Installing two operating systems on one computer. How to install a second hidden operating system on a computer or laptop Installing two Windows 7 operating systems

In this article I would like to consider installing two OS (operating systems) on one computer, that is, without removing the Windows system that is already installed on our computer. This article describes installing Windows 7 on a computer with Windows 8.1 already installed.

To begin with, we need an empty local disk on which we will install Window 7 OS, in my case it is “New Volume (E:\)”, it is advisable to allocate at least 30 GB for installing the system. If you don't have an empty disk and don't want to delete anything from other local disks, you can simply split one of your local disks. How to do this, see the article Partitioning a local disk using Acronis Disk Director or How to partition a hard drive using Windows tools.

So, you have decided on the disk, now we insert the disk or flash drive with Windows and boot from it.

Click "Install".

Choose full installation

And after the installation is completed, when the computer boots, we will be given a choice of operating system. But in most cases, at this stage, only Windows 7 loads without giving us a choice of which system it will boot from, because the installation overwrites the bootloader of the system that we had first, in our case it is Windows 8.1. To solve this problem, read the article to the end.

As we can see in the picture below, the local drive that had the letter (E:\) now has the letter (C:\). But this is only in Windows 7. And when we boot into Windows 8.1, the drive letter will again become (E:\).

To fix the boot problem we will need a program called EasyBSD. You can download it from the link http://www.softportal.com/get-41415-easybcd.html.

After downloading, run the program installer Next.

Leave the checkboxes Next.

Click Install.

The program is installed, run it ( must be on behalf of the administrator) and select the language Russian.

So we see that there is only Windows 7 in the bootloader, our task is to add Windows 8.1

In point "edit boot menu" only Windows 7 is also visible. To add it to the Windows 8.1 bootloader, click on the item " Add a note".

In the drop-down list in the type item: select Windows Vista/7/8/10, write any name below, this name will be displayed at boot, then select the drive on which our system is located, in my case it is the drive (D:\) and click add.

In the boot menu we see that a new entry has been added, which will be displayed on the initial system boot screen and we can select the one we need. You can also select the operating system that will boot (by default) at the end of the 30 second delay, simply by checking the box next to it. Press the button save.

Now, when loading the system, we can choose which one to boot from.

ABOUTGive your opinion about this article, and of course, ask your questions if something suddenly goes wrong for you.

Thank you for your attention!

Dear friends, today I want to tell you about one computer. No, we won't need a virtual machine this time. In one of the articles on this site, I wrote how to create additional logical drives on a computer, that is. For those who haven’t read it yet, take a look at this article, it will come in handy today. Of course, we will install additional operating systems, each on its own disk (partition, new volume).

And so you can immediately create, for example, on drive “D”, three more additional partitions. This is exactly what I did so as not to get confused during the installation of operating systems. I allocated 35 GB for one additional partition, 30 GB for another, and 25 GB for a third. Why different volume? I assigned a planned role to each system, let’s say the system on a 25 GB disk is intended only for games, I even removed almost all system programs on it, the drivers on it are only those that are used by games, there are a minimum of programs in startup. You can create sections and read how exactly to do this on this site - the admin explained everything clearly.

There are no tricks to installing multiple operating systems. Everything is done in the same way as when installing one system, that is, when installing the OS, select a partition, format it (or not format it). Enter the computer name (I gave each system different names). The system is installed. It remains only to add a few little things... You can switch from system to system only by turning it off and on, or rebooting the computer. When you turn on your computer, you will see a black screen with the inscriptions of your installed Windows 7 or Windows XP or other versions.


Also, in addition to various versions of Windows 7, you can install Windows XP on other partitions (if you install XP, you first need to install XP, and then Win 7), Mac OS, OS/2 Warp, Linux, etc...

The system that you installed first in this list will be the last one, the one that was installed last in the list will be first. You can navigate through these labels using the arrow keys. Which system do you need now, highlight it, press "Enter". If you want the boot to always occur from the operating system you have chosen, do the following.

Open the Start menu --> Computer --> Properties --> Advanced system settings, select the "Advanced" tab. Click on the "Options" button.

In the “Boot and Recovery” window, click on the arrow and select the operating system that will boot by default, that is, the boot will always occur from the system that you have chosen.

Naturally, each system will have its own registry. On each system you need to configure your own system recovery, on each you need to install drivers and antivirus, each you need to activate, install the updates you need.

Whichever system you are on at the moment, it will call itself drive “C”, changing the letters of other drives, except for drive “D”, its letter will remain unchanged. There is probably no point in installing the same programs on all systems. I have 80% of the programs installed on drive “D”, so that if necessary, I could use one or another program without switching between systems, I copied shortcuts from the desktop to other systems.

