Help Setting Up Dual Boot Windows 7 and Windows 8 RP

techblitz

New Member
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5
Hey everyone,
When I first ran the Windows 8 RP setup, I wanted to use the idea of creating a dual boot system between Windows 7 and Windows 8. However, as the Windows 8 RP setup ran, I never got the choice of installing the RP on a the partition I created; the setup did keep old files and apps, though, and they are located in the Windows.old folder. Now, after I've had my fun with the RP, I'd like to restore Windows 7 as my default OS but keep Windows 8 on another partition. What's the best way about going this? Windows 8 is located in the C drive and so is the Windows.old folder. I have both installation discs (Windows 8 RP disc and Windows 7 Pro disc). Thanks for your help!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 RP
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 1440
There are posted ways to restore Windows .old, but, under your circumstances, I would reinstall Windows 7 from your DVD. fwiw. A dual installation of Windows 8/7 is a fearless operation. Your mistake was probably in NOT selecting a custom install after the window "INSTALL NOW". If you had done that, you would have had a choice of partitions/HDs, to which you could install. If you now follow this, but install Windows 7 anew in a separate partition, it will set up a dual boot without your intervention, with 7 as the default
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Use several different computers during a day, so specs are irrelevant.
I don't know how to get back your Windows 7 but I know what you did wrong. You used the wrong setup.exe file.

sOURCES.PNG

Read this Tutorial:

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2344-dual-boot-installation-windows-8-windows-7-vista.html?ltr=D

Jim :cool:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 HP 64bit, Windows 8.1 Pro w/Media Center 64BIT
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS - Home Built
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X6 1100T
    Motherboard
    ASUS M5A99X EVO
    Memory
    Crucial Balistic DDR-3 1866 CL 9 (8 GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI R6850 Cyclone IGD5 PE
    Sound Card
    On Chip
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VE258Q 25" LED with DVI-HDMI-DisplayPort
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Two WD Cavier Black 2TB Sata 6gbs
    WD My Book Essential 2TB USB 3.0
    PSU
    Seasonic X650 80 Plus GOLD Modular
    Case
    Corsair 400R
    Cooling
    Antec Kuhler H2O 620, Two 120mm and four 140mm
    Keyboard
    AVS Gear Blue LED Backlight
    Mouse
    Logitech Marble Mouse USB, Logitech Precision Game Pad
    Internet Speed
    15MB
    Antivirus
    NIS, Malwarebytes Premium 2
    Other Info
    APC UPS ES 750, Netgear WNR3500L Gigabit & Wireless N Router with SamKnows Test Program,
    Motorola SB6120 Gigabit Cable Modem.
    Brother HL-2170W Laser Printer,
    Epson V300 Scanner
You need to create a secondary partition (you could use easeus partition manager for that) then install windows 7 on there and you would have to reinstall the programs on it and you could just copy over your documents to the windows 7 partition.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 release preview
I don't know how to get back your Windows 7 but I know what you did wrong. You used the wrong setup.exe file.
Jim

I think he used his installation DVD - at least, he says he has one.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Use several different computers during a day, so specs are irrelevant.
Hmm.. I used the first setup I saw, so that's why I was missing the partition option...
As for my Windows 7 apps, is there anyway to get my Windows 7 programs from my C drive to the new partition? (By this I don't mean moving the Windows.old folder, obviously. I'd like to reinstall Windows 7 and keep the same programs I had before. Thanks everyone for their help!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 RP
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 1440
I don't know how to get back your Windows 7 but I know what you did wrong. You used the wrong setup.exe file.
Jim

I think he used his installation DVD - at least, he says he has one.
I used my Windows 8 RP disc that I burned and I also used the Windows 7 disc for the original installation. I should have followed the Windows 8 Forums instead of roughing it on my own!! Haha
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 RP
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 1440
I don't know how to get back your Windows 7 but I know what you did wrong. You used the wrong setup.exe file.
Jim

I think he used his installation DVD - at least, he says he has one.


Its all covered in Brinks Tutorial. Give it a read, it can save people a lot of problems.

