I built a new machine.Running Vista Home premium,8GB of Ram,Phenom11 3.2MHz.
I have 2 hard drives.First one portioned to C: and D:.
Second HD portioned into D: and E: I have Vista on C drive.I would like to
Dual Boot Vista with Windows7.
My question is do I need a Boot loader application??,or does vista have the
ability to dual boot ??

I appreciate any help or a link to a website.

Thank You

Doug

Yes, Windows has a boot loader and if you load your OSes in the right order
(oldest first, newest second) you should be all set.

"Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
news:O70kb73SKHA.4704@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> I built a new machine.Running Vista Home premium,8GB of Ram,Phenom11
> 3.2MHz. I have 2 hard drives.First one portioned to C: and D:.
> Second HD portioned into D: and E: I have Vista on C drive.I would like
> to Dual Boot Vista with Windows7.
> My question is do I need a Boot loader application??,or does vista have
> the ability to dual boot ??
>
> I appreciate any help or a link to a website.
>
> Thank You
>
> Doug[/color]

"Richard G. Harper" <rgharper******.com> wrote in message
news:uT%23u593SKHA.1268@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> Yes, Windows has a boot loader and if you load your OSes in the right
> order (oldest first, newest second) you should be all set.
>
> "Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
> news:O70kb73SKHA.4704@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>> I built a new machine.Running Vista Home premium,8GB of Ram,Phenom11
>> 3.2MHz. I have 2 hard drives.First one portioned to C: and D:.
>> Second HD portioned into D: and E: I have Vista on C drive.I would like
>> to Dual Boot Vista with Windows7.
>> My question is do I need a Boot loader application??,or does vista have
>> the ability to dual boot ??
>>
>> I appreciate any help or a link to a website.
>>
>> Thank You
>>
>> Doug[/color]
>[/color]

Richard,

Thank You for the advise.I was looking at windows Forums and found a free
program.Partition Wizard . Also a Bootable CD program(Partition Wizard).


I will go with windows Bootloader. I have Vista installed(oldest First),then
Windows 7.

Thanks a Bunch

Doug

This may sound like a stupid question???Does it matter if I install Windows
7 on a different drive than C:(where I have Vista installed??)

Thanks Again

Doug
"Richard G. Harper" <rgharper******.com> wrote in message
news:uT%23u593SKHA.1268@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> Yes, Windows has a boot loader and if you load your OSes in the right
> order (oldest first, newest second) you should be all set.
>
> "Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
> news:O70kb73SKHA.4704@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>> I built a new machine.Running Vista Home premium,8GB of Ram,Phenom11
>> 3.2MHz. I have 2 hard drives.First one portioned to C: and D:.
>> Second HD portioned into D: and E: I have Vista on C drive.I would like
>> to Dual Boot Vista with Windows7.
>> My question is do I need a Boot loader application??,or does vista have
>> the ability to dual boot ??
>>
>> I appreciate any help or a link to a website.
>>
>> Thank You
>>
>> Doug[/color]
>[/color]

"Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
news:O70kb73SKHA.4704@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> I built a new machine.Running Vista Home premium,8GB of Ram,Phenom11
> 3.2MHz. I have 2 hard drives.First one portioned to C: and D:.
> Second HD portioned into D: and E: I have Vista on C drive.I would like
> to Dual Boot Vista with Windows7.
> My question is do I need a Boot loader application??,or does vista have
> the ability to dual boot ??
>
> I appreciate any help or a link to a website.
>
> Thank You
>
> Doug[/color]

Are you sure that's right?

You have first drive partitioned C: and D:
You have second drive partitioned D: and E:

You can only assign one drive letter to a partition.

Depending on the sequence of events, it might be:

Drive 1, partitioned C: and D:
Drive 2, partitioned E: and F:

or

Drive 1, partitioned C: and E:
Drive 2, partitioned D: and F:


Yes, Windows VIsta and Windows VII have dual boot support capability.

"Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
news:Od1ekJ7SKHA.4980@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> This may sound like a stupid question???Does it matter if I install
> Windows 7 on a different drive than C:(where I have Vista installed??)
>[/color]

You *MUST* install a different OS on a different drive, whether that's a
partition of one HDD or a separate HDD...

