Windows Vista & How To Successfully Partition To Install?

NJRonbo

OSNN Newbie
Joined
10 Jun 2006
Messages
2
This is a big question here and I would greatly appreciate very
specific instructions on how to accomplish this task...

The Situation

I run Windows XP on my desktop. It has two drives. My OS sits
on my C drive (dual raptor drives raid-0 setup) and most of my
programs reside on my D drive.

I don't want to wipe out my computer to do a fresh install of
Windows Vista. I'd like to do a dual-boot option and install Vista
on my C drive, alongside XP, with the option to boot into either
at setup.


The Questions


1. What program does the best job of creating a new partition
so that I can install a secondary OS on the same drive as my
primary OS with the option to boot into either one?

Now the tough questions....

2. How do I do the partition? Can I partition the drive without
having to format it?

If the answer to #2 is yes, and I install a partition program
and format the drive....

3. I am about to install VISTA on my system. It must be done
by booting the computer with the VISTA DVD. During the install,
will the 2nd partition be recognized so that I can specifically
install Vista to the 2nd partition of my hard drive?

Once Vista is installed....

4. Most of my programs are already installed on the first
partitioned XP drive (C) and my D drive. Can I reinstall those
programs in VISTA to the SAME directories they already reside
in and be able to use the same programs on either operating
system? The idea here is to reinstall merely so that they are
entered and recognized by the Vista registery.


These are my first batch of questions and I am certain more
will follow.

Please give very specific instructions to anything I may have
to do here as when it comes to complicated computer installs
I tend not to do it right the first time.

Many thanks in advance
 
Last edited:
1. Partition Magic

2. Partition Magic comes with all the instructions you need, it is very easy & mostly self explanatory actually. It lets you resize the partitions you already have to make room for a new one, you don't have to reformat the whole drive, just the new partition you create. As for putting one OS in the other's boot menu, that is handled by the OS, not this program. If you install Vista, it will automatically detect your XP install & add it to the menu.

3. Depends how you are doing your raid- I think Vista will immediately recognize most of them (it worked fine for my raid0). It should just show up in the list of places to install to.

4. I don't think this will work, although i dont know for sure since I havent tried.
 

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