help in installing other os

nikkigreg1974

I am booting windows 10 and 7 on my one computer. They both are 64bit os and i like to put windows 7 or xp 32bit on here so i can run some older software. I don't like to run windows inside of windows. If i install windows 7 or xp 32bit can i use easyBCD to setup the boot menu so i can boot into any of the operating systems on my computer. Windows 10 setup the boot menu when i installed it and i used easyBCD to make windows 7 default on this computer. I just don't want to mess up my computer by installing stuff and can't boot into windows 10 or 7 that i have on here now. Thanks for the help i get.

TheRealGibson

Yeah, if you can boot into the os of choice. Personally, I would suggest creating an Ubuntu live usb or dvd, and using the software called boot repair. Although mostly used to reinstall Grub when installing Windows alongside Linux, it can work with bcd.

wingzeroismine

It should certainly be doable, and easyBCD should be capable of doing it, I've never used it much just going for straight bcdedit commands.

Tacking on older OSes after the fact can be finicky but as long as you have bootable media for 10 you'll be able to repair its boot manager after XP overwrites it.

Are you planning to add another partition to the drive or are you installing the OS to a second drive? Either one should be doable and have no real impact on the setup.

Is the machine using UEFI? I'll guess it isn't but figure I'd ask. You wouldn't be able to boot XP if the boot mode is set to UEFI.


Also, what is this older software that would work in 7 32-bit but not 7 64-bit? Are there system drivers that you need to work around?

T327

You can install older OS with creating more partitions on your disk (or add a disk to your computer).

nikkigreg1974

I have 4 hard drives and i going to put it on my 3rd hard drive. My computer is UEFI but i have it turn off. The OSes see my hard drives as ide and sata. Windows 10 on the first hard drive windows 7 64bit on my second hard drive and the 3rd i was going to install windows xp or 7 32bit. My 4th hard drive i just use to save stuff i download. I have print artist gold and few games that won't work on 64bit OSes. I tried to change setting and ran trouble shooter and it tells my the software it not capable to run on 64bit OS. I don't have the boot media for windows 10. I installed it when they was doing the free upgrades.

wingzeroismine

Well good news, MS lets you download the ISOs directly from them:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/softwar ... /windows10

nikkigreg1974

Thanks everyone. I going to try to install the OSes tomorrow . Still think what be better windows 7 or xp 32bit.

Bry89

Win7 by a long shot. XP still has its share of security threats so that's an instant no-go, unless you turn off internet connectivity for it if possible.

nikkigreg1974

Thanks. I most likely going with windows 7 32bit.