You cannot install two OSes on the same drive, they must be on different
drives.

"Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
news:Od1ekJ7SKHA.4980@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> This may sound like a stupid question???Does it matter if I install
> Windows 7 on a different drive than C:(where I have Vista installed??)
>
> Thanks Again
>
> Doug
> "Richard G. Harper" <rgharper******.com> wrote in message
> news:uT%23u593SKHA.1268@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>> Yes, Windows has a boot loader and if you load your OSes in the right
>> order (oldest first, newest second) you should be all set.
>>
>> "Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
>> news:O70kb73SKHA.4704@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...[color=darkred]
>>> I built a new machine.Running Vista Home premium,8GB of Ram,Phenom11
>>> 3.2MHz. I have 2 hard drives.First one portioned to C: and D:.
>>> Second HD portioned into D: and E: I have Vista on C drive.I would like
>>> to Dual Boot Vista with Windows7.
>>> My question is do I need a Boot loader application??,or does vista have
>>> the ability to dual boot ??
>>>
>>> I appreciate any help or a link to a website.
>>>
>>> Thank You
>>>
>>> Doug[/color]
>>[/color]
>[/color]

"Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
news:Od1ekJ7SKHA.4980@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> This may sound like a stupid question???Does it matter if I install
> Windows 7 on a different drive than C:(where I have Vista installed??)
>
> Thanks Again
>
> Doug
> "Richard G. Harper" <rgharper******.com> wrote in message
> news:uT%23u593SKHA.1268@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>> Yes, Windows has a boot loader and if you load your OSes in the right
>> order (oldest first, newest second) you should be all set.
>>
>> "Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
>> news:O70kb73SKHA.4704@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...[color=darkred]
>>> I built a new machine.Running Vista Home premium,8GB of Ram,Phenom11
>>> 3.2MHz. I have 2 hard drives.First one portioned to C: and D:.
>>> Second HD portioned into D: and E: I have Vista on C drive.I would like
>>> to Dual Boot Vista with Windows7.
>>> My question is do I need a Boot loader application??,or does vista have
>>> the ability to dual boot ??
>>>
>>> I appreciate any help or a link to a website.
>>>
>>> Thank You
>>>
>>> Doug[/color]
>>[/color]
>[/color]


The answer can get a little confusing...

To dual-boot you need to install Windows 7 on a separate partition.

You can install on the same drive long as you pick a difference partition.

The confusing part... If you boot up with the DVD to install, whatever
partition you pick to install Window 7 will show up as C: when you finally
get Windows 7 up and running.

If you reboot to Window Vista it will show the partition Vista is on as C:
and Windows 7 will be assigned a different drive letter.

So you can expect which ever Windows is booted up will be on C: drive.

The only way to install Windows on a drive letter other than C: is to
install from inside Windows.

The OS doesn't get confused which is which, but people can get confused
about how Windows selects which drive/partition is C:.

I say forget drive letters... think of which drive/partition you want to
Windows 7 installed on...

Drive 1 - Partition 1 || Partition 2
Drive 2 - Partition 1 || Partition 2

Drive 1/Partition 1 will usually be where the first OS gets installed.
That's where people normally install the first OS.
In your case, you can install Windows 7 on Drive 1/Partition 2, Drive
2/Partition 1 or Drive 2/Partition 2.


Drive letter gets assigned during boot...

So if you install Windows 7 on Drive 1 - Partition 2 and boot with Window
Vista you might end up with:

C: - Drive 1 - Partition 1 (primary partition) (Windows Vista)
D: - Drive 2 - Partition 1 (primary partition)
E: - Drive 1 - Partition 2 (extended partition) (Windows 7)
F: - Drive 2 - Partition 2 (extended partition)


If you reboot and start Windows 7, the drive letter assignment will change
and may look like...

