Installing XP AFTER Win 8?

sl2222

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I need my XP back for some older programs. I've read a lot about getting xp back to the boot menu when u install 8 after xp but not the other way around.
My question...
If I disconnect all drives then install xp to a fresh drive that's the only one in the system, can I reconnect all my other drives and THEN alter the boot menu to include the XP drive?
Right now I have 3 drives of which 2 are GPT and 1 is mbr.

I'm thinking if I move the 3 xp boot files (boot.ini, ntld and ntdtect.com) to my existing boot drive and then point to the correct disk/partition for xp it should work shouldn't it? I'll probably just try easybcd first and set it up for whatever drive it shows in windows 8 at the time.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Why not download Virtual Box (free) and create a VM of XP that way you won't have all the headaches of making a dual boot.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8, (VM win7, XP, Vista)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion p1423w
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 3330 Ivy Bridge
    Motherboard
    Foxconn - 2ADA Ivy Brige
    Memory
    16 GB 1066MHz DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5450
    Sound Card
    HD Realteck (Onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Mitsubishi LED TV/Montior HD, Dell 23 HD, Hanspree 25" HD
    Screen Resolution
    Mit. 1980-1080, Dell 2048-115, Hanspree 1920-10802
    Hard Drives
    1 SanDisk 240Gig SSD, 2 Samsung 512Gig SSDs
    Case
    Tower
    Cooling
    Original (Fans)
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Keyboard 2000
    Mouse
    Microsoft Optical Mouse 5000
    Internet Speed
    1.3 (350 to 1024 if lucky)
    Browser
    Firefox 19.1
    Antivirus
    MSE-Defender
I already have that but if you want to run an old game forget the virtual thing.
:(
Why not download Virtual Box (free) and create a VM of XP that way you won't have all the headaches of making a dual boot.

Capture.PNG
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Win XP will not dual boot with Windows 8 x64 UEFI mode.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
I wonder why? I can dual boot now into that other win 8 system listed above and it's MBR.
And if you install win 8 on a separate hard drive from an existing xp system people have been able to get back the "Earlier version of Windows" back into their menu.

edit: also I was wondering (I do that a lot) why I couldn't add a new drive into this system and then boot my xp install cd and install to that drive (having swapped it to the the number 1 boot drive in the bios so it doesn't mess with my existing boot manager).
Then go back to having the win 8 drive as #1 in the bios and boot to win 8
THEN use easybcd to add the xp drive to the win 8 boot menu
am I way off here?

Thanks by the way.

Win XP will not dual boot with Windows 8 x64 UEFI mode.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
It would seem that coming up with drivers for XP will be the main problem. If your system is EUFI then there is a chance it will not even recognize XP even with a HDD set to use MBR.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8, (VM win7, XP, Vista)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion p1423w
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 3330 Ivy Bridge
    Motherboard
    Foxconn - 2ADA Ivy Brige
    Memory
    16 GB 1066MHz DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5450
    Sound Card
    HD Realteck (Onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Mitsubishi LED TV/Montior HD, Dell 23 HD, Hanspree 25" HD
    Screen Resolution
    Mit. 1980-1080, Dell 2048-115, Hanspree 1920-10802
    Hard Drives
    1 SanDisk 240Gig SSD, 2 Samsung 512Gig SSDs
    Case
    Tower
    Cooling
    Original (Fans)
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Keyboard 2000
    Mouse
    Microsoft Optical Mouse 5000
    Internet Speed
    1.3 (350 to 1024 if lucky)
    Browser
    Firefox 19.1
    Antivirus
    MSE-Defender
Hi there
apart from the UEFI thing the main problem with installing a REAL version (dual boot) of Windows XP is that nearly all HDD's these days are SATA and not IDE. SATA drivers don't exist in XP even in SP3 so you'll have to slipstream them into the XP install media first.

If you try and install XP on a machine with only SATA drives you'll get the message "No Hard Disk drives found".

You can get SATA drivers from Driverpacks.org.

But these days the latest version of VMware player has MUCH MUCH better video support such as 3-D etc. - Even DVD playing works which always used to be a problem on Virtual machines so why not download the latest version of VMware player and try and see if your games work as doing the slipstream and dual booting is a lot of work.

By using a VM as well gets over the UEFI problem.

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 X LG 40 inch TV
    Hard Drives
    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
Thanks for that info jimbo. I do have sata drivers for xp sp3. I did try vmware but the video in a game still cannot keep up unfortunately.
I know there HAS to be a way to get this going. I'll keep at it and if I figure out a way I'll report back.

