Is it okay to dual boot windows 8.1 with Win 7?

abdulbasit93

New Member
Messages
14
I have previously posted about the recommended Windows OS for my new laptop... and based on several suggestions I still haven't got any idea about what do to... Then I decided to install Windows 8.1 Pro alongside my previously installed Windows 7 Ultimate (32-bit)... Is it OK to install and dual-boot Windows 8.1 Pro with Windows 7 Ultimate?
And also tell me about the partition size allocations for both Windows, I have two partitions each of 24.7 GB for both the OSes, is this size worth applicable? Please tell me it's urgent... Thanks.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 32-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude D620
    CPU
    Intel Centrino Duo T2400 1.83 GHz (2 CPUs)
    Motherboard
    Mobile Intel(R) 945 Express Chipset Family
    Memory
    2 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) 945 Express Chipset Family
    Sound Card
    High-Definition (HD) Integrated Audio
    Hard Drives
    80 GB
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Hey Adbulbasit93,

It is possible technically yes, a tutorial on how you might go about this:

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

24.7gb will not give you really any room for storage of your personal files... what are you looking to do with your computer because once you start using it you are going to fill that space extremely quick. I personally would not with your limited storage space.



[h=4]Windows 8.1[/h][FONT=WOL_Reg]If you want to run Windows 8.1 on your PC, here's what it takes:[/FONT]

  • [FONT=WOL_Bold]Processor:[/FONT] 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2 (more info)
  • [FONT=WOL_Bold]RAM:[/FONT] 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)
  • [FONT=WOL_Bold]Hard disk space:[/FONT] 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
  • [FONT=WOL_Bold]Graphics card:[/FONT] Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver

    So for example if your operating system does end up taking up 16gb you will only have 11gb left to play with in that partition.
what are you trying to achieve by having both operating systems?

Cheers,
Harry
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows Server 2012 R2 / 8.1
I have previously posted about the recommended Windows OS for my new laptop

Is this a OEM manufacturer's PC with Pre-installed Windows 8?
If YES.
YES & NO, down to your UEFI/BIOS firmware setting.
 

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
It came with Windows 7 pre-installed and it's an OEM product from Dell. And I would not fill up space that much because I will use it mainly for programming purposes only and with using Visual Studio and Turbo C++ and Microsoft Macro Assembler (MASM)...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 32-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude D620
    CPU
    Intel Centrino Duo T2400 1.83 GHz (2 CPUs)
    Motherboard
    Mobile Intel(R) 945 Express Chipset Family
    Memory
    2 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) 945 Express Chipset Family
    Sound Card
    High-Definition (HD) Integrated Audio
    Hard Drives
    80 GB
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
And also tell me about the partition size allocations for both Windows, I have two partitions each of 24.7 GB for both the OSes, is this size worth applicable?

IMO The two partitions are to small, I would go for 100gb if can.
 

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 don't have that much capacity, only 80 GB is available.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 32-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude D620
    CPU
    Intel Centrino Duo T2400 1.83 GHz (2 CPUs)
    Motherboard
    Mobile Intel(R) 945 Express Chipset Family
    Memory
    2 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) 945 Express Chipset Family
    Sound Card
    High-Definition (HD) Integrated Audio
    Hard Drives
    80 GB
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
I had 7 and 8 on my computer with out issues ,I installed 7 after 8 was installed I have since formatted the win7 hdd .
there are issues with the location of the mbr of the 2 version of windows ,but if you leave both install alone and just use them I see not concern with that issue ,wasn't for me anyway'
I have to agree with the size of the partitions needing to be much bigger than you have them now
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win8.1.1 enterprise
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Hinze57
    CPU
    AMD FX 6100 6core 3.30gHz
    Motherboard
    gigibyte ga-78lmy-s2p
    Memory
    4gig ddr3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radon hd5000 Series
    Sound Card
    onboard realtek hd
    Monitor(s) Displays
    19" viewsonic/ 22"Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    128gig ssd Kingston
    80gig WD 10000 rpm spinner
    Case
    micro
    Keyboard
    microsoft curve 200
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless M215
    Internet Speed
    high speed 20
    Browser
    ie 11
    Antivirus
    windows defender
    Other Info
    updated enterprise apr 2/14
I also use Win7 and Win 8.1 in dual boot but W7 is on another HDD which vas my old system prior to SSD installation. After using EasyBCD 2.2 (From W8) it dual boots from menu that shows up while booting. I set it to boot to W8.1 as a default after 5 seconds of delay because I do not use W7 much any more. Everything works perfectly. If W8 /8.1 is installed after W7 installation, it will pick up W7 installation and present it's own boot menu whose boot order and timing can be changed afterwards. Another good idea is to exclude disks / partitions of the other systems from restore points, ie. in W8 exclude W7 partition and vice verso. That way in case of need to restore one system, the other one is not affected.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
Back
Top