C: - Drive 1 - Partition 2 (extended partition) (Windows 7)
D: - Drive 1 - Partition 1 (primary partition) (Windows Vista)
E: - Drive 2 - Partition 1 (primary partition)
F: - Drive 2 - Partition 2 (extended partition)


So basically you end up installing Windows to C: drive no matter what
(assuming you are installing from DVD boot), you just shouldn't install it
on the partition (Windows might refer to it as volume) that Windows Vista is
already on, if you want to dual boot.

If you install Windows 7 from Windows Vista to one of the other free
partitions, it might installed as a different drive letter.

Hi, Doug.

It's not a stupid question. But confusing use of some common words in
technical contexts makes a simple idea hard to explain.

For example, "drive" means different things in different contexts - just
like "right" can mean the right hand, or correct, or "the right stuff", and
"left" can refer to the left hand or to what we left behind. A "drive"
letter never refers to a physical hard disk drive, but to only a primary
partition or to a logical drive in an extended partition on that physical
drive. And "drive" letters can also be assigned to other devices, such as
optical drive, USB flash drives, or even digital cameras.

When we say that each operating system (WinXP or Vista or Win7 - or multiple
installations of one of those) must be installed on a separate 'drive", we
really mean a separate "volume"; while often called a "partition", this
actually can be either a separate primary partition or a separate logical
drive in an extended partition. And a different volume on the same HDD
works as well as one on a different HDD The use of the term "volume" is
increasing and that helps to reduce the "partition" and "drive" confusion,
but only slightly.

When Windows Setup runs, it installs Windows in TWO parts; one part is huge,
the other is quite small. The big part goes into the X:\Windows folder on
whichever volume we choose; this becomes the "boot volume" and is the one we
usually think of when we say we "installed Windows onto Drive X:". This can
be any volume on any HDD in the computer. But, no matter where we put the
boot volume, a few files MUST go into the "system partition", which is the
one that the computer uses to start up and to find Windows - or another
operating system - in the first place. This system volume is the Active
(bootable) primary partition on the HDD designated in the BIOS as the
current boot device.

The definitions of "system volume" and "boot volume" are counterintuitive to
common usage. As often said, we boot from the system volume and keep our
operating system files in the boot volume. See this KB article:
Definitions for system volume and boot volume
[url]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314470/EN-US/[/url]

In the typical Windows installation, Drive C: is the first (only?) partition
on the first (only?) HDD, so all this is handled automatically and silently.
But when we start to dual-boot, the definitions and distinctions become
critically important.

The dual-boot system for Vista changed from the method used in Win2K/XP, and
Win7 continues Vista's system. At power-on, the computer finds the first
physical sector on the HDD designated in the BIOS as the boot device; this
sector holds the MBR (Master Boot Record), and it holds the Partition Table,
which points to the System Partition. The first physical sector of the
System Partition tells the computer to find the file bootmgr (no extension),
which uses the BCD (Boot Configuration Data) in the hidden \Boot folder to
choose which OS to load and run, and where to find that OS, which may be in
any volume on any HDD.

So, even if you install Win7 into the second partition on your second HDD,
the boot process will still start in the first partition of your first HDD.
It will present a menu from which you can choose Vista or Win7. If you
choose Vista, your second HDD will be "just another HDD" and its partitions
will be just data drives, so far as Vista is concerned. But if you choose
Win7, then bootmgr will load and start Win7 from wherever you put it, and
your first HDD will be just another HDD - EXCEPT for the first partition,
which will still be the System Partition, because that's where the critical
startup files for the whole computer are.

If you install Win7 by booting from the Win7 DVD-ROM, Setup will not know
what drive letters have already been assigned by Vista. Setup will assign
the letter C: to the partition where you choose to install Win7, even if
that is the second partition on the second HDD. Then it will assign the
next letter (D:) to the System Partition. When you boot into Vista, its
operating system files will still be in C:\Windows; when you boot into Win7,
Vista's OS files will be in D:\Windows. This will not confuse the computer
at all, but we have become accustomed to the idea that the first partition
on the first HDD is always C:, and some users have trouble shaking that
mindset.