I just opened the disks with other systems, users -> administrator -> desktop and dragged the shortcuts there with the mouse. Almost all programs began to work on other systems after that. Well, that's all, now you know how to install two, three, or four operating systems on one computer. Good luck to all!

Well, that’s all, now you know, it’s easy and simple. Good luck to all!!!

How to install 2 (two) operating systems on one computer? Windows XP + Windows 7

Windows XP + Windows 7, or how to install two systems on one computer

Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 7, has gained many both fans and opponents. But she left almost no one indifferent. At the same time, almost everyone who dealt with it at first had to deal with various problems due to incompatibility of programs, and many had a desire to return to the “good old” XP. But not everyone is in a hurry to part with the new system. And therefore, many users feel the need to have two operating systems on one computer at once, so that they can use them in turn, switching between them as needed. But since Windows 7 is a new system, sometimes some difficulties arise when trying to create a multiboot configuration (and you still need to know how to do this correctly). And if you are one of those users who, after installing Windows 7, still need XP, then this article is for you...

ATTENTION!!!

Let's start right away with a warning. If there is any data stored on your hard drive that needs to be saved, then minor adjustments will need to be made in further instructions, in the parts regarding partitioning the disk into partitions, since they are designed for a blank hard drive that does not contain any information, or that stores data that can be deleted. If the existing information needs to be saved, then we EXTREMELY recommend that you take care of repartitioning the hard drive BEFORE you start installing the operating systems. And use any advanced third-party programs for this purpose, for example, Acronis Disk Director Suite (paid program). Or use some Live-CD with Linux (for example, Ubuntu) - almost all of them have the GParted program (free, more powerful than the utility from Acronis, but often works more slowly). In any of these programs you need to create two empty MAIN partitions formatted in NTFS. These partitions should be at the beginning of the disk (on the left side of the graphics card in the specified programs), and the partition with the data that needs to be saved should be moved to the right - closer to the end of the disk. We will install operating systems into these 2 partitions - they will become, respectively, drives C and D. And then during installation you DO NOT need to touch them - neither repartition nor format - just install each of the operating systems in the partition prepared for it.
Well, now the installation itself.

Configuring the order of checking boot devices

Go to the BIOS settings section Advanced and look for the item Boot Device Priority. Here you need to set the first boot device (First Device) to the optical drive, and the second to the hard drive. This is necessary so that when you reboot you can start the computer from the boot disk and get into its menu. Save the configuration by clicking Save & Exit in the main BIOS menu (or by pressing F10 followed by answering the question with a key Y).

If your BIOS version is slightly different, you will have to look for the required section by analogy. Focus on the word \"Boot\" (\"Download\").

ATTENTION

BIOS is absolutely NOT intended for “crazy hands.” Therefore, you should not touch anything there without a clear understanding of what you are doing! This is exactly the case when it is better to think seven times and break once.

You can skip the first point if your computer, when rebooting, can itself read a disk that has long been forgotten in the drive. This can usually be determined if, when Windows starts, the disk in the drive begins to spin up on its own.

We start the installation of Windows XP

Looking ahead, I will say that first we will install Windows XP. Not the other way around, but XP first! Therefore, we insert the installation disk with this operating system and reboot the computer. If suddenly, when loading, we see an inscription of white letters, something like \”Press any key to boot from CD...\”, then, without hesitation, we immediately press any key on the keyboard. This is how we will boot from this installation disc. While the inscription is on, you will have 5 seconds to press any key. If you don’t have time, the computer will start from the hard drive, and the XP installation will not start. You'll have to reboot again.

Each system has its own personal section

As mentioned above, before installation, you need to select two partitions on your computer’s hard drive. While navigating through the installer dialog boxes, you will be asked to select a partition to install the operating system. Let's ignore this and create partitions ourselves, first deleting all the old partitions by pressing the D key, and then in their place we will create new ones by pressing the C key and specifying the size of the first partition we need (in megabytes). This will be partition C. Next, we are left with an unallocated area of ​​the disk - select it and press the C key again, and without delving into the details of the events, immediately press ENTER (since we don’t need to change the size of the second partition). This way we get partition D. Although, if the size of the hard drive is quite large, then it makes sense to allocate a certain volume for drive D, and leave all the remaining space unallocated - you will deal with it later, creating partitions on it according to your needs.

ATTENTION

The above procedures are intended for a blank hard drive with no data on it, since when partitions are deleted, all information will disappear. If there is data on the hard drive that needs to be saved, then these movements CANNOT be carried out. Return to the beginning of the article and create, as described there, two clean main partitions using special programs and only then proceed to install operating systems, without repartitioning or formatting anything, but simply install each OS in the partition prepared for it.