Hi there
apart from the UEFI thing the main problem with installing a REAL version (dual boot) of Windows XP is that nearly all HDD's these days are SATA and not IDE. SATA drivers don't exist in XP even in SP3 so you'll have to slipstream them into the XP install media first.

If you try and install XP on a machine with only SATA drives you'll get the message "No Hard Disk drives found".

You can get SATA drivers from Driverpacks.org.

But these days the latest version of VMware player has MUCH MUCH better video support such as 3-D etc. - Even DVD playing works which always used to be a problem on Virtual machines so why not download the latest version of VMware player and try and see if your games work as doing the slipstream and dual booting is a lot of work.

By using a VM as well gets over the UEFI problem.

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
trying to make sense of it all

Been trying to figure out almost the same thing. I am not a techie but I can get things done with help. My task at hand is to finally purchase a new desktop. I have been running XP for years and it has been the best Win OS I have ever run. It also is the newest I have run. I have $$$$$$$$ of software on the XP machine as I do audio and video stuff with it. It would be a money pit if I can no longer use my software. I also have Office 2007 and do not want to lose that either.
So I want to buy a new desktop and I see I can get either Win 7 or 8. I know nothing about 7 or 8 just knew Vista was not very good. I want to be sure to buy the right system because I really want to keep my XP stuff running. When I saw Microsoft is ending the XP updates I know its time to get something newer.
I have been reading many posts about this topic but most people are trying to do it with a computer already owned so I wonder if I have a better shot because I can buy the right setup if that makes sense or if there is one. I read that drivers could be an issue but someone here said they have them.

Is there any suggestions in real newbie terms that might get me headed in the right direction if there is one?

Thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    maybe 8 and XP
I haven't had time to do what i wanted yet but for cyborg...is your current drive ide or sata?

Been trying to figure out almost the same thing. I am not a techie but I can get things done with help. My task at hand is to finally purchase a new desktop. I have been running XP for years and it has been the best Win OS I have ever run. It also is the newest I have run. I have $$$$$$$$ of software on the XP machine as I do audio and video stuff with it. It would be a money pit if I can no longer use my software. I also have Office 2007 and do not want to lose that either.
So I want to buy a new desktop and I see I can get either Win 7 or 8. I know nothing about 7 or 8 just knew Vista was not very good. I want to be sure to buy the right system because I really want to keep my XP stuff running. When I saw Microsoft is ending the XP updates I know its time to get something newer.
I have been reading many posts about this topic but most people are trying to do it with a computer already owned so I wonder if I have a better shot because I can buy the right setup if that makes sense or if there is one. I read that drivers could be an issue but someone here said they have them.

Is there any suggestions in real newbie terms that might get me headed in the right direction if there is one?

Thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Me personally, if I install an OS on another drive, I find it easier to just keep off the side of the PC and swap drives when I need to, especially with something as old as XP.
Another way is to use caddies, and slip them in and out whenever you want. I find I don't use the older OS that much so its senseless to have it dual booting and wasting time.
If they're on the same drive, different story. But I wouldn't dual boot with XP, I'd just get another drive, they're a dime a dozen.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro/Windows 8 Pro/Windows 7 64 Bit64Bit/Windows XP
i think his system is probably outdated and it's time to dump the old one. I agree about wasting time during boot for just the occasional change but u can always set it up to boot with zero seconds delay and autologon to any windows system so it is quite convenient if u want to go back and forth more than once in a while.
just change the boot menu timeout to 10 seconds or so and change back to 0 for normal. Or get easybcd. they have a small program that sits in your tray and u can boot to whatever system listed in your menu for the next boot. (pretty cool)

i'm gonna get this bugger going just out of spite with this machine now anyway. :)


Me personally, if I install an OS on another drive, I find it easier to just keep off the side of the PC and swap drives when I need to, especially with something as old as XP.
Another way is to use caddies, and slip them in and out whenever you want. I find I don't use the older OS that much so its senseless to have it dual booting and wasting time.
If they're on the same drive, different story. But I wouldn't dual boot with XP, I'd just get another drive, they're a dime a dozen.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Yes, it means your xp system already has sata drivers installed.
I'm pretty sure you could buy a system and add that drive successfully very easy if you ensure the new system is fully mbr.
you'd need to get a non-uefi motherboard system (although most have an option to operate as mbr) and i'd also make sure the system disk is mbr and not gpt. If u do that I'm certain you can just add the xp drive then boot to your new win 8 and use easybcd to add the xp drive for a dual boot system.

