installing both windows 8 and windows 7 on a notebook?

kjo

New Member
Messages
13
Got a notebook with windows 8 installed. And a windows 7 iso and key. I want to move windows 8 to another hdd and add windows 7. The hdd is for testing. It is not important if it may not work.

Can you do this?
Make a system image of windows 8.
Intall windows 8 on another hdd's 1. partition.
Install windows 7 on hdd's 2. partition.

Recommented instructions and tutorial videos?
Thanks.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
Depending on the size of your hard drive, creating a system image of your existing Windows 8 Installation wouldn't be necessary, but is certainly recommended in case anything goes wrong. The easiest method is to search Google for GParted, a specialised partition manager for Linux Operating Systems. Download the ISO and burn to a CD/DVD, then use the program as advised to shrink your Windows 8 Partition and leave some space as "Unallocated"; Windows 7 will automatically format the partition for you.

Of course, when doing anything like this, there is a considerable level of risk whenever you do this. I've already said that creating a system image is highly advised, but even so, there will still be some things that a system image isn't going to help you with. When using GParted, before applying any changes, make certain that everything is correct first and, whatever you do, if it exists, NEVER modify any partition labelled as "System Reserved"; this is usually your Windows Boot Partition.

All the best with it, and good luck
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Samsung NP-Q320
    CPU
    Intel Pentium T4300 @ 2.10 2.10
    Memory
    4096MB DDR2
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia G 105M
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 10, Mozilla Firefox 47.0.1
Not a good idea you install the oldest o/s first as old systems wont understand new boot option in more modern o/s so you have problems getting them booting the simple way is to run 7 as a virtual pc so you dont have to change any paritions and you can use free https://www.virtualbox.org/ you can copy the VB disk anywhere on any pc as its not hardware tied
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win 8 pro
Thanks. Systems are for testing. No data on either of them. If it does not work no damage.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
Since you say the system is for testing, I wholeheartedly agree with samuria to go with virtual machines using software such as VirtualBox or VMWare Player. With Win 7 in a VM, you could have run both Win 8 and Win 7 simultaneously on your laptop.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro (desktop), W10 (laptop), W10 Pro (tablet)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built i7-8700K, Hp Envy x360 EVO Laptop, MS Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    3.7Ghz Core i7-8700K, 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 4.7Ghz, 10th Gen Core™ i5-1035G4 1.1Ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z370-Pro Gaming, HP, MS
    Memory
    16G, 8G, 8G
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon RX580, Intel Iris X Graphics, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4
    Sound Card
    ATI High Definition Audio (Built-in to mobo)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Samsung U32J59 32 inch monitors, 13.3" display, 12.3" display
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 (Desktop), 1920x1080 (laptop), 2736x1824 Pro 7
    Hard Drives
    500GB ssd boot drive with 2 & 10TB Data (Desktop), 512GB ssd (laptop), 128GB SSD (tablet)
    PSU
    Corsair CX 750M
    Case
    Antec 100
    Cooling
    Coolermaster CM 212+
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M - used continuously since 1986
    Mouse
    Microsoft IntelliMouse
    Internet Speed
    665Mbps/15Mbps down/up
    Browser
    FireFox, MS Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender on all
    Other Info
    Retired in 2015 after working in the tech industry for 41 years. First 10 years as a Technician, the rest as a programmer/software engineer. After 1 year of retirement, I was bored so went back to work as a Robotic Process Automation Consultant. Retired for 3rd (and final) time in 2019.
Back
Top