Installing Windows XP on partition D

After all the manipulations with the hard drive partitions, we proceed to the installation itself, specifying partition D as the location for Windows XP. Exactly this way, and not otherwise, so that in the future there will be no problems with choosing and loading the desired operating system. After this, we complete the installation as usual.

note

We installed Windows XP on drive D. It will be located there and will work from it, but its boot files, that is, the files that launch it, will still be located on drive C. And if drive C is formatted or in some way is damaged (along with these boot files), you will no longer be able to boot Windows XP. Although the system itself may be in perfect order, there will be nothing to start it with.

Windows XP boot files are:

Ntldr
Boot.ini
NTDetect.com

They are located in the root directory of drive C (hidden files, service files - turn on their display). You can copy them to a safe place, and if you suddenly need them, it will be easy to restore them from a backup copy and manually return them to the C drive, thus restoring the boot of Windows XP again.

Next up is installing Windows 7

After Windows XP established, it's time to approach Windows 7. We proceed by analogy with the previous operating system - insert the installation disk Windows 7, restart the computer and press any button when the message appears (most likely: \”Press any key to boot from CD…\”).

Selecting a partition for installation

Now select partition C and install Windows 7 into it.

DO NOT FORMAT!!!

All! We have a multiboot configuration ready.

Now, when you turn on or restart your computer, two lines will appear on your screen, the first - \” Previous version of Windows” and the second - \” Windows 7" You can select any of them using the arrow keys on your keyboard and press ENTER- the selected operating system will start loading. If you don’t press anything for 30 seconds, the default system will start - if you haven’t changed anything, then this will be Windows 7.

If you want to change the default operating system or delay time, then go to Windows 7, then button Start => Control Panel => System => Advanced system settings (left) => \"Options\" button in the \"Boot and Recovery\" section.

Installing a new operating system is an exciting, but sometimes difficult and nerve-wracking process. Setting up your device to dual boot two operating systems can be even more frustrating. Dual booting is the process of installing two separate operating systems on the same machine, with the ability to select a boot device.

Whether you choose to dual boot because you're unhappy with the upgrade, or simply because you like aspects of each operating system, the process is the same. Windows 10 is a big upgrade from Windows 7, but both operating systems have their own advantages. Luckily, the process of dual booting between the two is quite simple.

Which operating system should I install first?

It may not seem important, but the order in which you install each operating system is important. Although you can install in any order, it is recommended that you install Windows 7 before Windows 10. The reason for this is due to Windows Boot Manager.

Windows Boot Manager is a program that runs before Windows and allows you to choose which operating system to boot. Windows 7 has an older version of this program installed, and installing on a computer with Windows 10 already installed will also install an older version of Windows Boot Manager.

This old version does not recognize future versions of Windows, such as Windows 10, and boots into Windows 7 by default. Installing Windows 7 after Windows 10 will require you to reinstall an updated version of Windows Boot Manager to resolve this issue before dual booting.

What you need to prepare for work

  • The first point: prepare two installation disks in advance, with the necessary operating systems.
  • For practical and convenient work with two operating systems, you need to create three partitions on your hard drive. The first is for Windows 7, the second is for Windows 10, the third is for user files (movies, music, photos, etc.).

Installing Windows 7

To install Windows 7 you will need the following items:

  • Valid Windows 7
  • DVD Windows 7 Product Key
  • A PC that meets the minimum requirements for Windows 7


To install Windows 7

Place the Windows 7 DVD on your computer and restart.

When prompted, press any key to boot from DVD.

  • Follow the onscreen instructions and click on your settings.
  • Accept the license terms.
  • Click Custom Install.
  • Windows will then ask where you want to install Windows 7. Click the partition you created earlier.
  • Follow the onscreen instructions and enter your settings and product key.

Once Windows 7 installation is complete, you must activate your copy within 30 days

To activate your copy

First you must be connected to the Internet

  • Click Start and right-click Computer.
  • Next is “Properties” in the list.
  • The last one is “Activate Windows Now”.

You may be prompted to enter an administrator password. Enter it if necessary. Enter your product key, click Next, and follow the onscreen instructions.

Installing Windows 10

To install Windows 10 you will need the following items:

  1. Valid Windows 10 CD
  2. Windows 10 Product Key
  3. A PC that meets the minimum requirements for Windows 10

Regardless of whether you have another OS installed, "Clean Install Windows 10" installation process for Windows 10 is the same. However, you should take into account that installing Windows 10 will overwrite any other OS on the hard drive you install it on.

