Windows 10: Atypical attempt to create dual boot Win 10 beside existing Win 7

So, I have an existing Win 7 32 bit system and want to create a Win 10 64 bit install to end up with a dual boot system. They will be on two physically separate disks. I keep running into roadblocks.


My Win 7 is a new install that I have rebuilt due to the installation of a new motherboard. Initially I tried installing Win 10 first then Win 7 beside it but Win 10 would never recognize it as an independent OS and would never offer the dual boot menu on startup. I attempted to use EasyBCD several times but it always would corrupt something and I could no longer boot the Win 7 install.


Having to get my Win 7 install up and going, I completed it independently and set the Win 10 disk aside. Now my Win 7 install is complete with all the additional apps and such setup and I am back to wanting to install Win 10 as a dual boot. Yes, there is plenty of info out there but I can't seem to find a process that works.


If I boot to the install media, it gives me the option for the custom install and I can do that but I get back to the point where the Win 7 install is not recognized.


If I start the install from within Win 7 it only provides the Upgrade option and will not offer the custom option.


I tried extracting the image to a local disk per one suggestion and ran the setup.exe that was located in the Source folder in the install directory. It allowed the custom options but would not allow access to the GPT disk.


I found that I can run both OS's side by side but I have to do a manual F10 intervention at boot and manually select which drive I want to boot to. Not the optimum solution. I want an normal dual boot option.


Any alternate methods that I have not tried yet that anyone is aware of ??

:)

 

Dual boot with win 10 upgrade using win 10 pro license?

I understand the the win 10 upgrade is an overwrite of the existing OS (which is win 7 sp2 for me). Can I buy the win 10 pro license as an upgrade to the win 10 upgrade? then download the upgrade and create a dual boot with the existing win 7? What is the
procedure for dual boot?

thank you,

win 7 home sp2

i7

16gb

 

Dual booting with Win 10 Pro and Win 7 Pro

(1) I would make a Windows system image backup [START, Settings, Update & Security, Backup, Go to backup & Restore (Windows 7), Create a system image] of the new computer
before plugging in the Win 7 drive. (That's one app that won't work, if more than one System partition exists, I've seen in a thread.) That backs up all the partitions needed to run Windows 10: EFI, MSR, Windows (C, & Recovery. If other partitions
exist, they will be offered too. You really need an image anyway. If things go completely bad (after the following), remove the Win 7 drive, & restore the image.

(2) Then plug in the Win 7 drive & boot. I don't know what happens here. Hopefully it won't seek to grab Win 7 into a dual boot. Maybe it does that only when regenerating the BCD (Boot Configuration Data) store that is in EFI, which some updates cause it
to do.

(a) If all you really want is to get data off Win 7, do so, then shut down & unplug the drive.

(b) But, if you really want the dual boot, I would disable the System partition of the Win 7 drive. Then issue the Win 10 command to rebuild the BCD. That should give you the dual boot. But we'd have to check whether the Win 7 Recovery partition will still
work afterward.

 

Dual Boot Win 10 Home 64bit and Win 7 Professional 64bit

I updated my laptop to Win 10 64bit Home from Win 8.1 last year.

My old desk top currently runs Win 7 Professional 64bit dual booted with XP and will not update to Win 10 due to none compliant CPU.

I am now considering scrapping the desk top which will leave my current copy of Win 7 Professional redundant.

Can I install Win 7 Professional on my laptop as a dual boot arrangement with the existing copy of Win 10 Home without having to re-install Win 10 or will it have to be removed and Win 7 installed first?