Dual Boot Windows 7 with Windows 10

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  1. Posts : 353
    Multi-Boot W7_Pro_x64 W8.1_Pro_x64 W10_Pro_x64
       #11

    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 :)
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  2. Posts : 14
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #12

    DavidE said:
    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 :)
    haha now you made me hungry
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  3. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #13

    appss said:
    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.
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  4. Posts : 3,505
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit 21H1 (May 2021 build 19043.1083)
       #14

    NavyLCDR said:
    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.
    I cannot be 100% sure, but since Windows 7, 8 and 10 share the same boot loader, there should be an entry automatically added for dual boot to both windows versions. However experience says that when installing an older Windows version after an new version problems can follow. In worst case you may have to repair startup in Windows 10 and that's it.
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  5. Posts : 3,505
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit 21H1 (May 2021 build 19043.1083)
       #15

    It's not that complicated. From Windows 10 make a new NTFS partition for Windows 7. Boot from the Windows 7 DVD-ROM and install Windows 7 in that partition. Chances are that since the Windows Boot Loader is the same in 7 8 and 10 a new boot entry for Windows 7 will be automatically added without any issues. In worst case you may have repair startup in Windows 10 once and that's it. I had this problem when installed Windows XP (classic boot loader) after Windows Vista (modern boot loader). I could not access Vista until I used the DVD-ROM to restore the modern boot loader. But in your case Windows 7 and 10 have the same boot loader, so there shouldn't be a problem.
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  6. Posts : 3
    windows10
       #16

    NavyLCDR said:
    Create and NTFS format a partition to hold Windows 7. From inside Windows 10 - run setup.exe from the disc - do NOT boot from the disc - just put it in with Windows 10 running and run Windows 7 setup.exe from it. Using the custom setup options, point it to the blank NTFS formatted partition to install to that you created for it.

    Of course you will have to have your Windows 7 Product Key to enter.
    I followed above instructions with my DVD Win 7 SP1 64BIT and after a restart the results are: "INSTALL WINDOWS. Partitions are not the recommended order. Microsoft Corporation and search for GPT". I will appreciate your recommendations to fix or the remove partition.
    Thanks in advance for your help.
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  7. Posts : 3,505
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit 21H1 (May 2021 build 19043.1083)
       #17

    Try my instructions instead. You might have better luck.
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  8. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #18

    I was mistaken. Try my instructions, but boot from the DVD like spapakons instructed.
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  9. Posts : 15,441
    Windows10
       #19

    spapakons said:
    It's not that complicated. From Windows 10 make a new NTFS partition for Windows 7. Boot from the Windows 7 DVD-ROM and install Windows 7 in that partition. Chances are that since the Windows Boot Loader is the same in 7 8 and 10 a new boot entry for Windows 7 will be automatically added without any issues. In worst case you may have repair startup in Windows 10 once and that's it. I had this problem when installed Windows XP (classic boot loader) after Windows Vista (modern boot loader). I could not access Vista until I used the DVD-ROM to restore the modern boot loader. But in your case Windows 7 and 10 have the same boot loader, so there shouldn't be a problem.
    Windows 8 and 10 use same boot loader but Windows 7 uses an older version.

    If you get issues, fairly easy to fix with our good old friend of a Macrium Rescue drive.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #20

    Wilfredopr said:
    I will appreciate your recommendations to fix or the remove partition.
    Thanks in advance for your help.
    Updated instructions:
    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%

    If for some reason Windows 7 does not set up dual booting and you end up stuck booting into Windows 7 only, then from an elevated command prompt in Windows 7 enter:

    bcdboot D:\Windows

    The path in red will be whatever drive letter and Windows folder gets assigned to the Windows 10 partition.
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