To install Windows 10:

  1. Place the Windows 10 CD on your computer and restart.
  2. Press Spacebar when prompted to boot from Windows 10 CD.
  3. Follow the onscreen instructions and accept the Windows 10 License Agreement.
  4. Click on the hard drive where you want to install the OS. This will delete any data or OS installed on the hard drive.
  5. Click "Enter" and select "Partition Space".
  6. Press Enter again to format this space to NTFS, which is the file system used by Windows 10.
  7. Once your hard drive is formatted, Windows 10 will restart and present you with several options. Select the region and language options that apply to you.
  8. Enter your name and other information to personalize your installation.
  9. Enter the product key on the back of the CD case. This verifies that you have a legal copy of Windows.
  10. Follow the onscreen instructions and enter the appropriate information. Time and date, usernames, passwords, etc.
  11. Windows 10 will restart again and begin the last step.

At the last stage of installation, continue to follow the instructions on the screen, then set up your Internet connection. This is done by connecting the cable from the router or modem, as well as entering information about the wireless network. Windows will ask you if you are ready to activate. By selecting yes, you will authenticate your copy with Microsoft to prove that it is a legitimate version.



Now that you have completed installing each OS, you can dual boot either when you start your computer. You will be greeted by the Windows Boot Manager and a list of each installed OS. Just click the version of Windows you want and your computer will do the rest.

There are a huge number of situations when a PC user needs a second operating system. For example, one OS simply cannot cope with all the owner’s requests (there is no appropriate software, etc.). The question of how to install two operating systems arises by itself.

How to install a second operating system?

A computer configuration that uses multiple operating systems is called multiboot. When the computer starts up, the user will be given a choice related to loading the OS. It looks like this:

In order to install a second OS on a computer or laptop, you should allocate a separate disk space for it.

Important. The oldest version of the operating system is installed first, and then the new one. This is due to the fact that old operating systems simply do not see the files of the new one and, during installation, overwrite them (that is, delete them).

Backups

Before installing the second operating system, you need to make backup copies of all important data. This may be due to the following:

  • Technical errors. Unfortunately, computers make mistakes and cases of complete deletion of all information are possible;
  • Human factor. A person, especially if he installs software for the first time, makes mistakes. For example, accidentally installing a new system in the partition where the old one was, thereby uninstalling absolutely all information without a chance to return it.

Install the OS on a dedicated partition or another hard drive

Before installation, make sure the following: all programs have completed their work correctly, copies of all necessary files have been made, and data is saved on various external media. In addition, you should play it safe and find an activation key (if you have a license). It usually consists of 25 characters and is located on the disc box.

A pirated version of Windows can be hacked using appropriate activators downloaded from the Internet. Fortunately, there are now many such programs on the Internet.

To install two or more operating systems, you must turn on the PC in order to load the current version of Windows. Next you need to do the following:

  • After the current OS is fully loaded, go to the installer of the second system and run it;
  • If you use a disc with the system, then when you start the computer, the installation should start and begin automatically;
  • If you use a USB drive for installation, you must insert the flash drive into the connector. The installation procedure usually begins automatically. If not, then go to “My Computer”, go to the corresponding USB drive and manually enable the installer (setup.exe).

At this stage, problems can only arise if the drive or disk is damaged. Now let's move on to the process itself:


Important. You should not install a new version of Windows on a partition with a previously installed one.

Actually, installing the second operating system is not much different from the first. The main thing: under no circumstances should you install two different windows on the same partition, as this will create inoperability of the entire system. In this case, an ordinary user will not be able to repair his computer and will have to send it to a service center.

A video that clearly shows how to install a second operating system on a PC:

Conclusion

It is quite convenient to work on one computer with several operating systems. In particular, if you really want or need to use Linux or just an older version of Windows, then installing a second system will only benefit you, but it is worth remembering that having multiple operating systems can affect the performance of your computer, so do not overdo it.

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How to install two (or more) versions of windows

Often, only one operating system is installed on a computer, but if you wish, you can install two Windows operating systems and select the one you need when turning on the computer. According to the recommendations, you need to first install the older operating system, and then the newer one, for example: first install windows 7, and then install windows 10. What to do:

  • Install the first operating system: if you already have windows installed on your computer, good, let's move on! If not, install Windows and configure it;
  • Free up space for a second operating system: if all your disks are busy, you need to shrink one of them to free up space so we can create another partition for another operating system;
  • Installing a second version of windows: we are installing a second operating system, and at the beginning of the installation you need to select a custom installation, not an update! During installation, select the unallocated disk space that appeared after compression in the previous paragraph.

This was a short plan, after completing which, when you turn on the computer, you will be able to choose which windows to load. Moreover, all files will be common to both operating systems.

