Fix PC Errors

For many users it might be important to keep both Windows XP and Windows Vista running. In our office we have about 4 PCs running both, so lets look at a quick guide to setting up a Windows Vista/Windows XP dual boot. We will assume you already have XP installed and will be installing Vista as the second OS.

For the dual boot setup you will need separate partitions or hard drives. I always recommend separate hard drives as I find it cleaner and easier. Either way, just do not install Vista onto the existing XP partition as that will kill it. If you are going to partition an existing drive, just give it enough space to fit Vista. 20Gb+ will be enough.

Installing Vista

You can start installing Vista either from XP or from bootup. To run from bootup you may need to change the BIOS to boot from the CD drive.

When the installation starts you want to select “Custom”. The upgrade option will upgrade XP. So don’t select that.

The next step requires you to select which drive to install Vista on. Make sure you select your other drive/partition that does not have XP on it. Then let the installation process run its course.

Post Installation

After the installtion is complete and the system reboots you will see the following boot menu. To change this you will need to modify the bootloader in Vista.

To edit the the boot manager in Vista, run the command BCEDIT. Note: BCEDIT is not an easy tool to use and it is completely command line driven. Instead we recommend a tool such as EasyBCD created by NeoSmart.

If you install EasyBCD, then all you need to do is click on the “Configure Boot” button. Here you can change the “Earlier Version of Windows” to Windows XP. Now when you reboot the menu will display correctly.

Have fun!!