Installing Windows 7 on a Vista 64 machine - talk me through it urban!

[editor]

Here's the deal: I'm currently running Windows Vista 64-bit on my machine and am ready to upgrade to Windows 7 64-bit.

Vista's currently on my C drive, and I've got an empty 1TB 'F' drive ready for the Windows 7 install.

So I want to install and use Windows 7 but need to be able to keep using Vista while I install all my programs on the W7 drive before eventually swapping over completely and dumping Vista (and not having to choose a dual boot option each time I start up the machine thereafter).

So what's the easiest, simplest way to achieve this please, oh techies of urban?

 

[ymu]

Make a shared data drive so you can access all the same stuff on both operating systems. Leave 20-30 GB for each Windows install and make the data partition as big as possible.

If you use Firefox you can shift the profile to the shared drive and edit profiles.ini on both operating systems to tell it where to look for them when you start up. This means that all your add-ins and bookmarks will be the same whichever operating system you're using. You can do the same in Thunderbird to keep e-mail tidy - dunno if you can do this in Outlook.

 

[editor]

Make a shared data drive so you can access all the same stuff on both operating systems. Leave 20-30 GB for each Windows install and make the data partition as big as possible.

Surely if I installed w7 on the F drive I could still read the contents of folders when in Vista?

I've already got a D drive full of my photos and stuff.

 

[ymu]

Surely if I installed w7 on the F drive I could still read the contents of folders when in Vista?

I've already got a D drive full of my photos and stuff.

You probably can yes, it's just easier to have a separate data drive than be poking around the file system of a different operating system. It's good practice too - if you keep your data on the same drive as the OS you lose it when the OS fucks up. It's also quicker to defrag a drive with no OS on it, and quicker to defrag an OS drive which has limited data on it.

If you don't want a seperate data drive, you're going to have to decide which operating system drive you're going to keep your data on. If you keep it on the Vista drive, you'll have to transfer it to Windows 7 when you delete Vista. Or you can transfer it all to the Windows 7 drive now. Or you can transfer it all to a separate data drive which stays intact when you decide to fuck about with your operating system.

Link Shell Extension will let you make hard links from one drive to another, but I can't see it being any easier. And you still have to decide which drive the main documents reside on.

 

[editor]

I'm a bit confused here. I have a C drive with Vista on, I have a D partitioned drive with all my data on (photos/web files etc). If I install W7 on the new F hard drive, surely I could access all my data on the D drive as before with no worries?

 

[ymu]

Ah. Then my advice is irrelevant, you're already doing it.

I don't really understand the question if you've already got the data sorted out. If you're using an external hard drive to run W7 from, presumably you just need to tell your computer to boot from USB first and it'll dump you into W7 if the external drive is connected and into Vista if it is not. Then later on you just install W7 over Vista and it's all sorted.

However, unless you want to run W7 off an external drive forever, it seems a bit of a waste - you'll have spent loads of time setting it up to do what you want but then you'll have to start all over again when you put it on your main drive.

Personally, I'd just put an extra partition on my main hard drive - assuming there's at least 20GB spare. That way you can just delete the Vista partition when you don't want to dual boot any more. You will need to set it up to dual boot in the short term, but it's a lot less hassle than setting it up twice/running from an external HD the whole time.

Linux has some apps to make it easy to parcel up your operating system plus apps and install it all on another machine, but I don't know if this is a feature of W7.

 

[ymu]

These instructions for dual-booting are excellent. I've only used the Linux/XP with one or the other installed first so can't testify for the Vista/W7 with Vista installed first - but they're the easiest and most reliable instructions I've found.

 

[ymu]

Actually, this bit wasn't irrelevant. It's a lot easier using two systems if they both look at the same data for the browser and e-mail.

If you use Firefox you can shift the profile to the shared drive and edit profiles.ini on both operating systems to tell it where to look for them when you start up. This means that all your add-ins and bookmarks will be the same whichever operating system you're using. You can do the same in Thunderbird to keep e-mail tidy - dunno if you can do this in Outlook.