Install the first version of the operating system if it is not already installed:

Let's say we have a clean laptop (or desktop computer), first we install the first operating system there:

2. When the dots appear and Press any key, press Enter and the installation begins. Select the language, accept the license, and choose a custom installation!

3. If there is no important information on the disk, delete the old ones and make new ones, or select one and install windows there;

4. Install drivers;

5. Install programs;

If you already have an operating system, compress one of the disks and free up space for the new operating system:

1. As stated in the article earlier, you must first defragment the disk. Press Win + R and enter dfrgui.exe (if you have Windows XP then dfrg.msc) => we defragment the desired volume (this may take a long time);

2. Open Disk Management by pressing the Win + R button and entering diskmgmt.msc


3. Select the disk that has the most free space and compress it. That is, right-click on the disk - shrink volume


How to install two versions of windows

4. Select how much space you want to free up and click shrink.


How to install two versions of windows

Install the second operating system:

In principle, you need to repeat almost all the steps as in installing the first system, that is:

1. When you turn on the computer, select the boot method from disk;

2. When the dots appear and Press any key, press Enter and the installation begins. Select the language, accept the license, and choose a custom installation! If you choose to update, the new operating system will become over the old one!


How to install two versions of windows

3. When prompted to select a disk for installation, select the space that is freed up during compression, we can simply select it and click next, or we can select unallocated space => click Create => and create a disk of the required size. No need to install windows on an existing partition! Choose only an unoccupied seat!


How to install two versions of windows

4. Install drivers;

5. Install programs

Selecting the operating system to boot and changing boot options:

Depending on which operating system you installed as the second one, the screen will look different; for example, I installed Windows 8.1 as the second system and the selection screen looks like this:


How to install two versions of windows

And in other cases it can be black, or another color, which, of course, is not important :)

You can go into the boot options and select the operating system to boot by default, the time to determine whether to boot or auto-boot, etc. To do this, right-click on Computer => properties => additional system settings => in the additional tab, select Boot and Recovery, select Options => configure the necessary boot parameters


How to install two versions of windows

If you want to install another operating system, then do it on another partition. But I wouldn’t recommend many of them; if you want to conduct experiments on different operating systems, it’s better to use a virtual machine. That's all for today! Good luck to you :)

Read also:

How to remove unnecessary items from the context menu;

How to change windows 7 login screen;

How to make your browser fast again

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How to install two operating systems on one PC?

Hello! Very often a situation arises when we lack one operating system installed on our PC. To solve this problem, many users install two operating systems on their PC at once - usually Windows XP and Windows 7, because it is very convenient and makes it much easier for us to work on the PC in case of any unforeseen situations. And a variety of situations may arise, for example, if one OS crashed and stopped loading, then we can boot from another operating system, or one OS became infected with viruses, then we can easily boot from another (backup) system, cure our computer or recover. However, not all users know how to install two operating systems on one computer, especially for beginners or dummies. Therefore, in this article we will try to understand this issue.

How to install two operating systems on one PC

Usually, when we buy a computer, there is one hard drive inside the PC or laptop, and it is divided mainly into two logical ones - this is the drive (C:), on which the operating system (Windows XP or 7) is already installed, and the drive (D:) , on which we store our files: movies, photos, music, etc.

So, we cannot install a second system on disk (D:), since it will be formatted and all your important data will be deleted. And on the drive (C:) there is already an operating system, and although two systems can be installed on one partition, I do NOT recommend it. Nothing good will come of this!

As a result, there is only one option left - to create another logical partition on your hard drive. This is the answer to the question of how to install two operating systems. You just need to create an additional partition for another operating system. And you can create an additional partition on your hard drive using special programs for working with hard drives, for example Paragon Partition Manager and others.

So, what do you need to have to install two operating systems on one computer? Firstly, you must have installation (boot) disks with operating systems to install on your PC, and secondly, at least three partitions on your hard drive.

Let me tell you in practice.

After creating another partition, you should have three logical drives - drive (C:), (D:), and (E:). On the drive (C:) we install windows XP, on the drive (E:) we install windows 7, and on the drive (D:) you will store all the necessary files (movies, photos, music, etc.). This is how you can install two operating systems on your computer and log into any of them.

If you want to install two systems, Windows 7 and XP, then you need to install them as they are released. The ideal way to install two operating systems on one computer is to follow the installation sequence. You must first install the older one - windows XP, and then the younger one - windows 7. In a word, install XP first, and then windows 7.

And it’s better not to disrupt this installation sequence. I'll explain why in a moment.

