Windows 10: Dual Boot Windows 7 with Windows 10

I am currently running Windows 10 and I would like to install Windows 7. I have the iso and it is burned to the disc. I would like to know how to go about installing, updating, but mainly updating the correct drivers. Any guide I can follow? DO NOT get confused, I am currently running windows 10 and would like to dual boot windows 7​. Thanks in advance!

:)

 

Dual Boot Change from Windows 8.1 & 7 to Windows 10 & 7

I have a dual boot Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.

(1) Is it possible to have a triple boot Windows 10, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7?

(2) If not, can I just upgrade the Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 to have a dual boot Windows 10 and Windows 7? Or do I have to do the normal dual boot set-up?

 

How do I restore dual boot capability after Windows 10 clean install removed it

My computer was dual-boot with Windows 7 boot partitions on two separate drives. After upgrading to Windows 10, the dual boot provision worked fine. However after a clean install of Windows 10, dual-boot capability is no longer available. The boot partition
for the remaining Windows 7 syBistem is intact. Only the dual boot option is gone.

I tried the changing the default operating system under System Properties/Advanced/Startup and Recovery, but the only choice is Windows 10. Windows 7 isn't a option. I'm guessing that the clean Windows 10 install wiped out access to the dual-boot menu.

Thanks.

Bill

 

Create and NTFS format a partition to hold Windows 7. Boot from the Windows 7 DVD. Using the custom setup options, point it to the blank NTFS formatted partition that you created to install to.

Of course you will have to have your Windows 7 Product Key to enter.

It should set up dual booting automatically, but it will be with the Windows 7 boot loader. To restore the Windows 10 graphical boot loader, in Windows 10 from an elevated ("run as administrator") command prompt enter:
bcdboot %WinDir%

 

What would happen if I did boot from it?

 

It would likely create a completely new and isolated install of Windows 7 with brand new boot files and you would have to set up dual booting manually.

 

Maybe you would not see your dual boot start page and would only be able to boot into 7 with 10 gone missing. That would stop the fun some huh?

 

Haha sure would! So just burn the iso to a disc and run setup.exe from there? And how about drivers and what not?

 

If you start the Win 7 install while you are running Win 10, Win 7 will not be the "C" drive when you boot Win 7.
It will be some other drive letter. (unless MS changed the way this works with Win 10)

The problem you have is you are installing an older OS (W7) after installing a newer OS (W10).
Win 7 doesn't understand the Win 10 Boot code, so it can't update it correctly.

Can you install Win 7 on a different HD/SSD than the HD/SSD you have Win 10 installed on ?

Post a screen print of your Disk Management, resizing fields to show all data, explained here:
Disk Management - How to Post a Screenshot of - Windows 10 Forums

Make sure you have your network driver available somewhere, such as a flash stick.
Read more about getting drivers in this tutorial (Step 6):
Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 - Windows 7 Help Forums

You should have everything backed up before making changes, so you can recover if anything goes wrong.
For OS Image backups i prefer Macrium Reflect.
Imaging with free Macrium - Windows 7 Help Forums

 

The Windows 7 installation will do Windows Updates just like it always has. In fact, you'll probably end up getting the dread "Get Windows 10" icon too.

Interesting. When I installed Windows 7 to a second partition on my desktop computer, Windows 7 was C: drive when booted into Windows 7 and Windows 10 was C: drive when booted into Windows 10, and it setup dual booting on it's own because the format of the BCD store has not changed.

 

That's interesting and the first I've heard of it working that way.
It would be a welcome change imho.
I've never installed an older OS after a newer OS, so i have no personal experience.
I also have old hardware, Legacy BIOS, no UEFI.
Maybe UEFI vs Legacy makes a difference, a DM screen print should show what the OP has.

 

Here is your photo, the Windows 7 partition is a partition I created to install Windows 7 to, it has nothing on it now

 

OK, you have UEFI and a disk structure i have no experience with.
Ignore my post about the drive letter and boot code.
Wait for NavyLCDR for any further advice.

Back to my popcorn *Smile

 

haha now you made me hungry

 

I have OCD regarding my hard drives and computers and your hard drive would drive me insane! I know what I would do. Install both Macrium Reflect Free and MiniTool Partition Wizard free. Create a Macrium Reflect Free rescue disk and verify that I can boot my computer from it.

Then starting with the first "Recovery Partition" with 100% free space - make an image file of it to my C drive using Macrium Reflect Free. Delete the partition with Partition Wizard Free. Reboot the computer to make sure it's still good.

If it still boots OK (and it should), move on to the next "Recovery Partition" with 100% free space and repeat the procedure, and continue until all those empty "Recovery Partitions" are gone.

If the computer failed to boot after deleting one of the empty "Recovery Partitions" then just boot from the Macrium Reflect Rescue Disc and restore it from the image saved on C: drive.

Then move EFI partition (which is surprisingly empty) to the beginning of the disk, followed by the Windows 10 Partition, Windows 7 partition, the OEM recovery partition. You can expand the Windows 10 and Windows 7 partitions to fill the empty space created by deleting the empty partitions.