How to Dual Boot Windows 7 with XP or Vista

you're dying to try out Windows 7 but
aren't ready to give up your installation
of XP or Vista, let's take a look at how to
dual boot Windows 7 with XP or Vista.
Step 0: Download the Windows 7 Beta and
Burn It to a DVD
Assuming you've already downloaded a
fresh copy of Windows 7, you'll need to
burn it to a DVD in order to do a fresh
installation. To handle this task, grab a
copy of the most popular CD and DVD
burning tool ImgBurn, burn the ISO to a
DVD, and move right along to step 1.
Step 1: Partition Your Hard Drive
Before you go installing Windows 7, the
first thing you need to do is create a new
partition on your hard drive to hold the
new installation of Windows.
Partitioning your hard drive will vary
depending on whether you're running
XP or Vista—namely because Vista has a
partition tool baked in, XP does not.
Partition Your Hard Drive in XP
To partition your hard drive in Windows
XP, you'll need to download some sort of
third-party partitioning software. There
are a lot of options available, but I
prefer to stick with the previously
mentioned GParted live CD , a free, open
source boot CD that can handle all kinds
of partitioning duties.
To use it, just download the GParted Live
CD, burn it to a CD, then reboot your
computer (booting from the disc). You'll
boot right into the partitioning tool.
HowtoForge's previous guide to
modifying partitions with GParted is a
great place to start, but it's a fairly basic
procedure:
Partition Your Hard Drive in Vista
The folks at Redmond were kind enough
to include a disk partitioning tool in
Vista if you know where to look. So go to
Control Panel -> System and
Maintainence (skip this one if you're in
Classic view) -> Administrative Tools ->
Computer Management. Once you launch
the Computer Management tool, click on
Disk Management under the Storage
heading in the sidebar. It's partitioning
time.
Luckily we've already gone down this
road before in step-by-step detail,
complete with pictures, so check out our
previous guide to creating a new
partition in Vista. In a nutshell, you'll
need to shrink your current OS partition
to free up at least 16GB of disk space
(per the Windows 7 minimum system
requirements), then create a "New
Simple Volume" from the free space.
Step 2: Install Windows 7
Now that you've done all the heavy
lifting, it's time for the easy part:
Installing Windows 7 on your new
partition. So insert your Windows 7 disc
and reboot your computer (you'll need to
have enabled booting from your DVD
drive in your system BIOS, but most PCs
will have this enabled by default).
Once the DVD boots up it's a simple
matter of following along with the fairly
simple installation wizard. When you're
choosing installation type, be sure to
select Custom (advanced) and choose the
partition you set up above. (Be careful
here. Choosing the wrong partition could
mean wiping your other Windows
installation altogether, so make sure you
pick the new partition you just created.)
After you select the partition, go grab
yourself a drink and let the installer do
its work. Windows will run through
some installation bits, restart a few times
in the process. Eventually you'll be
prompted to set up your account, enter
your license key, and set up Windows.
Keep your eyes open for fun new
Windows 7 features, like your new
homegroup (and the accompanying
password). When it's finished, you're up
and rolling with your new Windows 7
installation.
Congratulations! You should now have a
new entry for Windows 7 on your boot
screen when you first start up your
computer. You've now got all the tools
necessary to dual-boot Windows 7 and
XP or Vista—or even to triple-boot
Windows 7, Vista, and XP.
This isn't the only way to set up a multi-
boot system by any means, but it's how I
pulled it off.