How To Install Windows Xp On Windows 7

Ane of the most common bug encountered in configuring a dual-boot betwixt Windows XP and Windows Vista happens when you try to install Windows XP on a figurer with Windows 7/Vista already installed. When you install Windows XP, it'll remove the bootmgr/BCD used past newer versions of Windows (Vista, 7, & 8) and utilize its own instead.

Contents

1 Installing Windows XP on a PC already with Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows viii
- ane.one Prepping the Machine for an XP Installation
- one.2 Installing Windows XP
2 Setting up the Dual-Kicking
- 2.1 Finishing Up
- 2.ii Troubleshooting

Installing Windows XP on a PC already with Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows viii

If y'all follow these instructions, you should exist able to add Windows XP to a system that already has a newer version of Windows installed – with minimal headache and no loss of data.

Prepping the Machine for an XP Installation

The offset affair to do is to get your system set for installing Windows XP. There are a couple of things you need to do:

Exercise you already take a free sectionalisation or a separate physical deejay that you tin can install Windows XP to? If and then, skip on to the adjacent section.

Download the free GParted Live CD or use a commercial partition editor, and boot into it.
Utilise the sectionalisation manager to compress the partition with Windows Vista/7 to brand enough roomat the stop of the drive for Windows XP.
Add together a new sectionalisation locatedafter the Windows Vista/7 sectionalisation you just shrunk. Make sure it has been formatted as NTFS. It doesn't need to be chief, and should not be agile.
Reboot into the Windows XP setup CD

It's very important to make certain that this partitioning was created at the stop of the drive, or else yous might no longer be able to boot into Windows considering your sectionalization numbers and offsets have changed.

Installing Windows XP

If you're installing Windows XP to a separate physical drive, do not disconnect the Windows Vista or Windows 7 drive, and exercise notchange the drive boot order in the BIOS. This will not help and will make it terribly difficult to go your dual-kicking working again!

You cannot install Windows XP by running the installer from within a newer version of Windows, instead, you'll have to kicking from the CD:

Make certain your BIOS is configured to boot from the CD. Some computers also permit y'all press F8 to pick where you want to boot from – you lot may apply that option instead.
Put your Windows XP CD in the drive and press a central when you encounter the "Press whatever key to enter Windows Setup…" message.
If you're installing Windows XP to a SATA drive, make sure you hit F6 to load the SATA drives.
When yous're presented with a screen that has a list of hard drives and partitions, apply the arrow keys to select the empty NTFS division yous created in the previous department, then press 'Enter' to go on.
Allow Windows XP setup finish. Information technology will reboot several times – do not interrupt information technology.

Setting up the Dual-Boot

In one case Windows XP setup has finished, information technology'll automatically kicking you into the newly installed copy of Windows XP – note that you lot volitionnon be able to boot into Vista/vii at this point, nor volition you meet a kicking card choice for it. This is because Windows XP has installed its own bootloader on top of the Windows Vista bootloader, and information technology does not recognize newer versions of Windows.

One time in Windows XP, download and install the Microsoft .NET ii.0 Framework SP1.
Download and install the latest version of EasyBCD.
Once in EasyBCD, go to the "Bootloader Setup" page, and select "Install the Windows Vista/7 bootloader to the MBR" then "Write MBR" to get the EasyBCD bootloader back.

EasyBCD BCD deployment screen

One time that'south done, head on to the "Add New Entry" folio and select "Windows NT/2k/XP/2003" from the drop-downwardly listing, give it a name, then press "Add Entry" to finish. Leave the checkbox for automatic configuration checked, andexercise not manually modify the drive in EasyBCD thereafter. The settings EasyBCD chooses mayawait wrong, just information technology'due south complicated.

EasyBCD adding WinXP entry

Now reboot.

You won't exist able to select the bulldoze that your Windows XP entry points to. This is because EasyBCD volition automatically search for NTLDR, the Windows XP bootloader, and pick the right bulldoze for you. For more information, read the chief Windows XP folio. Don't try irresolute this yourself, your organization will not boot if you do!

Finishing Up

If all has gone well (assuming you followed the directions here to a tee, there is no reason for it not to have), you should be presented with the EasyBCD boot menu when yous restart your motorcar.
You'll have the old Windows Vista/7 entry and the new Windows XP entry you created in the steps above. Selecting each should go you lot into the respecting operating system without a trouble.
Experience complimentary to run EasyBCD in either Os and customize your dual-kicking by renaming entries, irresolute the default OS, and modifying the menu timeout.
Catch yourself a re-create of iReboot from the "Useful Utilities" page – it's free and y'all'll love it.