The boot manager for Windows 7 knows the principle of loading all previously released windows and becomes the boot manager for all previously installed operating systems, in our case, windows XP. In this case, before loading, a menu appears to select any of the windows. And loading occurs without problems from the selected operating system.

Another case is when you installed windows XP after windows 7, then the XP bootloader will simply overwrite the “seven” bootloader, since it knows nothing about it, and you will only have one operating system loaded - this is windows XP. This is why the installation sequence should not be disrupted.

But what if you already have Windows 7 installed on your PC and you want to install Windows XP as well? In this case, instead of “seven” we install XP on disk (C:), and install Windows 7 on another disk so as not to violate the sequence of precedence of operating systems. However, this is not very convenient and takes a lot of time.

In such cases, it makes sense to use another installation method - you can use the EasyBCD 2.0.2 program, which uses a standard bootloader when working, it is free and can be easily removed without consequences. You can download it on the official website. The program requires the Net Framework 2.0 package installed, if we don’t have it, download it.

So, we already have Windows 7 installed and after that we install Windows XP as a second one. After this, Windows 7 will essentially stop loading. Next, we install the EasyBCD 2.0.2 program and run it.

View Settings - the initial program window. The EasyBCD 2.0.2 program should immediately find the Windows XP operating system, let's move on.

Edit Boot Menu - selection of loading operating systems, also shows one Windows XP.

Add and Entry on the right side of the window, select windows Vista/7 from the drop-down menu and click the Add Entry button and add the windows 7 operating system to the Edit Boot Menu boot menu.

There are now two operating systems in the initial View Settings window.

Edit Boot Menu, windows 7 also appears here.

In the Edit Boot Menu - select loading operating systems, by default windows XP is loaded first, the second will now boot windows 7 if we wish, the boot order and default selection time of 30 seconds can be changed. All we have to do is go to the Bootloader Setup tab and in the MBR Configuration Options checkbox as shown in the figure - in the Install the windows Vista/7 bootloader to the MBR item. Next, click on the Write MBR button, by doing this we enter information into the MBR boot record that the partition with Windows 7 will be loaded by default.

If you and I remove the EasyBCD 2.0.2 program itself, then the menu for selecting operating systems will remain and Windows 7 will be loaded first by default. In the Edit Boot Menu, you can, if you wish, remove windows XP and when loading, it will not be in the selection of operating systems , but with Windows 7 I advise you not to experiment like that.

Installing windows XP after windows 7 on one computer should be successful. Now we have two operating systems in the Windows Boot Manager - windows XP and windows 7. The previous version of windows indicated in the figure is our windows XP OS.

That's all! I wish you good luck and hope that this article helped you resolve the issue of how to install two operating systems on one PC or laptop. 😎


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How to install windows XP as a second system after windows 7/8/8.1/10

Most often on the Internet you can find instructions on how you can install Windows 7 or Windows 8 as a second system when Windows XP is already installed on your computer. This is a relatively simple task, which even an inexperienced user can cope with, since a newer operating system always retains the bootloader of the old one and automatically creates a menu in which the user, when booting, can choose which system to boot - the new one or the previous one. In this article we will look at the opposite situation - when Windows 7 or 8 is installed on the computer, and the user wants to install Windows XP in parallel. The piquancy of the situation is that after installing Windows XP, the previously installed Windows 7/8/8.1 will stop loading and its bootloader will have to be restored.

If you have a desktop computer, then it would be even better to use an SSD for modern Windows 7/8.1, and a classic hard drive for XP. In this case, you can temporarily disable the SSD with Windows 7/8.1 so as not to accidentally erase anything from it, calmly install XP and then proceed to setting up the boot order.

METHOD 1. Installing Windows XP with a connected hard drive with Windows 7/8.1/10 or installing Windows XP on another partition of the same physical disk

This is a common situation that most users face. In addition, this method is suitable for inexperienced users who have several physical drives, but do not want or cannot disconnect the hard drive with Windows 7/8.1.

Attention! This method is not suitable for SSDs. If you want to install WIndows XP and 7/8.1 on a SSD, you will need to first prepare the drive for XP using the Alignment Tool, then install windows XP, and only then can you install windows 7/8.1.

Step 1 Prepare the partition for the second operating system.

Create a partition on your hard drive where you will subsequently install Windows XP. If you need to partition a disk or redistribute space between existing partitions, use the free MiniTool Partition Wizard Home program (Download from the official website).

Important! Prepare partitions EXCLUSIVELY in windows 7/8.1/10 BEFORE installing windows XP! We strongly DO NOT recommend partitioning the disk in the Windows XP installation program! All you have to do in the XP installer regarding partitions is select the partition you want and quickly format it!

