Hi All,I have been trying to figure out the best way to do things for me. I have an old PC that I installed Windows 7 on and it works great. Now I want to install it on my main machine. I installed a new hard drive and want to put it on their, maybe a double boot situation, have Vista Enterprise on it now. My question is, should I just install it on the new hard drive or maybe put Windows Server 2008 on the drive and then install 7 on it? I am a student and want to learn moreabout the different technologies and that is way I am thinking of going with the server but am not sure if this is a good idea.Please give me your thoughts.Thanks,Tyserman474

It all depends on what kind of experience you want. If you simply want Windows 7 then just install that instead of running it in a Virtual PC on another OS. If you need Windows Server 2008 for other things, then installing Windows 7 in a Virtual PC may be a good idea for you. However, you might also consider doing a triple boot situation. -Nick

Nick,Thanks for your advice but I am not sure how to set it up for a trible boot, can you maybe explain it to me a little? That does sound like a good idea though.At this time I really don't need Windows Server for anything else, it would be just to learn about using it. See at the prsent time I am going for my Masters in IT online and the more experience I got get on the various technologies would be good for me. So that is way I was thinking about installing Windows Server and than installing 7 on it, I just don't want to get myself into more than I can handle. I do plan on buying Windows 7 when it is released, hopefully it won't be to expensive.Thanks,Tyserman474

Tyserman, As you're currently pursuing a master's degree (congratulations, by the way) I'm sure you know enough about partitioning your drive properly for three separate boot environments. Beyond that, the only two major tips I can provide as far as triple-booting Windows are 1) try to install different operating systems in order from oldest to newest when possible, and 2) use EasyBCD to configure the boot menu when all is said and done.-Alex

Hi Guys,Well I am not sure what to do yet, I have kicked this around long enough now and need to do something. I guess I need XP as well as Windows 7. The XP I need for school because of some of the programs they use.So I am not sure what to do, advise please. Should I install Windows Server 2008 and then install XP and 7 on it or should I just forget aboutinstalling Server 2008? I have a clean HHD that I haven't put anything on it yet. In some ways I would like to learn Server 2008 because I will need it in the future, I think. If I install these 3 programs how do you think I should do it, please? I have Vista Ultimate on the main HHD now.Anyway what do you all think I should do, anyadvice would really be appreciated?Thanks Much,Tyserman474

Hi,are you planning a quadruple boot now (XP, Vista, Server 2008 and Win7)? You're really hungry for new experiences. Besides that, I don't find new things to consider than those Alex already mentioned. For example, not "install Windows Server 2008 and then install XP", as XP is the older system.Mobile AMD64 3000+, VIA Apollo K8T800 chipset, 1 G RAM, ATIRadeonMobility 9700, 20x DVDRW, C:XPSP3 (55G),D:WIN7 (25G),F:DATA (250G)

Thanks Sanmartin,I would have liked to use Wnidows Server but I guess that you guys are right, I won't install server. What I will do is partition the new hard drive and then put XP on one of the partitions and 7 on the other. I guess that is the best way to go then.Tyserman

Can also install XP virtual machine which will be part of windows 7 Ultimate and Pro I believe. I have to support XP,Vista and Windows 2003here at work and I run Vmware and run a virtual copy of Vista 32, 64, Win XP, and Windows 2003 server 64 bit and 32 all under Windows 7 on a laptop. This way I can messing them up and just restore 1 file and I am back to my original copy.Tim Comes

If its jut for XP your considering dual boot, i recommend looking into Windows 7 XPM (XP Mode)Basically its windows 7 and you get a virtual machine with it, an XP SP3 made by microsoft, already set up and installed. You can install XP applications in it, and run them from windows 7 without launching the VM to go work on it.Benjamin Niaulin

Thanks toboth of you,That is what I am going to do, I went to the web site and downloaded the Windows Virtuual PC and the XP mode for it.I just want to make sure I do things right now. Do I install the VPC on my Vista system, then install Windows 7 and the XP Mode programs on my new hhd? Or do I install the Widows Virtual PC on the new hhd as well? In what order and to which hdd's do I install these 3 items?That is a very good idea you guys came up with, I had never heard of the XP mode on Windows 7. Oh, also I have the Windows 7-64bit that I downloaded from microsoft connect. Is it okay to use this one or is there a special one to use the XP mode on?I will be waiting to hear back so I can start installing them.Tyserman474