Jim :cool:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 HP 64bit, Windows 8.1 Pro w/Media Center 64BIT
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS - Home Built
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X6 1100T
    Motherboard
    ASUS M5A99X EVO
    Memory
    Crucial Balistic DDR-3 1866 CL 9 (8 GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI R6850 Cyclone IGD5 PE
    Sound Card
    On Chip
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VE258Q 25" LED with DVI-HDMI-DisplayPort
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Two WD Cavier Black 2TB Sata 6gbs
    WD My Book Essential 2TB USB 3.0
    PSU
    Seasonic X650 80 Plus GOLD Modular
    Case
    Corsair 400R
    Cooling
    Antec Kuhler H2O 620, Two 120mm and four 140mm
    Keyboard
    AVS Gear Blue LED Backlight
    Mouse
    Logitech Marble Mouse USB, Logitech Precision Game Pad
    Internet Speed
    15MB
    Antivirus
    NIS, Malwarebytes Premium 2
    Other Info
    APC UPS ES 750, Netgear WNR3500L Gigabit & Wireless N Router with SamKnows Test Program,
    Motorola SB6120 Gigabit Cable Modem.
    Brother HL-2170W Laser Printer,
    Epson V300 Scanner
Phone Man helped me out too. I also first destroyed my Windows 7 because I used the setup.exe of the root. That was no big problem for me because I had yesterday's image of my Windows 7.

But if you go into the 'Sources' folder and look for the .exe shown in the picture, you can direct the installer to any partition you chose. I post the picture because there are about half a dozen .exes in the sources folder and it can get a bit confusing.

2012-06-02_2358.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
I did the same thing and I have a windows.old folder. is there no way I can get Win 7 install back and then follow guides and proper setup to dual boot later?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Windows 8
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    Motherboard
    MSI 965 Neo V1.1
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Geforce 610
    Sound Card
    On board
    Other Info
    MSI Wind U123 netbook, Win 7
    Macbook Pro 13", 4GB ram, 220GB SSD, 750GB Momentus Hybrid hd
    HP Touchpad 32GB, CM9, WebOS
I just went through this with another person who attempted to install Windows 8 as a dual boot, and ended up with a failed install and their working Windows 7 system packed up in a windows.old folder. Working from the recovery (Windows 7 DVD) WinPE prompt, permissions were no problem, getting rid of the Windows 8 system was no problem, but the Windows 8 boot manager persisted. Added to that, dynamic disk volumes had somehow replaced the simple disks - so it meant a full backup, wiping the disk clean, repartitioning, reinstalling Windows 7, updating and then activating it - about a day and a half wasted.

Leaving Metro aside, and apart from the facility with which the disk management systems in Windows since the days of fdisk, can create dynamic disks (but not reverse the process as easily), and the totally screwed up installer of windows 8 RP - what else can Microsoft do to disenchant those eager to see what their latest Windows has to offer?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP COMPAQ Presario CQ57
    CPU
    AMD E- 300 APU with Radion HD Graphics 1.30GHz
    Motherboard
    inbuilt
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI
    Sound Card
    High Definition Audio on-board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    notebook
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Seagate ST9500325AS
    Google drive 15GB
    Skydrive 25GB
    BT Cloud
    PSU
    external 20v
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    pretty good
    Keyboard
    inbuilt
    Mouse
    touchpad
    Internet Speed
    BT Infinity Unlimited - 80 up 20 down =70/16 really
    Browser
    Chrome Canary usually
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    no Start menu modifications
    Upgraded with no issues to 8.0 and to 8.1
I just went through this with another person who attempted to install Windows 8 as a dual boot, and ended up with a failed install and their working Windows 7 system packed up in a windows.old folder. Working from the recovery (Windows 7 DVD) WinPE prompt, permissions were no problem, getting rid of the Windows 8 system was no problem, but the Windows 8 boot manager persisted. Added to that, dynamic disk volumes had somehow replaced the simple disks - so it meant a full backup, wiping the disk clean, repartitioning, reinstalling Windows 7, updating and then activating it - about a day and a half wasted.

Leaving Metro aside, and apart from the facility with which the disk management systems in Windows since the days of fdisk, can create dynamic disks (but not reverse the process as easily), and the totally screwed up installer of windows 8 RP - what else can Microsoft do to disenchant those eager to see what their latest Windows has to offer?
Although I agree with you that Windows 8 RP is not the best thing since sliced bread, you must have made a few mistakes.

1. Dynamic partitions you get only whe you violate the NTFS rules.
2. Before you take such a major action, you should have imaged your Win7 system for an easy recovery.
3. Not sure what your bootmgr problem was, but it sounds more like an MBR problem that you did not clean up.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
1. The user made a new partition to put the windows 8 on - thus breaking the ntfs rules on too many primary partitions - there is no dire warning that such rules are being broken - the disk management software complies quietly, I believe - I've never done it myself.

2. Yes the user was wiser after the fact. There is/was a certain amount of trust that the product might do things safely, rolling back harmlessly if things go wrong. How wrong can one be!