Let's say you have three partitions on your disk:

  1. Bootable (capacity 100MB for windows 7 or 350MB for windows 8/8.1)

For windows XP you create a fourth partition. Where it will be placed and from which section to cut off the area is up to you. Of course, it is more logical to arrange the sections like this:

  1. Bootable
  2. System, where windows 7/8/8.1 is installed.
  3. Section for installing windows XP
  4. Disk with user data.

Although you will format the partition in the Windows XP installer, you can format it in WIndows 7/8 so that you can set a label. And the label will help you not to make a mistake in choosing the right partition in the Windows XP installation program.

Step 2 Install Windows XP

Boot from the installation CD or bootable USB flash drive and install Windows XP on the prepared partition. Be extremely careful when choosing a section. Be guided by its size.

Select the partition and press Enter:

Select Format partition in NTFS system (fast):

Further steps for installing Windows XP are no different from a regular XP installation.

After installation is complete, boot into Windows XP and install all necessary device drivers. Set up your network and internet (if necessary).

Step 3 Restore the bootloader of the first operating system and add an entry for the second previous generation system to it

A. Preparatory stage. Downloading support software

Download EasyBCD 2.2: https://neosmart.net/EasyBCD/

Click Register at the bottom of the page:

To download, just like it on behalf of your Facebook account or subscribe by email:

The program requires Microsoft .NET 2.0 SP2 Framework. You can download from the Microsoft website http://www.microsoft.com/ru-RU/download/details.aspx?id=1639:

  1. Install Microsoft .Net 2.0 SP2 Framework.
  2. Install EasyBCD.
B. Restoring the Windows 7/8/10 bootloader

During the installation of Windows XP, the Windows 7/8/10 bootloader got lost. Therefore, the first thing we need to do is restore it.

Launch EasyBCD.

  1. Go to the BCD Installation section.
  2. Select the partition on which the Windows 7\8 bootloader was located before installing Windows XP. In most cases, this is the very first partition, 100MB in size for Windows 7 or 350MB if your first system was Windows 8\8.1.
  3. Select bootloader type - windows Vista/7/8 to MBR
  4. Click the Rewrite MBR button

After this, the Windows XP bootloader will be erased, and a new type of bootloader will be installed instead.

Restart your computer. Now, instead of XP, your copy of windows 7/8 should boot again.

Now our task is to add a second entry to the bootloader - to boot Windows XP.

B. Adding a windows XP boot entry to the windows 7/8/10 bootloader

Install EasyBCD in the same way again - now in Windows 7/8/10.

Launch EasyBCD.

  1. Click Add Entry
  2. Select OS type windows NT/2k/XP/2k3
  3. Select a system name. This is the name that will appear in the menu when loading. We recommend removing the word Microsoft.
  4. Click the Add button:

Now go to the Current Settings section and check that the second boot entry has been added:

After that, you can click the Edit boot menu button, select the time for displaying the menu with a choice of operating systems at boot, and rename the OS names. If you make changes, do not forget to click on the Save button at the end:

METHOD 2. Installing windows XP when the hard drive with windows 7/8.1/10 is disconnected

This method, as we wrote above, is more suitable for desktop computers and only some laptops where it is possible to connect several data storage devices. The advantages of this method:

  1. You do not risk accidentally erasing an already installed Windows 7/8.1/10 while installing Windows XP.
  2. If you disconnect any of the physical disks, you will be able to boot from the remaining disk because this method places the bootloaders on different physical disks. You may only need to adjust the boot order in the BIOS.

Step 1 Turn off your computer. Disconnect the data cable from the hard drive on which Windows 7/8.1/10 is installed

Step 2 Turn on the computer and install Windows XP on the remaining hard drive in the most usual way - as if this Windows will be the only one. Install all necessary drivers.

Step 3 Turn off the computer and connect the hard drive with Windows 7/8.1/10 back to the previous SATA port.

Step 4 Download windows 7/8/10. If you haven't changed the boot priority in the BIOS, by default you should boot from the same drive into your old windows 7/8/8.1.

A.Installing software for editing bootloaders

Install Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0 SP2 and EasyBCD (described in Method 1).

Now the only thing we need to do is add an entry to the Windows 7/8/8.1 bootloader about Windows XP installed on another disk.

B.Adding a windows XP boot entry to the windows 7/8.1/10 bootloader

Follow these steps:

  • go to the Add record tab;
  • select windows OS;
  • select the type windows XP;
  • specify the desired system name in the OS selection menu;
  • click the Add button to add.

After this, restart your computer, select windows XP from the menu and make sure that windows XP boots from its hard drive.

