Windows 10 & Windows 7 Dual Boot - Can it be done

Nolly1959 · 23 Jun 2017

Have a Mini Desktop that was built to a spec and was purchased with Windows 10 Home Premium installed.
The Motherboard has UEFI and the Hard Disk is with GPT.

Recently had a support person from where the PC was purchased, log in remotely and attempt to talk me through how to install Windows 7 in a newly created partition. I had already tried this and failed miserably. The support person was unable to resolve this so the question is, can this be done.

Thank you,
Nolly

Raner · 23 Jun 2017

Take a look see, if this will help you...
How to Dual Boot Windows 7 and Windows 10...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApNeefM3pks

NavyLCDR · 23 Jun 2017

Have you tried extracting the Windows 7 image from the install.wim file in the Windows 7 DVD, USB flash drive, or ISO file using DISM and then adding the extracted Windows 7 to the boot menu using the BCDBOOT command?

Nolly1959 · 24 Jun 2017

Raner, Thanks for your reply. I have taken a look at the youTube video an am convinced that this will not work. I have Windows 10 installed and want to install Windows 7. The video shows Windows 7 installed and how to install Windows 10 as well.

I will go through the procedures that I have tried before and report the issues that I find. The stumbling blocks I believe are: a) The Motherboard has UEFI and the Hard Disk has GPT patitioning. Have partiton the Hard Drive and formatted using NTFS.

Note that this is a GPT partition and Windows 7 has no knowledge of GPT.

Nolly1959 · 24 Jun 2017

NavyLCDR, Thanks for your reply. Not at all familiar with what you are suggesting. Before I go down that route, I think it is necessary to have a partition that Windows 7 can be installed in. Also, I have read that you need to boot into UEFI and select Legacy Boot option and turn off Secure Boot. All a bit bewildering.

cereberus · 24 Jun 2017

Rather than messing around with partitions, a good solution is to install Windows 7 in a virtual hard drive.

Do not set pc to legacy bios mode. Just keep it in UEFI. Do turn off secure boot.

To install in a vhd do this

1) From disk management, select option to create a virtual hard drive.

Lets assume you create

c:\win7\win7.vhd (have to create directory first)

Recommend you make vhd at least 32 GB minimum.

Then attach vhd from disk management and initialise drive as gpt.

Then boot from win7 installer and press shift+f10 to get to command prompt and type

diskpart

select vdisk file=c:\win7\win7.vhd

attach vdisk

exit

exit

and now install windows 7 using custom install to vhd (last drive on drive list).

Nolly1959 · 24 Jun 2017

cereberus, Thanks for your reply and your suggestion. VHD is not the route I wish to take so I will keep trying to solve the problem.

Nolly1959 · 24 Jun 2017

What I did earlier today shows how things can change in a few days. This is what I did.

1) Shrunk the C: Drive so as I could create a new partition
2) Created a Simple Volume and gave it a Drive of D:
3) Formatted the Drive as NTFS
4) Booted from Windows 7 64-bit DVD

When it came to the install it allowed me to do it. Never got this far before as it complain about something I have forgotten about.
However, It did warn me about GPT being in the wrong order but gave me the option of, 'Continue anyway'. So I did.

This presented me with and 'old style' boot menu with Windows7 & Windows 10. Selecting Windows 7 gave an error that was complaining about and efi file. Note, nout a UEFI file. The DVD is an original Windows 7 64-bit & 32-bit that was purchased a very long time ago. The error code was c0000428.

Initially, I had problems with Windows 10 in that I could boot into it but I had no Internet. I have resolved that.

I will continue to to try and install Windows 7 and welcome any further suggestions. Could be wrong but I suspect the GPT wrong order error means that the Windows 7 partition needs to be the first on the disk.

Will create a bootable USB with Windows 7 as I do not believe that installing from an original DVD is helpful.

NavyLCDR · 24 Jun 2017

You need Windows 7 install media with SP1 included with it. You can download it using the tool here:
Microsoft Windows and Office ISO Download Tool

SP1 makes Windows 7 compatible with UEFI booting and booting from a GPT partitioned drive. SP1 Windows 7 is still not compatible with secure boot, so you will have to leave that disabled in UEFI. Also, only 64 Bit Windows 7 is compatible with UEFI, 32 Bit is not.

Nolly1959 · 24 Jun 2017

OK and thanks. I have just created a Windows 10 bootable USB using the Media Creation Tool and an ISO downlod from one of numerous places. Not the first time I have created one of these. I was going to do the same for Windows 7 but I use the tool that you have pointed to.

Your comment about Windows 7 SP1 was why I made the comment in my last reply, 'Will create a bootable USB with Windows 7 as I do not believe that installing from an original DVD is helpful.'

As an aside, were you a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy?