Just curious as to how many of you use Dual boot systems and do you like them any issues etc? What mix of OS do you have installed?
Thanks mo
mo wrote:Just curious as to how many of you use Dual boot systems and do you like them any issues etc? What mix of OS do you have installed?
Thanks mo
Hi,
I have mine setup as a multi-boot with three drives available. Currently W7x64, W8x64 and W8.1x64. The mix varies as the need arises
Stay well and surf safe
Thanks for your reply,from what I have read on the net it seems you can chop and change them as you like.Did you have any conflicts at all that you were aware of? Or is it just like having 3 separate computers.
mo wrote:Thanks for your reply,from what I have read on the net it seems you can chop and change them as you like.Did you have any conflicts at all that you were aware of? Or is it just like having 3 separate computers.
It's usually like doing a reboot and being on a different system with most of the same hardware.
When you make changes in any OS you do have to be careful not to lose access to the other drives.
I multiboot with XP, Win 7 HP 32 bit, Win 8 Pro 32 bit and Win 8 Enterprise Eval l64 bit on two physical drives partitioned into about 4 logical drives each .....
You have to be careful not to get mixed up with drive letters when using Windows Explorer as your file manager -- I label each drive to identify which OS is on it and which drive / partition it is on ....
Like: OS3SATA2P1-WIN7HoPr-32-EEE
OS3 is the computer Ollie3 / SATA Drive 2 Partiton 1 with Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit and drive E when installed.
I find EasyBCD an invaluable tool for dealing with bootup since it puts a civilized interface on editing the BCD and can back it up etc.
I have three multiboot systems (first OS is my main) :
- Desktop : Win7 and the original WinXP
- Laptop : Win8 (on SSD), Win7 32-bit and Win7 64-bit (on HDD). Going to test Win8.1 on VHD on SSD.
- Netbook : Win7 32-bit and original WinXP
When installed, in every OS I change the driveletters of the not-used OSes to W, X, or Y, so they are not in the way in Explorer and label the partitions to a significant name, e.g. WIN7HDD, WIN8HDD or WIN8SSD.
You need to know what you are doing and read a lot before starting using Multiboot. Each Windows release carries it's own peculiarities with it. Furthermore you need to think upfront how to organize your installations.
I switched the Win8 boot screen back to the WIn7 one, as this gives me more flexibility on startup and i do not have to go through WIn8 startup before switching OSes. With the speedy SSD this might not be necessary anymore, but i still like it.
There are a lot of tutorials on Multiboot for each OS on the specialized sites, also in conjuction with other OSes. Start reading the Win8 ones, as they also deal with the older OSes.
I am using EasyBCD (do not forget to sponsor them) as well as a very fine free tool and it's getting better each release, but it still sometimes messes things up. These errors can most of the time be corrected fairly easy.
Regards, Hugo
Thanks for all the information and suggestions given.
A while ago I was contemplating building my own PC but I could not get my head around it..Not that I could not understand how to do it..It was wading through and understanding the different hardware (motherboards,processors etc) and working out how they all fit together and getting the best bang for buck.
I am looking at getting a computer made and having XP and Win 7 installed on it as I do not like win8 
mo,
I'll add my 'me too' the the vote for Easy BCD it works well and allows you to keep things simple.
As for W8, might want to get a copy and put it on a drive and get used to it. 8.1 is an improvement and I expect that there will be even more changes before it sees the light of full day later this year. As always
Stay well and surf safe
I will consider win8, now that I see running more than one or two OS can be done.I will see what the costs are before commiting.
Can you run seperate anti virus software on each partition or you do you have to stick to just one?
I use only Norton products but each OS has its own protection. The product on a drive that is not active cannot protect the active drive.
Keep us posted
Mo,
A couple of points:
This one won't bother most people but it is fairly simple to install an newer OS after an earlier or the same one but more complicated to install an earlier one after a newer one -- especially if you want to dual boot XP and Win 7 or 8 since the later OS's use a different boot loading techique to XP's but when you install Windows 7 or 8 on an XP system it adopts the XP and puts the newer boot loader on the XP drive and not in a hidden partition (about 200MB) that is reserved when you install Windows 7 or 8 clean. This complcates matters on an XP + Win 7 or 8 combo if you want to remove XP and you need to be a real expert or use EasyBCD and check its OnLine HELP for details of how to do this.
On my system adding Windows 7 to XP was fairly simple since I wanted Windows 7 32 bit to cope with some older hardware but with Windows 7 or 8 64 bit you can't install them from within a 32 bit system and have to boot to the installation media AND choose Custom which lets you choose the partition you want to install in .... otherwise you end up upgrading your existing OS and not dual booting!
Oh yes, Windows 8 has a different display of the boot selection menu to Windows 7 and earlier and is in "tile" format with touch or mouse selection (and gives access to Repair and some other functions which is great) but when I boot up I normally get the older black and white text boot menu. However if I Shut Down the computer from Windows 8 the next time I boot up I get the Windows 8 style boot menu not the older one! Just an ideosyncracy that may puzzle you if it happens to you.
Yes you have to install your AV on each OS individually and like others I only use Norton but do mix NIS and N360 and 2012 and 2013 beta. Since full system scans do check all the drives I can imagine you might get different results with the scans of different security programs ...... I don't have any experience.
Thanks Hugh,
I had read about the installing of the older system first but not what you have mentioned.I have some time to get this right, as this has been an ongoing goal of mine....a new computer that is.The dual boot is an after thought of, why not try it.
Is the running of a win 7 or win 8 32bit or 64bit system dependant on what hardware is installed? I am, I must confess a little ignorant of the 32/64 bit differences.I must do some research to get a clear picture.. I don't want to be going backwards with any older hardware....I am trying to get the newest (within the last four years as a bench mark,not the absolute newest) that I can afford and that runs well.
It would be tempting to see how different AV's run on different drives.I prefer NIS2012 because of the local vault (that old chestnut...I see the post is still going) But I am curious about the full Mbam software.
mo
<< Is the running of a win 7 or win 8 32bit or 64bit system dependant on what hardware is installed? >>
It can be in two areas according to my own experience:
When WIndows 7 first came out my desktop was a fairly old XP machine and Windows 7 64 bit refused to install on it because the ethernet chip on the motherboard had no 64 bit driver and Windows 7 insisted on internet access as part of its installation procedure but I could install Windows 7 32 bit.
Also on software suite of Solitaire games that my wife lives by was originally Windows 95 although they claimed to have updated it when Windows 98 came out although I didn't see any difference. It has a 16 bit installer and Windows 64 bit does not recognize those. However it has installed OK in the 32 bit versions of Windows 7 and 8.
It can affect external hardware too, such as printers and scanners, since the manufacturers are not very helpful in providing modern drivers for older models and so many people have had difficulty unless more modern drivers became available. Windows 7 and 8 have a large collection of hardware drivers built in but although they may provide for the basic functions some may be missing like duplex printing or some function buttons on the panel .....
I have used a very old HP SJ5P scanner that uses a scsi connection to the PC and the Adaptec scsi PCI controller card had no 64 bit driver so I could not use that with 64 bit Windows although I could use a 32 bit VISTA driver on Windows 7. I decided to update the scanner and got a "better" Epson USB connected one but either it or the software is horrible and it takes ages to scan a single sheet of paper, let alone instruct the printer.
Those are some of the unexpected problems you may run into and it's worth checking out before hand with the support side of any hardware you use.
Thanks again Hugh,I always appreciate your willingness to help.
The computer Tech did mention a possible issue with drivers being unavailable....and the issue with printers. I do love XP but if its time to say goodbye then so be it 
I want a happy little "tower" with all the components playing nice...is that a pipe dream? 
I receive the quote for the build today and will assess the dual boot possibilities from there.You have given me some pointers to think on.
What model Epson was it? I know different softwares work better when it comes to scanning...this coming from what I have heard being discussed with photography negatives etc.
mo
It's easy to check out your printers if you look up Drivers on the printer support website and see if they have 64 bit drivers or not. On Windows 8 at the moment I'm using what's built in or obtained during installation for my HP LJ2200D and my HP Photosmart 8250 inkjet but I've not really checked them out.
Both have Windows 7 drivers for 32 and 64 bit so there should be no problem using them if all else fails.
The scanner is an Epson V33 which does not do transparencies and while the quality and features are good, including mulitpage into one file and scan to pdf, the speed using their software is abysmal.
I know there is one good thirdparty scanning software that works very well on a wide range of scanners but I've not tried it since I'm not in buy mode at the moment ..... Can't remember the name offhand but would recommend the name if you had it in mind. Hamrick Vuescan probably having just Googled. I might experiment with some of the free ones when I've time!
Thanks Hugh,
I have ordered the new computer and I am going with an XP and Win 7 home professional combo.I am a little nervous as you know how you get used to your old computer and know it inside out....well know its quirks.
I am looking forward to having a lot more speed, and to be able to branch out and use more creative software,my old PC just can't handle the photoshop type software.
Look forward to hearing when you get it.
I hope you stick with 32 bit for Windows 7 -- 64 bit would make little difference unless you run programs that use massive memory. 32 bit is limited to just under 4GB and my machine rarely uses half of that when I look at the monitor for CPU and RAM.
Earlier hvsgel made a very good point
<< When installed, in every OS I change the driveletters of the not-used OSes to W, X, or Y, so they are not in the way in Explorer and label the partitions to a significant name, e.g. WIN7HDD, WIN8HDD or WIN8SSD. >>
I've never thought of the first point (and it might not work for me since some of my operating systems are not on C: when running) but I do the second and while it is easy enough for you to do afterwards you could ask the builder to do this. It saved my bacon more than once when something went wrong.
You might want to print out this thread of messages and show it to the builder if local or give them the link to it so they can look it up.
http://community.norton.com/t5/Tech-Outpost/Dual-boot-systems-who-uses-them/m-p/994035#M7737
A valid point Hugh,and a great idea about showing him the thread.I often fail miserably when trying to describe what I want when it comes to computers.
I think it will be 64 bit,I have to check that...chances are down the track I will use the memory.I am hoping this machine will have the right "bare bones structure" that I can build on, where and when I need it for a few years to come at least.
mo wrote:[ ... ]
I think it will be 64 bit,I have to check that...chances are down the track I will use the memory.I am hoping this machine will have the right "bare bones structure" that I can build on, where and when I need it for a few years to come at least.
If you have not done so and do have hardware that might not have 64 bit drivers which you can check on its support website (often even a previous version of Windows will work but current version is best) then try the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor and say 64 bit. It may say no for the PC itself but even so it may check the hardware also; I'm not sure.
Thanks again Hugh,
There have been a few minor developements since I last posted.
1) I could not get a copy of XP installed, so I am left with just Win 7 (for the moment, win 8 may be an option that I can do myself)...
This I am most embarrassed about after all its what this whole post is about . I will however take it as an opportunity to let go of XP.
2) It is the 64 bit version,so thanks for the above post.
3) Apparently they do not ship the cooling fan with the CPU,so a minor delay before I can try out my new PC....I expect it tomorrow.