Windows 10: Dual boot Windows 10 & Windows 7 using 2 HD's

Exact same procedure anyway.

 

Just one thing less to worry about.

 

Guys, I need help please.

I just bought an MSI gaming laptop, it came with windows 10 and I need to install windows 7 too. I want dual boot 7 and 10.
There are 2 drives. Disk 0 where windows 10 is installed is an SSD, Disk 1 is a 1TB hard disk. I partitioned the 1TB in 2, creating a 250 GB Disk 1 Partition 1. I then ran the setup.exe for windows 7. When I tried to installed to Disk 1 Partition 1 it says "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table. On EFI systems, Windows can only be installed to GPT disks."
I have the Windows 7 .iso file in an USB drive. I used RUFUS to create the .iso, first I tried MBR Partition scheme, which it did not work either, then I tried GBT partition, same problem.
I called MSI support and they said there is no way to dual boot windows 7 and 10 because the BIOS is UEFI. If I wanted to install both I'd have to boot legacy when I wanted windows 7, and boot UEFI when I want to start windows 10. I think MSI is more clueless than me.

Windows 7 apparently will install on my disk 0, but that means I will loose windows 10.

Is there a way in my case, with windows 10 already installed in disk 0, to install windows 7 to disk 1 ?
I saw several software that promise to convert from GPT to MBR, but they are expensive.

What are my options? Install windows 7 on partition 0, loose everything on that disk, and then install windows 10 on another partition?

Thanks
Will

 

I'm on my phone at the moment so limited posting ability. Use MiniTool Partition Wizard (free) to convert Disk 1 to GPT.

Best Free Partition Manager for Windows | MiniTool Partition Free

 

Thank you. I was able to convert to GPT. It started the windows 7 installation in the Disk 1 Partition 1, however during the first reboot required during windows 7 installation, it gave me 2 options WINDOWS SET UP or WINDOWS 10, when I click on WINDOWS SET UP it gave me the following error: windload.efi, then I went into the BIOS and disabled secured boot. I was able to click on windows setup, however it freezes in the STARTING WINDOWS logo and it does not progress with the installation.

Any thoughts? Change the BIOS to legacy? Keep secure boot turned off?

Thanks
Will

 

Keep secure boot off for sure. Windows 7 is not compatible with secure boot.

Is your USB flash drive for Windows 7 FAT32 or NTFS? It has to be FAT32 to boot and install UEFI and lots of people don't pick the correct and overly complicated settings in Rufus to get it right. There is absolutely no need whatsoever to use Rufus to create the Windows USB flash drive with and a lot of people have issues setting it up correctly.

 

Here are the Rufus settings:
GPT Partition scheme for UEFI
FAT 32
4096 bytes
quick format
created bootable (.iso for windows 7)
create extended label

Thanks
Will

 

That should work, but there are more reliable ways to do it.

 

Hello,

First of all, thanks for your help.

I've spent all day trying to install Windows 7 in a different partition to no avail. From what I read, I guess I will have to clean install Windows 7 first and then add windows 10. Adding windows 7 to windows 10 apparently is not very easy to do. I've read MSI forums where people clean installed Windows 7 on Disk 0 and then added windows 10, I've not read anybody that added 7 to 1

My MSI laptop has one 512 GB SSD and 1TB hard drive.

Is it possible to split this 512GB SSD in 2 and install windows 7 in one partition and later install windows 10 in the other partition?

Do you see any other way out or just install Windows 7 and then add windows 10?

Thanks
Will
+1 386 301 9109

 

Set your UEFI to boot from the HDD first by default. When you boot the computer without overriding anything you should get an error. Boot the computer from the Windows 7 USB flash drive.

When given the chance to pick the partition on disk 1 to install to, delete every partition on disk 1 and install Windows 7 to the unallocated space. Once you get a Windows 7 going on disk 1, change the UEFI back to boot from drive 0 and we'll tell you how to add Windows 7 to the Windows 10 boot menu.