Create dual boot Win10 with existing WinXP installation

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  1. Posts : 3
    Windows XP
       #1

    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
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 22,740
    Windows 10 Home x64
       #2

    I suspect the answer you're going to get for this is to run Xp in some sort of VM environment.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 7,254
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
       #3

    I would agree with Bunny, vmware or similar might be a better solution.
      My Computers


  4. Posts : 3
    Windows XP
    Thread Starter
       #4

    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
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 4,201
    Windows 10 Pro x64 Latest RP
       #5

    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 )
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  6. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #6

    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.
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  7. Posts : 15,441
    Windows10
       #7

    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.
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  8. Posts : 3
    Windows XP
    Thread Starter
       #8

    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
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #9

    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.
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  10. Posts : 15,441
    Windows10
       #10

    NavyLCDR said:
    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.
    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.
      My Computer


 

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