Detailed instructions here (for Thunderbird, but it's exactly the same for Firefox).

 

[editor]

These instructions for dual-booting are excellent. I've only used the Linux/XP with one or the other installed first so can't testify for the Vista/W7 with Vista installed first - but they're the easiest and most reliable instructions I've found.

Easiest?!!

Page 4 - Managing the Bootloader
Once Windows 7 is installed and the system reboots, you’ll be presented with a boot menu with two options: “Windows 7” and "Windows Vista”.
Windows Vista and Windows 7 use the same bootloader, so the Windows 7 boot entry is an addition to the existing bootloader rather than a replacement as with a Windows XP dualbooting scenario.
This makes life pretty easy - Vista and windows 7 and perfectly happy to co-exist. Having said that, they do read the bootloader slightly differently.

Boot into Vista and launch a command prompt (Start, All Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt). If UAC is turned on (and even if you're an Administrator), right-click Command Prompt and select "Run as administrator". In the command window, type in BCDEDIT and press Enter.
Vista references the Windows 7 partition in the bootloader as a mapped drive. For comparison, reboot the system and boot into Winndows 7. Open an admin command prompt and run BCDEDIT.

As you can see, Windows 7 references the Windows Vista partition a bit differently - it uses the logical path rather than a drive mapping. This doesn't represent a problem between the system - it's just different. The one implication is that if you change the drive letter of the Windows 7 partition in Windows Vista, the entry in the bootloader will be incorrect and Windows 7 won't load.
To make changes to the bootloader in either system you can use EasyBCD, which we've used in most of our dualbooting tutorials. It's probably fine in this case too, but as EasyBCD doesn't recognise the full physical paths which Windows 7 makes use of in the bootloader, we're just going to use the BCDEDIT utility rather than risk damaging the system.

the first thing to do is to make a backup of the bootloader configuration - this is easily restored if anything goes wrong. Type in the following command:

bcdedit /export PATH:\FILENAME
If you need to restore the bootloader, use the /import switch instead of /export.
To delete an entry in the bootloader, for example if you want to remove the entry for Windows 7 and stop dualbooting, you need to identify it first.

etc etc etc etc

That's looks like on hell of a palaver to me. There must be an easier to way to do it.

 

[editor]

This seems a whole lot easier:

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/ho...dual_boot_over_vista_or_from_scratch?page=0,1

 

[stowpirate]

Easiest?!!

That's looks like on hell of a palaver to me. There must be an easier to way to do it.

Is it not just a simple text file that you can edit with any text editor and cut paste and modify the contents as required?

 

[Sunray]

Just install windows 7, when it asks you what disk you want it to install on, tell it you want it to be on the empty drive.

Job done.

Things of note: The full system back up will consider your old vista install worthy of back up and you can tell it you dont want it to do that.
It upgrades the boot loader at the start, but that will boot both systems so nothing to worry about.

 

[ymu]

Easiest?!!

That's looks like on hell of a palaver to me. There must be an easier to way to do it.

It does when you read the instructions. When you actually do it, it's blissfully simple. If you've found some that seem easier, go for it - it doesn't actually matter as long as the instructions are correct.

I can't think of a way around dual-booting in the short-term if the purpose is to get W7 set up for the long-term whilst having your current Vista set-up also available.

 

[ymu]

Easiest?!!

That's looks like on hell of a palaver to me. There must be an easier to way to do it.

I've just looked at your link and I see no difference in the actual procedure.

You seem to have quoted a bit of information that isn't necessary for dual-booting. It's explaining some more techie stuff that you need to know if you want to change the drive letters, and how to delete one of the OS's (which you'll want to do, eventually).

 

[editor]

You seem to have quoted a bit of information that isn't necessary for dual-booting.

I just quoted from the page you linked to and it sure looked scary.

 

[ymu]

I just quoted from the page you linked to and it sure looked scary.

