructions here http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/w...stem-multiboot to install XP using a CD. However, when I insert the disk I get this screen: http://tinypic.com/r/205xnag/5

Obviously I can't start to follow the instructions from Microsoft if it won't even let me install the OS. What do I do from here?

Also, once I do get it installed (if ever) how do I choose which disk (XP or 7) to make my computer boot from?

You can't install windows from within windows. Also, XP has to be installed first on your drive, then install Windows 7.

To install XP on the new partition, you need to boot to the xp cd from the very start up of your computer. This means, go into "setup" on your computer and change your boot sequence to boot from the cd or dvd drive as first boot drive. With your xp cd in the drive, save and exit setup. Windows xp will then ask you to press any key. Press any key and windows xp will start setup.
Reminder, you can't already have Windows 7 on any drive. You will install xp, and then install Windows 7.

Usually, when you want to set up a multi-boot system on the same hard drive, you need to install the older version of Windows first.

Another possibility would be to install Windows XP on a separate hard drive. Then you could use the BIOS to select which drive to boot from, if your BIOS supports this. Most newer BIOSes should.

What games were you trying to run? Games that require even moderately active video probably won't run on a virtual machine.

I would use the free XP Mode that you can get when you own the Pro or Ultimate version.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/vir.../download.aspx

Windows XP Mode:

• Windows XP Mode runs on the Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate versions of Windows 7.
  
  
• Windows XP Mode is not optimized for graphic-intensive programs such as 3D games, nor is it well suited for programs with hardware requirements such as TV tuners. It was primarily designed to help businesses move from Windows XP to Windows 7.
  
  
• Windows XP Mode will run on PCs without Hardware Assisted Virtualization Technology.

I can't just remove Windows 7 from my computer to do this... Before I tried partitioning I tried to get Windows XP to install onto a flash drive so I could just boot from the flash drive... can I just put the XP files from the installation CD onto there and have BIOS boot from the flash drive? Or do I have to make it "bootable"? If I have to make it bootable I've had no luck with the programs out there to do so.

Check out this link for bootable USB ideas.

http://discussions.virtualdr.com/sho...d.php?t=251327

However, I think your best option would still be a second hard drive.

I agree, that's what I do. Get a trayless caddy that goes into a 5.25" bay, then you can just slot whatever drive3 you want to boot up with into it. It works a treat, and the caddies don't cost much :)

I like these IcyBox ones:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trayless-Mob.../dp/B000FSBVNC

The following should work for XP and Win 7:

Install Windows XP on Your Pre-Installed Windows Vista Computer

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windo...vista-computer

I decided to try Steve R Jones's way, and it started to work fine... but when I chose to boot from CD to install WinXP on the new partition, it started fine but then it gave me a stop error; I've looked into it and it appears that the easiest way to fix it is to change the SATA from AHCI to ATA from BIOS. However, I can't find how to change it! Can anyone use screenshots to show me where it's located on a Windows 7 HP BIOS?

Exactly how depends on the BIOS version.

Here's one HP example showing how "SATA Native Mode" can be "Enabled" or "Disabled":
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/d...en&lc=en&cc=us

Here's another HP showing "SATA Device Mode" can be set to either "AHCI" or "IDE":
http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Noteboo...op/td-p/385127

Another showing how to change "Storage Options" from "SATA" emulation to "AHCI":
http://bizsupport1.austin.hp.com/biz...odTypeId=12454

And yet another showing how you need to change "SATA Native Support" to "Enabled":
http://techrena.blogspot.com/2008/10...-xp-in-hp.html

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SpywareDr

Here's another HP showing "SATA Device Mode" can be set to either "AHCI" or "IDE":
http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Noteboo...op/td-p/385127

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Okay, this started to work great!! I worked through all the steps listed there and burned the ISO file to a CD and it should have been bootable... except now my computer refuses to boot from it.

Before when I booted from a CD it said "Press any key to boot from CD" but now it doesn't say anything and boots straight from the hard drive even though I have BIOS configured to boot from CD first then the hard drive.

By the way, thanks so much for helping me with this!! ^.^

To make the cd bootable you have to save the .iso file as an Image, not just burn it like you would data cds. Instructions are in the link below:

How to burn .iso to cd/dvd

Gah! I'm sorry this is taking so long... but I've made another leap and discovered another sticking point.

Thanks to SpywareDr and photolady, I was able to create an XP installation CD that my computer was happy with - no blue screen of death, SATA drivers all accounted for - and now it's ready to be installed on one of the partitions on my computer.

Per Steve R Jones's tutorial suggestion I created a new partition of 15gb for my Windows XP installation and did a thorough format (not quick format) of the new partition. I gave it drive X and labeled it WindowsXP.

However, when the screen comes along to decide which partition to install on, this new partition is not an option. This is the screen that shows up. http://tinypic.com/r/1610f9/5 Notice no X.

I tried deleting the "simple volume" from the partition so that it was just unallocated space and see if I could get XP to create a new partition on it. It doesn't work.

I was thinking about taking everything off the SYSTEM partition G: and moving it somewhere else so I could use that partition, but I searched the Internet and I know that it includes system files and moving things would be harmful.

I read something about partitions needing to be basic instead of dynamic... is that possible since I now have 5 volumes including the extra XP partition? I thought basic disks could only handle 4? Anyway, if it's willing to install on any of the other volumes (which are also dynamic) why would it ignore the XP partition? This is what my disk management looks like. http://tinypic.com/r/kdln38/5

What do I do now?

The bootable partition must be a Primary partition (4 maximum per drive, I believe), and it can't be too many Gigabytes into the drive. Once of those issues may be your problem.