Dual Boot - Install Win 7 on Pre-Installed Win 8 System

[Muad Dib]

Put my test SSD, back in the box, boots to fast 1.5 sec with Windows 7 in UEFI mode. No time to enter BIOS if need.

Those who kiss and tell are bad but those who screw and brag are downright horrible!

 

[Muad Dib]

Still experimenting.... and learning.

Decided to leave the Win8 HDD connected and install Win7 on the SSD.

Works fine except that the boot manager is the old style Win7 text screen allowing a choice of Win7 or Win8.

I would like to use the Win8 boot manager (loader).

One person in another forum said he did a "reinstall" of Win8 from within Win8 and got the Win8 graphical boot manager back. He though the Win8 "refresh" would work just as well.

Is there not a "BCDEDIT" tool that would or a simple Win8 repair boot function without using the "Refresh" or "Reset" operations the do far more than needed?

Still cannot get Refresh or Reset to work.

 

[theog]

Put my test SSD, back in the box, boots to fast 1.5 sec with Windows 7 in UEFI mode. No time to enter BIOS if need.

Those who kiss and tell are bad but those who screw and brag are downright horrible!

Still experimenting.... and learning.

Decided to leave the Win8 HDD connected and install Win7 on the SSD.

Works fine except that the boot manager is the old style Win7 text screen allowing a choice of Win7 or Win8.

I would like to use the Win8 boot manager (loader).

One person in another forum said he did a "reinstall" of Win8 from within Win8 and got the Win8 graphical boot manager back. He though the Win8 "refresh" would work just as well.

Is there not a "BCDEDIT" tool that would or a simple Win8 repair boot function without using the "Refresh" or "Reset" operations the do far more than needed?

Still cannot get Refresh or Reset to work.

For Refresh, did you mark as ACTIVE.
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/9310-refresh-windows-8-set-custom-recovery-image-active.html

For Reset, that may be a Dell problem.As a few OEM's are having problems with Recovery.

 

[Muad Dib]

Issues For The Dell Pre-Configured System Resolved

Just wanted to follow up on the issues I was having with a Dell XPS 8500 pre-configured Windows 8 system.

First and foremost - Create the Factory Image Retsore DVDs prior to any system changes in case you want to revert to the Factory Image.

I rarely have has a need to do this but it is good practice. I did do this in this cases as well but the factory image as delivered is of little use to me.

Issue 1 - I had Used Easeus Partion Manager to re-partition the 1TB HDD. This is probably what "broke" the Windows 8 system in terms of the Reset/Refresh functions. I have had this problem with other Dell systems (XP, Vista and Win7) when re-partitioning "broke" any factory restore/repair functions.

Fortunately, while Dell did not provide an as delivered Factory Image on DVDs they did provide a Dell Windows 8 OEM Installation DVD (go figure). I used that to re-install Windows 8, updated with Dell Drivers, Windows Update and also installed my 3rd party apps (Office, Norton AV, et, etc). I was then able to create a custom recovery image and can use the custom recovery image for a Refresh or use the Windiows 8 Installation DVD for a Reset.


Issue 2 - Dual Boot system boots to Windows 7 Text Style OS choice menu not the Windows 8 graphical choice menu. As explained in another thread this is because I had Windows 7 chosen as the Default OS choice.

So everything is fine with one oddity.

If I chose the Windows Boot Manager in the UEFI BIOS settings as the default boot device the system boots to the Windows 7 OS choice menu and I can chose either OS to boot to.

If I chose the Windows 7 SSD as the default boot device the system will not boot. Interestingly, and just for hoots, I disconnected the Windows 8 HDD, booted to the Windows 7 Installation DVD and did a REPAIR function on the Windows 7 SSD installation. The boot files were "fixed" and I could then boot to the SSD as a standalone boot to Windows 7.

Thanks to all for your aid in getting up to speed on the wonderous world of Windows 8! Now on to another system setup with another question for another thread.....

P.S. While I find Windows 8 interesting and will install a copy on my own system, for production work environments (desktop apps) I have yet to find any "must have" new features to justify upgrading to Windows 8.

 

[theog]

If I chose the Windows Boot Manager in the UEFI BIOS settings as the default boot device the system boots to the Windows 7 OS choice menu and I can chose either OS to boot to.

If I chose the Windows 7 SSD as the default boot device the system will not boot. Interestingly, and just for hoots, I disconnected the Windows 8 HDD, booted to the Windows 7 Installation DVD and did a REPAIR function on the Windows 7 SSD installation. The boot files were "fixed" and I could then boot to the SSD as a standalone boot to Windows 7.

The boot files would have been installed to the Windows 8 HDD.

P.S. While I find Windows 8 interesting and will install a copy on my own system, for production work environments (desktop apps) I have yet to find any "must have" new features to justify upgrading to Windows 8.

True.