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How to install 2 (two) operating systems on one computer? 7 windows XP + windows 7

How to install 2 (two) operating systems on one computer? windows XP + windows 7


windows XP + windows 7, or how to install two systems on one computer

Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 7, has gained many both fans and opponents. But she left almost no one indifferent. At the same time, almost everyone who dealt with it at first had to deal with various problems due to incompatibility of programs, and many had a desire to return to the “good old” XP. But not everyone is in a hurry to part with the new system. And therefore, many users feel the need to have two operating systems on one computer at once, so that they can use them in turn, switching between them as needed. But since Windows 7 is a new system, sometimes some difficulties arise when trying to create a multiboot configuration (and you still need to know how to do this correctly). And if you are one of those users who, after installing Windows 7, still need XP, then this article is for you...

Let's start right away with a warning. If there is any data stored on your hard drive that needs to be saved, then minor adjustments will need to be made in further instructions, in the parts regarding partitioning the disk into partitions, since they are designed for a blank hard drive that does not contain any information, or that stores data that can be deleted. If the existing information needs to be saved, then we EXTREMELY recommend that you take care of repartitioning the hard drive BEFORE you start installing the operating systems. And use any advanced third-party programs for this purpose, for example, Acronis Disk Director Suite (paid program). Or use some Live-CD with Linux (for example, Ubuntu) - almost all of them have the GParted program (free, more powerful than the utility from Acronis, but often works more slowly). In any of these programs you need to create two empty MAIN partitions formatted in NTFS. These partitions should be at the beginning of the disk (on the left side of the graphics card in the specified programs), and the partition with the data that needs to be saved should be moved to the right - closer to the end of the disk. We will install operating systems into these 2 partitions - they will become, respectively, drives C and D. And then during installation you DO NOT need to touch them - neither repartition nor format - just install each of the operating systems in the partition prepared for it. Well, now the installation itself.

Configuring the order of checking boot devices

Go to the BIOS settings in the Advanced section and look for the Boot Device Priority item. Here you need to set the first boot device (First Device) to the optical drive, and the second to the hard drive. This is necessary so that when you reboot you can start the computer from the boot disk and get into its menu. We save the configuration by clicking Save & Exit in the main BIOS menu (or by pressing the F10 key and then answering the question with the Y key).

If your BIOS version is slightly different, you will have to look for the required section by analogy. Focus on the word \"Boot\" (\"Download\").

ATTENTION

BIOS is absolutely NOT intended for "crazy hands." Therefore, you should not touch anything there without a clear understanding of what you are doing! This is exactly the case when it is better to think seven times and break once.

You can skip the first point if your computer, when rebooting, can itself read a disk that has long been forgotten in the drive. This can usually be determined if, when Windows starts, the disk in the drive begins to spin up on its own.

We start the installation of Windows XP

Looking ahead, I will say that first we will install Windows XP. Not the other way around, but XP first! Therefore, we insert the installation disk with this operating system and reboot the computer. If suddenly, when loading, we see an inscription of white letters, something like \"Press any key to boot from CD...\", then, without hesitation, we immediately press any key on the keyboard. This is how we will boot from this installation disc. While the inscription is on, you will have 5 seconds to press any key. If you don’t have time, the computer will start from the hard drive, and the XP installation will not start. You'll have to reboot again.

Each system has its own personal section

As mentioned above, before installation, you need to select two partitions on your computer’s hard drive. While navigating through the installer dialog boxes, you will be asked to select a partition to install the operating system. Let's ignore this and create partitions ourselves, first deleting all the old partitions by pressing the D key, and then in their place we will create new ones by pressing the C key and specifying the size of the first partition we need (in megabytes). This will be partition C. Next, we are left with an unallocated area of ​​the disk - select it and press the C key again, and without delving into the details of the events, immediately press ENTER (since we don’t need to change the size of the second partition). This way we get partition D. Although, if the size of the hard drive is quite large, then it makes sense to allocate a certain volume for drive D, and leave all the remaining space unallocated - you will deal with it later, creating partitions on it according to your needs.

ATTENTION

The above procedures are intended for a blank hard drive with no data on it, since when partitions are deleted, all information will disappear. If there is data on the hard drive that needs to be saved, then these movements CANNOT be carried out. Return to the beginning of the article and create, as described there, two clean main partitions using special programs and only then proceed to install operating systems, without repartitioning or formatting anything, but simply install each OS in the partition prepared for it.

Installing windows XP on partition D

After all the manipulations with the hard drive partitions, we proceed to the installation itself, specifying partition D as the location for Windows XP. Exactly this way, and not otherwise, so that in the future there will be no problems with choosing and loading the desired operating system. After this, we complete the installation as usual.

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