Hi,I just thought of maybe another way of doing it. Would I install Windows 7 on my new HDm then install VPC on it, and then install XPmode last? Not sure this is right either though.Thanks,Tyserman474

I would have some ideas but you must wait until tomorrow if you are interested. Too tired, now. Only one thing: Don't hurry.Mobile AMD64 3000+, VIA Apollo K8T800 chipset, 1 G RAM, ATIRadeonMobility 9700, 20x DVDRW, C:XPSP3 (55G),D:WIN7 (25G),F:DATA (250G)

Waiting until tomorrow is fine, thanks.

Back again. Wanted to explain only what's behind this older -> newer system install thing. Let's assume your new harddisk is the only one on your system (your description is not so clear)and has Vista Enterprise on it. It's set as the HD BIOS boots from, so BIOS looks for a bootloader, finds Vista'sBOOTMGR and Vista is started. If you install XP on a second partition now (by booting from CD/DVD), XP will not see your previous system and replace Vista's bootmgr on the other partition with its own bootloader, NTLDR. Result: no dualboot, you will only be able to start into XP. You may see the files on the Vista partition but you can't boot into Vista without reconfiguring the boot files. EasyBCD lets you do this, ok, but it's an additional step and not without risks.This complication does not appear if you go the recommended way (older OS first, newer OS later) because the newer OS will recognize the older and configure the boot files for dual boot from start on.The second issue I wanted to address is triple boot vs. dual boot + virtual machine. I don't know your hardware (space, power, etc.) and I don't know which apps you're going to use, but I would always prefer three real OS environments(if possible) over two and avirtualized one. The only benefit you will get from the latter is that you can use some - not all - XP programs without having XP installed, and you can switch the OS without needing to reboot. I don't see other advantages from this solution, the disadvantage being that you need really good hardware to run two OSes simultaneously.Mobile AMD64 3000+, VIA Apollo K8T800 chipset, 1 G RAM, ATIRadeonMobility 9700, 20x DVDRW, C:XPSP3 (55G),D:WIN7 (25G),F:DATA (250G)

Hi All,Well I got everything installed and it seems to work great. All I had to do is install Windows 7 and the virtual PC and XP were part of it. The one problem I am having with a program it is supposed to open up the command prompt and give me the results. Well it does it fine but the command window only stays open for a few seconds so you can't read the results. In XP I know that you go to MyComputer/C/Windows and then in there you right click on the MSC (MS Dos Command), then click properties/programs and uncheck the ("Close on Exit) checkbox and then it stays open until you close it. I can't find any such animal in Windows 7. I searched every term I could think of with no luck. If I can't find a way so it stays open I will have to install VPC buy itself and then install Windows XP by itself which I hope I don;t have to do.Can anyone give my some ideas on this so it stays open?Thanks,Tyserman474

Hi Again,I want to thank you all for the help. I finally found what I had to do to solve this problem, just kept playing with it. I had given up before because I was getting tired of playing with it. Shows you what persistence can do.Thanks Again,Tyserman474

If its jut for XP your considering dual boot, i recommend looking into Windows 7 XPM (XP Mode)Basically its windows 7 and you get a virtual machine with it, an XP SP3 made by microsoft, already set up and installed. You can install XP applications in it, and run them from windows 7 without launching the VM to go work on it. Benjamin Niaulin I read something about this in my audio newsgroup, quoted from zdnet:"WINDOWS XP MODE The primary benefit of this feature is that it includes a licensed copy of Windows XP at no additional cost for Professional and Ultimate editions. If you use Windows 7 Home Premium or OS X, you must supply your own XP license (at extra cost) and virtualization software, which may or may not require a paid license."Since I have a retail (not OEM) copy of Windows XP, does this mean I will have two XP licenses, and can install my copy of XP on another computer?