Install XP, 7 and 8 on one drive

frankinbahia

New Member
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9
I've read and used Shawn's masterful instructions on adding a second OS. But this time I have the luxury of starting from scratch and want to install XP-Pro (32bit), Win7-64 and Win8-64 on a new SSD with 3 partitions. I want to be sure I have the sequence correct for the most trouble-free install: XP, then, Win7, then Win8. Correct?

I also understand that I can then then use one of the Startup Options in Shawn's post: http://www.eightforums.com/tutorial...hoose-default-os-run-startup-windows-8-a.html
- or- disable Win8's boot loader so that Win7's appears instead. Correct?

Thanks guys!
Frank
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    Computer type
    Laptop
yeah, that sounds like the right game plan..
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 3.1 > Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8700
    CPU
    I7
    Memory
    24 GB
No need to do so, to be honest. The days of multi-booting have been replaced with the days of Virtualization. I'm a big fan of keeping things simple, so I stick to one OS per computer, in terms of being installed traditionally. VMWare's VMPlayer is completely free, and will allow you to install any two of the three OSes you plan on running, once you choose your primary.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z77-UD3H
    Memory
    16 GB Patriot Viper 3 DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia 470 GTX
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M4 256 GB, WD WD20EFRX 2 TB
    PSU
    OCZ 700W
    Case
    Corsair 300R
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
No need to do so, to be honest. The days of multi-booting have been replaced with the days of Virtualization. I'm a big fan of keeping things simple, so I stick to one OS per computer, in terms of being installed traditionally. VMWare's VMPlayer is completely free, and will allow you to install any two of the three OSes you plan on running, once you choose your primary.


While VM's have their place, and I use them myself, there is a penalty with regard to the actual hardware available in the VM.

If the need is to have all the real hardware functional in the operating system, there is no substitute yet for multiboot.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64 with Media Center, Windows 10 Pro x64, Windows 7 x64 Ultimate SP1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom System
    CPU
    INTEL Xeon E5-2670 LGA 2011
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA X79 UD5 v1.0 F13s
    Memory
    64GB (8 X 8 GB) G-Skill Ripjaws Z DDR3 2133 Quad Channel
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX 1060 SC 3 GB
    Sound Card
    Realtek Onboard ALC898
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung S27E310
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 PRO 256 GB SSD
    1 x 6TB WD 6003FZBX SATA
    13 x 3TB WD 30EFRX SATA
    PSU
    Seasonic X-1050
    Case
    Thermaltake Armor+
    Cooling
    INTEL BXRTS2011LC Liquid-cooled
    Keyboard
    Logitech G510s
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless Explorer Mouse
    Internet Speed
    7.0 Mb/s
    Browser
    IE 11, Chrome
    Antivirus
    ESET NOD32 11.1, Malwarebytes Pro 3.5.1
    Other Info
    ASUS RT-AC68U router
Hardware is indeed my main concern and the reason I need multiple OS's. E.g, I use a Yamaha 01x digital mixer but Yamaha stopped releasing drivers with Vista; the machine only runs properly on XP-32bit. Same with my aging but still quite adequate Canon scanner; fine with Win7-64 but not with Win8-64.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    Computer type
    Laptop
I haven't tried it myself, but I have come across people who have claimed to get older USB devices working from within a VM. My wife has an old Canon LID30 scanner that won't work in 7 or 8. If we can find it, I'll gladly test it.

I can see in some unique hardware situations that virtualizing isn't the best solution. I made my comments based on the fact most people who ask the same question as your OP simply want to play around with different OSes.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z77-UD3H
    Memory
    16 GB Patriot Viper 3 DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia 470 GTX
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M4 256 GB, WD WD20EFRX 2 TB
    PSU
    OCZ 700W
    Case
    Corsair 300R
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
I understand, and I'm sure it's a lot easier to work under virtualization than to boot in and out of each OS. My sole experience, when Win7 came out and I found that Yamaha had given up the ghost on the 01x, was tying unsuccessfully to use XP Mode. But perhaps I should try Win8 + VMPlayer before giving up on the virtual approach.

Thanks for the ideas, guys.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    Computer type
    Laptop
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