It does, but you quoted the scariest bit! It's stuff you can do if you want to understand the differences in the way they use the boat-loader - doesn't need to be done at all. It' also just a screenshot of what you'll get if you cut and paste the commands they give you - not at all difficult to follow in practice, but reassuring to be able to check that what is happening is what should be happening.

Having skim read both (and not used either), they're giving exactly the same instructions, but one has screenshots and slightly more detailed information about what you're doing, plus instructions for uninstalling one of the OS's. That's why I use those guides in preference to any other - they're the most detailed without being impenetrably techie.

 

[editor]

Annoyingly, shoving the W7 CD in the drive and rebooting hasn't worked (the machine just boots back into Vista and I'm really not in the mood for piddling around with BOPS options). Just how bad is doing an in-place upgrade from my current - and fucking shite - Vista 64set up?

 

[ymu]

Annoyingly, shoving the W7 CD in the drive and rebooting hasn't worked (the machine just boots back into Vista and I'm really not in the mood for piddling around with BOPS options). Just how bad is doing an in-place upgrade from my current - and fucking shite - Vista 64set up?

Boot disk shouldn't need BIOS messing with, should it? It should automatically try and boot from any disk in there, unless you messed with it before?

Faulty disk or faulty drive?

 

[joustmaster]

to boot from the cd, you often have to press some key when its starting. f12, del, f2 or something.
if not, just drop in to the bios and change the boot order. CD then Disk.

 

[bonjour]

Have you tried contacting microsoft, or asking on one of their forums???

 

[Sunray]

You just need to edit the bios so it boots from the CD player 1st which is currently not set to do. A 1 minute job.

Once it boots the CD the job is very simple after that.

Upgrading Vista will be OK, but I'd not do it because you'll not have a back up OS if W7 goes hatstand and I've never liked the job the upgrader does, prolly find that it'll moan like mad about all your current drivers and not install. Expect more pain on upgrade.

Still up to you.

 

[editor]

Have you tried contacting microsoft, or asking on one of their forums???

Why would I do that when I can get all the help I need here - and most likely, get the answers much quicker?

 

[WWWeed]

Why would I do that when I can get all the help I need here - and most likely, get the answers much quicker?

and dont forget cheaper

 

[bonjour]

Why would I do that when I can get all the help I need here - and most likely, get the answers much quicker?

You posted this on the 17th and you're still stuck. So obviously you're not getting your quick answers.

Also if you ask a solution from people who specialise in that particular area/software, you're most likely to get helpful safe professional advice.

 

[ymu]

Where on earth has he not had quick answers?

 

[editor]

You posted this on the 17th and you're still stuck. So obviously you're not getting your quick answers.

Er, no. I've been asking different questions at different times and have always had prompt answers to each one.

 

[bonjour]

Er, no. I've been asking different questions at different times and have always had prompt answers to each one.

That's right, you have ---- and you're still stuck with the problem. It's all very well getting answers, but if they're not right answers, what purpose do they serve to the point of the thread?

Which brings me back to my point

if you ask a solution from people who specialise in that particular area/software, you're most likely to get helpful safe professional advice.

 

[editor]

That's right, you have ---- and you're still stuck with the problem. It's all very well getting answers, but if they're not right answers, what purpose do they serve to the point of the thread?

Which brings me back to my point

You're weird. Now kindly shuffle off this thread please as you're being useless. Thanks!

Oh, and don't post up real names, either. Ta.

 

[bonjour]

You're weird. Now kindly shuffle off this thread please as you're being useless. Thanks!

Oh, and don't post up real names, either. Ta.

I'm being weird and useless because I suggested you should contact the supplier site or access their forums for the best information/advice related to your problem?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban75
Better sort that out pronto ED

 

[editor]

I'm being weird and useless because I suggested you should contact the supplier site or access their forums for the best information/advice related to your problem?
Better sort that out pronto ED

Actually, I'll choose where I like to post my requests for help, and I choose to post them here. If you don't like that - well, tough titty, sunshine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban75
Better sort that out pronto ED

Don't be a prick. Now please stop disrupting this thread with your annoying and useless wankery.