If you install Win7 by booting into Vista, then inserting the Win7 DVD and
running its Setup.exe from the Vista desktop, Setup will see Vista's drive
letters and will respect those. So, if you tell Setup to install Win7 into
Drive E: (the second partition on the second HDD), then Win7's boot volume
will become E: and all those GBs of operating system files will go into
E:\Windows. You will still see all of Vista's operating system files in
C:\Windows, and all your data will be in folders with the same drive letters
in both Vista and Win7. You can use Disk Management to change any drive
letters you like, of course, except for the current System and Boot volumes,
which can be changed only by running Setup again - which means reinstalling
the OS.

Sorry for the too-long post, Doug. The ideas actually are pretty simple,
but they take a lot of words to explain.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
[email]rc@grandecom.net[/email]
Microsoft Windows MVP
Windows Live Mail 2009 (14.0.8089.0726) in Win7 Ultimate x64

"Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
news:Od1ekJ7SKHA.4980@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> This may sound like a stupid question???Does it matter if I install
> Windows 7 on a different drive than C:(where I have Vista installed??)
>
> Thanks Again
>
> Doug
> "Richard G. Harper" <rgharper******.com> wrote in message
> news:uT%23u593SKHA.1268@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>> Yes, Windows has a boot loader and if you load your OSes in the right
>> order (oldest first, newest second) you should be all set.
>>
>> "Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
>> news:O70kb73SKHA.4704@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...[color=darkred]
>>> I built a new machine.Running Vista Home premium,8GB of Ram,Phenom11
>>> 3.2MHz. I have 2 hard drives.First one portioned to C: and D:.
>>> Second HD portioned into D: and E: I have Vista on C drive.I would like
>>> to Dual Boot Vista with Windows7.
>>> My question is do I need a Boot loader application??,or does vista have
>>> the ability to dual boot ??
>>>
>>> I appreciate any help or a link to a website.
>>>
>>> Thank You
>>>
>>> Doug[/color]
>>[/color]
>[/color]

"Gordon" <gordonbparker******.com> wrote in message
news:exsnba#SKHA.1268@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
>
> "Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
> news:Od1ekJ7SKHA.4980@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>> This may sound like a stupid question???Does it matter if I install
>> Windows 7 on a different drive than C:(where I have Vista installed??)
>>[/color]
>
> You *MUST* install a different OS on a different drive, whether that's a
> partition of one HDD or a separate HDD...[/color]

Err - he doesn't *MUST* do anything. Err <sigh> Umm.

Did you shine your Net Cop badge today? Err.

Err. <sigh> Umm

"Tae Song" <tae_song********.com> wrote in message
news:4C4F2D07-6D5E-4368-9916-09AB61AA7CE2@microsoft.com...[color=blue]
>
> "Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
> news:O70kb73SKHA.4704@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>> I built a new machine.Running Vista Home premium,8GB of Ram,Phenom11
>> 3.2MHz. I have 2 hard drives.First one portioned to C: and D:.
>> Second HD portioned into D: and E: I have Vista on C drive.I would like
>> to Dual Boot Vista with Windows7.
>> My question is do I need a Boot loader application??,or does vista have
>> the ability to dual boot ??
>>
>> I appreciate any help or a link to a website.
>>
>> Thank You
>>
>> Doug[/color]
>
> Are you sure that's right?
>
> You have first drive partitioned C: and D:
> You have second drive partitioned D: and E:
>
> You can only assign one drive letter to a partition.
>
> Depending on the sequence of events, it might be:
>
> Drive 1, partitioned C: and D:
> Drive 2, partitioned E: and F:
>
> or
>
> Drive 1, partitioned C: and E:
> Drive 2, partitioned D: and F:
>
>
> Yes, Windows VIsta and Windows VII have dual boot support capability.
>
> I do apologize for the error in typing the partyitions on my PC.[/color]

Drive 1 Partitioned C: and D:

Drive 2 Partioned E: and F:

Now it is correct.
I do appreciate the deep explanations to my question.

Now that I know windows will change drive letters around according to
installation and which OS Boots first.

I am a little bit (let's say) shaky,intimidated??
I am sure I will install Windows 7 and will Dual Boot. Now I am a bit
confused of assigning Partitions and drive letters.