The windows 8 boot is a pig to get into when your user only has the command prompt from the WinRE on the Windows 7 DVD to work from and I was on the telephone to the user in a different country without a pc in front of me. It cleaned up easily enough once all the data had been backed up, and diskpart had done its job.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP COMPAQ Presario CQ57
    CPU
    AMD E- 300 APU with Radion HD Graphics 1.30GHz
    Motherboard
    inbuilt
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI
    Sound Card
    High Definition Audio on-board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    notebook
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Seagate ST9500325AS
    Google drive 15GB
    Skydrive 25GB
    BT Cloud
    PSU
    external 20v
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    pretty good
    Keyboard
    inbuilt
    Mouse
    touchpad
    Internet Speed
    BT Infinity Unlimited - 80 up 20 down =70/16 really
    Browser
    Chrome Canary usually
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    no Start menu modifications
    Upgraded with no issues to 8.0 and to 8.1
I am re-doing all drives with Gparted live, then going to install Win 7 on separate hd.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Windows 8
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    Motherboard
    MSI 965 Neo V1.1
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Geforce 610
    Sound Card
    On board
    Other Info
    MSI Wind U123 netbook, Win 7
    Macbook Pro 13", 4GB ram, 220GB SSD, 750GB Momentus Hybrid hd
    HP Touchpad 32GB, CM9, WebOS
Hi fafhrd,

That is interesting.

With the previous win8 release - winre would not delete win8 files from the HD.

I ended up going under the permissions to do it.

That was winre.wim booted from the HD.

I haven't tried anything similar yet with the the current win8.

I was trying to restore the wim created by recimg keeping as much as possible.

It worked pretty well - installed programs were kept - which is an improvement on the standard MS way.

Just did it out of curiosity - it is much quicker and better to use a 3rd party imaging app. in the first place.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
I don't think we deleted anything - just renamed the windows 8 folders and moved the contents of windows old about -eventually onto an external drive - but the Windows 8 boot manager firmly did not relinquish it's position and it was impossible to repair the Windows 7 installation once it had been reconstructed. The closest we came was a screen that proclaimed that the windows was not genuine and allowed no further interaction.

Diskpart clean was all the deleting necessary :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP COMPAQ Presario CQ57
    CPU
    AMD E- 300 APU with Radion HD Graphics 1.30GHz
    Motherboard
    inbuilt
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI
    Sound Card
    High Definition Audio on-board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    notebook
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Seagate ST9500325AS
    Google drive 15GB
    Skydrive 25GB
    BT Cloud
    PSU
    external 20v
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    pretty good
    Keyboard
    inbuilt
    Mouse
    touchpad
    Internet Speed
    BT Infinity Unlimited - 80 up 20 down =70/16 really
    Browser
    Chrome Canary usually
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    no Start menu modifications
    Upgraded with no issues to 8.0 and to 8.1
Just for the record - Disk Management does actually warn you of the danger of dynamic partitions when you are about to create a new partition beyond 4 primaries. Your friend must have missed that warning.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
I'm sure you're correct - I've just salvaged a (perfectly serviceable 2-y-o) 160GB SATA drive from a set-top cable TV box that was dumped, and I've been trying to get Disk Management (Windows 7 Sp1) to allow me to "accidentally" create a dynamic disk system, and I find it intelligently makes a extended partition after the first three primaries are set, and proceeds to fill it with logical drives. DM does not always suggest the correct drive letter though, sometimes suggesting the last letter assigned. I have not yet tried hiding drives or creating them as system drives to see if that makes any difference.

So I'm still in the dark how it came about.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP COMPAQ Presario CQ57
    CPU
    AMD E- 300 APU with Radion HD Graphics 1.30GHz
    Motherboard
    inbuilt
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI
    Sound Card
    High Definition Audio on-board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    notebook
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Seagate ST9500325AS
    Google drive 15GB
    Skydrive 25GB
    BT Cloud
    PSU
    external 20v
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    pretty good
    Keyboard
    inbuilt
    Mouse
    touchpad
    Internet Speed
    BT Infinity Unlimited - 80 up 20 down =70/16 really
    Browser
    Chrome Canary usually
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    no Start menu modifications
    Upgraded with no issues to 8.0 and to 8.1
This mistake is easy to make. Unfortunately a lot of OEM system these days come with 4 primary partitions out of the box (100MB System partition, C, Tools partition, Recovery partition). Only Dell was smart and put the bootmgr into the recovery partition thus eliminating the 100MB partition.

So when the user who is not familiar with the intricacies of NTFS tries to create a 5th partition (primary or extended), he falls into the dynamics trap.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
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