Windows 10: Create dual boot Win10 with existing WinXP installation

Discus and support Create dual boot Win10 with existing WinXP installation in Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade to solve the problem; Hi, I have seen posts that are partially related to my question, but do not answer all of my questions. Here the situation: GOAL: Create a... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade' started by John63, Jan 24, 2016.

  1. John63 Win User

    Create dual boot Win10 with existing WinXP installation


    Hi,

    I have seen posts that are partially related to my question, but do not answer all of my questions. Here the situation:

    GOAL:
    Create a dualboot system with a clean WIndows 10 installation on SSD while keeping my regular Windows XP for as long as I need it.

    SITUATION
    Monoboot system booting Windows XP from a regular HD. I already purchased an SSD for Windows 10, but need to install it.

    QUESTION
    Which steps (and in which order) should I take to make my goal as stated above achievable without (too much) hassle. I was advised by a friend to simply install the SSD, then start installing Windows 10 and everything would be ok as W10 would recognise the existing XP installation. As I know he did not speak from own experience, I'm hesitant, more so as the goal involves two separate bootable drives.


    Any help/insight/advise is greatly appreciated.

    Thanks,
    John

    :)
     
    John63, Jan 24, 2016
    #1

  2. How to Dual Boot Windows 10 with Other Versions of Windows, macOS and Linux

    Back in the day I updated to Win10 by adding another SSD into my machine and created a dual boot when I "upgraded" from Win7. The other day my Win10 installation when belly up and I had to do a reinstall which has wiped out my dual boot. How do I tell Win10
    that my D:\ is my Win7 installation and crate a dual boot?
     
    BryanDeVries, Jan 24, 2016
    #2
  3. DaveR3 Win User
    Dual boot?

    Win10 can be installed to dual-boot with an earlier version of Windows. HOWEVER, the indication is that this "free upgrade" can ONLY upgrade an existing installation, rather than installing on another partition and offering a dual-boot option. If this
    is correct, then you'll need to buy a retail copy for dual-boot. That's the word from a Microsoft person in this thread,

    Dual-boot Windows 10?
    . Is that the final word? (And is that what you wanted to know?)
     
    DaveR3, Jan 24, 2016
    #3
  4. BunnyJ New Member

    Create dual boot Win10 with existing WinXP installation

    I suspect the answer you're going to get for this is to run Xp in some sort of VM environment.
     
    BunnyJ, Jan 24, 2016
    #4
  5. swarfega Win User
    I would agree with Bunny, vmware or similar might be a better solution.
     
    swarfega, Jan 24, 2016
    #5
  6. John63 Win User
    Wouldn't that mean a new XP installation? Or is there a way to migrate my current XP installation to a VM environment? The thing is I need to keep my current XP installation intact as is and accessible for the time I need to get Win 10 in a complete working condition including all of the software etc.

    Thanks for your quick responses.

    John
     
    John63, Jan 24, 2016
    #6
  7. Barman58 Win User
    If you are prepared to do a little bit of the work yourself during boot it's a quite simple job to set-up your Dual boot.


    • Disconnect your drive containing the existing working XP install
    • Install windows 10 on the New SSD
    • Re-Connect the XP Drive
    • In the BIOS, set the drive containing the OS you expect to use most to the Default
    • If you ever wish to boot the secondary OS simply use the BIOS Boot Device Menu, (often F12 during Pre OS Boot but check your system), to select the secondary OS drive


    If you intend to share the secondary drive as a data store for both Operating Systems you will need to Take ownership of parts of the Secondary Drive drive from the Primary OS ( best option is IMO is to create a data partition or drive which may be shares between OS's )
     
    Barman58, Jan 24, 2016
    #7
  8. NavyLCDR New Member

    Create dual boot Win10 with existing WinXP installation

    Install the SSD as your primary and only drive, leave the XP HDD disconnected. Install Windows 10 to the SSD. After Windows 10 is up and running on the SSD, reconnect the XP HDD as the second drive, make sure the computer still boots into Windows 10. In an elevated ("Run as administrator") command prompt type:

    bcdboot e:\windows /d /addlast

    That part in red is the path to the Windows XP windows folder.

    The problem with installing Windows 10 with the XP drive connected and letting it detect Windows XP during the install is that if it does detect XP and the XP boot files, your boot files will end up on the XP HDD instead of the SSD and you don't want that.
     
    NavyLCDR, Jan 24, 2016
    #8
  9. cereberus Win User
    There is another option which is easier than messing around with a vm for xp or dual boot which is good to try windows 10.

    You can install a bootable version of windows 10 on a usb hard drive (or even high capacity fast usb stick like san cruzer extreme), using wintousb

    Best Windows To Go Creator to create portable Windows 10/8.1/8/7!

    So long as XP pc can boot from a usb drive, this is a safe and non intrusive way of trying windows 10 on a new pc.

    Nothing gets installed on main hard drive. Its just like using a live linux drive but with windows 10.

    To try it, you do not need a 10 licence immediately (up to 30 days).

    You will need to create this on a windows 7 onwards pc. Don't think you could create drive on XP.
     
    cereberus, Jan 24, 2016
    #9
  10. John63 Win User
    Thanks for all your replies people. Feeling a little more confident to perform this. One more question to NavyLCDR. Why exactly is it undesirable to have these boot files end up on the XP drive? Do you you mean Win10 boot files? If not: what would probably happen if after some time I simply would delete/format/repartition the old xp drive?

    Tnx again. I really appreciate this.

    John
     
    John63, Jan 25, 2016
    #10
  11. NavyLCDR New Member
    Yes, the Windows 10 boot files could end up on the XP HDD. First, they would be on the slower drive. Second when you decided to wipe the old HDD, you would have to move the boot files to the SSD and set the bios to boot from the SSD. Many people who have done this previously highly recommend to have only the drive connected that you are installing to when you install Windows 10 and then once Windows 10 is up and running add the other hard drives.
     
    NavyLCDR, Jan 25, 2016
    #11
  12. cereberus Win User
    OP would have to either select which drive to hard drive to boot from in bios (if it allows that), or run msconfig to select it.

    Alternatively, OP could try and rebuild dual boot sectors, but with XP and 10 having very different bootloaders, I am not sure if this is a good idea.
     
    cereberus, Jan 25, 2016
    #12
  13. NavyLCDR New Member

    Create dual boot Win10 with existing WinXP installation

    Computer has only Windows XP HDD installed. User adds the SSD on the next available SATA port and boots from Windows 10 USB to install to it. The bios is still probably set to boot from the HDD and Windows 10 will recognize that and update the boot files contained on the HDD rather then create new boot files on the SSD. Hence the advice to only have the SSD connected during install of Windows 10. After the Windows 10 install and after the XP HDD is reconnected if the bios goes back to booting from the Windows XP HDD, the user will know it because they will boot in to Windows XP with no choice to pick Windows 10 because the boot files on the Windows XP HDD will never have gotten updated.
     
    NavyLCDR, Jan 25, 2016
    #13
  14. cereberus Win User
    True but on some pcs, the bios does not always allow you to select which physical drive to boot from.

    On my Sony Vaio, I can only choose hard drive, and I have to select the drive I want to boot from via msconfig.

    Easy enough from windows 7/8/10 pcs but I cannot honestly remember far enough back if that would work on XP (I assume so).

    That was the only point I was really trying to make.
     
    cereberus, Jan 25, 2016
    #14
  15. Yup Done in my computer already. 4 partition with xp, 10, data, hackintosh.
    0. goto bios set legacy mode, boot non uefi per install with usb/disc
    1. Install xp first in first partition while creating win10 partition in second, and others max total 4 partition as primary. We use mbr method.
    2.install via usb or disc win10 or win7/8first if you upgraded win10 ticket.
    3. Pick manually install to second partition.
    4. Use easybcd manual to put the xp loader.
    5. Copy Ntldr from xp to win10, and win10 bootldr to winxp

    That's it.
     
    realbabilu, Jan 26, 2016
    #15
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Create dual boot Win10 with existing WinXP installation

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