How To Dual Boot XP And Windows 7

Need to know how to dual boot XP and Windows 7? Dual booting Windows XP and Windows 7 can be great if you still want to have the full power and compatibility from Windows XP and the newer operating system. Dual booting is installing two operating systems on the same computer, and then having the ability to choose which one to boot to at start up. Another option is to use one of the operating systems in a virtual machine, but dual booting can give you better performance in both operating systems. If you have installed an operating system before, then you should be able to set up dual booting with XP and Windows 7.

To dual boot XP and Windows 7,  you will need:

• The Windows 7 install disc
• The Windows XP install disc
• A CD burner
• A blank, writable CD

1. There are a few different ways to start. If you have an extra hard drive, you can install Windows 7 to it normally by selecting the second hard drive during installation. You will be given a list of the operating systems installed on the computer after installing Windows 7 and rebooting.
2. If you have XP installed and do not have a spare hard drive, you can repartition your hard drive and install Windows 7 on the same hard drive. You can download a free program online for performing partitions on a hard drive.
3. Burn this program to a blank CD. Reboot your computer from this CD.
4. Choose the option to resize/move the partition on your hard drive containing Windows XP. Once you resize this partition, you can then shut down the computer.
5. Reboot the computer from the Windows 7 Installation disc. Perform the installation as normal and be sure to select free space on your hard drive. Do not use the partition that contains Windows XP. Once you install Windows 7, you will be given a list of the two operating systems to boot to when you start the computer.

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