I haven't had time to do what i wanted yet but for cyborg...is your current drive ide or sata?

The XP desktop has a 7200rpm SATA drive, is this a good thing?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Wow sounds very promising. Ok now for the question, what does uefi stand for? You mention most have an option for mbr. I want to go for Win 8 but most systems I saw where Home version not pro would that work? Would these specs be listed for a new system? Is mbr system disks common? Sounds like I may get this to work.

What is involved with easybcd?

Thanks for you help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    maybe 8 and XP
uefi - Unified Extensible Firmware Interface
most new motherboards are now uefi enabled. I don't know of any that don't have the mbr option available to the user. Then again, i'm no expert either.
More importantly I think is to have the system drive as mbr because it's easier to work with now. everything is compatible where it gets a little tricky with gpt disks in some scenarios still.
just google easybcd
Home or pro version probably wouldn't be a factor for u.

Wow sounds very promising. Ok now for the question, what does uefi stand for? You mention most have an option for mbr. I want to go for Win 8 but most systems I saw where Home version not pro would that work? Would these specs be listed for a new system? Is mbr system disks common? Sounds like I may get this to work.

What is involved with easybcd?

Thanks for you help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
ok If I understand I would buy a new computer, set it up as a mbr and then convert the boot disc to mbr and reinstall the OS on the converted drive, install my XP drive and use easybcd to setup a dual boot. Would the mbr structure cause issues with the OS because of size limitations I plan on a 1 TB drive and my XP drive is also a 1 TB drive or can I leave the boot disc gpt (win8) and add my XP drive and setup a dual boot setup.
Am I getting closer?

I guess a real important question will my printers and scanner and external HD's work with Win 8 and the new system? I have several lasers (HP's) a HP photo inkjet, an Epson photo cd printer inkjet, Epson photo scanner, about 8 external WD,+SG,hd's and I use docks that allow me to use internal hd's as storage drives all USB both ide and sata.

Thanks for all your help. I am scanning Google for help and have been finding only a little of what I need to find out.

Thanks
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    maybe 8 and XP
Well, i was just trying some stuff and I currently have win 8 on a gpt disk. I disconnected all drives except an old (sata) drive.
I had to go into bios and configure the port for that drive as ide not ahci. I then installed xp on that drive. all is well so far. I reconnected my drives including the xp drive. It booted to my win 8 with no problem. If I set the boot order to the xp drive i can now boot to xp.
My next task is to figure the arc path for the xp drive and then I think I can add it to the win 8 menu successfully.
As for your situation, you'll probably have to change your motherboard port to ide instead of ahci also so make sure that option is available on the system u get. i.e. be able to have your win 8 drive on a port configured as ahci and the xp on ide.
You'll be fine up to 2TB drives if I'm not mistaken.
As far as your peripherals you'll need to go to their site and see if they have updated drivers for win 8. If they're quite old u may be screwed there and have to use those under xp.

ok If I understand I would buy a new computer, set it up as a mbr and then convert the boot disc to mbr and reinstall the OS on the converted drive, install my XP drive and use easybcd to setup a dual boot. Would the mbr structure cause issues with the OS because of size limitations I plan on a 1 TB drive and my XP drive is also a 1 TB drive or can I leave the boot disc gpt (win8) and add my XP drive and setup a dual boot setup.
Am I getting closer?

I guess a real important question will my printers and scanner and external HD's work with Win 8 and the new system? I have several lasers (HP's) a HP photo inkjet, an Epson photo cd printer inkjet, Epson photo scanner, about 8 external WD,+SG,hd's and I use docks that allow me to use internal hd's as storage drives all USB both ide and sata.

Thanks for all your help. I am scanning Google for help and have been finding only a little of what I need to find out.

Thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Well, I'm about stumped.
Cyborg - it may not be as easy as i mentioned. :(
Right now I have the scenario that you would have if you bought a win 8 machine and then tried to add your xp drive to the system.
I can only boot to the xp drive if I override the boot menu in the bios and specifically select the xp drive to boot from.
I'll be damned if I can get an xp boot menu to work from the win 8 boot manager. I have an xp entry there now but i can't figure out how to point to it correctly. At least I think that's the problem. I keep getting ntldr error.
I may have to live with it the way it is.
I know damn well this can be done. I just don't have enough knowledge to get it done.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
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