Thanks Again
Douig[color=blue]
>[/color]

Why can I not install 2 OSes on a single drive that is portioned into 2
drives??C: and D:

Is it because of windows 7 or Vista??I have had XP and Linux on one drive.??

Thanks

Doug
"Richard G. Harper" <rgharper******.com> wrote in message
news:u03Tmk%23SKHA.1232@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> You cannot install two OSes on the same drive, they must be on different
> drives.
>
> "Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
> news:Od1ekJ7SKHA.4980@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>> This may sound like a stupid question???Does it matter if I install
>> Windows 7 on a different drive than C:(where I have Vista installed??)
>>
>> Thanks Again
>>
>> Doug
>> "Richard G. Harper" <rgharper******.com> wrote in message
>> news:uT%23u593SKHA.1268@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...[color=darkred]
>>> Yes, Windows has a boot loader and if you load your OSes in the right
>>> order (oldest first, newest second) you should be all set.
>>>
>>> "Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
>>> news:O70kb73SKHA.4704@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>>> I built a new machine.Running Vista Home premium,8GB of Ram,Phenom11
>>>> 3.2MHz. I have 2 hard drives.First one portioned to C: and D:.
>>>> Second HD portioned into D: and E: I have Vista on C drive.I would
>>>> like to Dual Boot Vista with Windows7.
>>>> My question is do I need a Boot loader application??,or does vista have
>>>> the ability to dual boot ??
>>>>
>>>> I appreciate any help or a link to a website.
>>>>
>>>> Thank You
>>>>
>>>> Doug
>>>[/color]
>>[/color][/color]

If it matters all my Partitions are Active Primary.


Doug


"R. C. White" <rc@grandecom.net> wrote in message
news:Oy4bZ$ATKHA.508@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> Hi, Doug.
>
> It's not a stupid question. But confusing use of some common words in
> technical contexts makes a simple idea hard to explain.
>
> For example, "drive" means different things in different contexts - just
> like "right" can mean the right hand, or correct, or "the right stuff",
> and "left" can refer to the left hand or to what we left behind. A
> "drive" letter never refers to a physical hard disk drive, but to only a
> primary partition or to a logical drive in an extended partition on that
> physical drive. And "drive" letters can also be assigned to other
> devices, such as optical drive, USB flash drives, or even digital cameras.
>
> When we say that each operating system (WinXP or Vista or Win7 - or
> multiple installations of one of those) must be installed on a separate
> 'drive", we really mean a separate "volume"; while often called a
> "partition", this actually can be either a separate primary partition or a
> separate logical drive in an extended partition. And a different volume
> on the same HDD works as well as one on a different HDD The use of the
> term "volume" is increasing and that helps to reduce the "partition" and
> "drive" confusion, but only slightly.
>
> When Windows Setup runs, it installs Windows in TWO parts; one part is
> huge, the other is quite small. The big part goes into the X:\Windows
> folder on whichever volume we choose; this becomes the "boot volume" and
> is the one we usually think of when we say we "installed Windows onto
> Drive X:". This can be any volume on any HDD in the computer. But, no
> matter where we put the boot volume, a few files MUST go into the "system
> partition", which is the one that the computer uses to start up and to
> find Windows - or another operating system - in the first place. This
> system volume is the Active (bootable) primary partition on the HDD
> designated in the BIOS as the current boot device.
>
> The definitions of "system volume" and "boot volume" are counterintuitive
> to common usage. As often said, we boot from the system volume and keep
> our operating system files in the boot volume. See this KB article:
> Definitions for system volume and boot volume
> [url]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314470/EN-US/[/url]
>
> In the typical Windows installation, Drive C: is the first (only?)
> partition on the first (only?) HDD, so all this is handled automatically
> and silently. But when we start to dual-boot, the definitions and
> distinctions become critically important.
>
> The dual-boot system for Vista changed from the method used in Win2K/XP,
> and Win7 continues Vista's system. At power-on, the computer finds the
> first physical sector on the HDD designated in the BIOS as the boot
> device; this sector holds the MBR (Master Boot Record), and it holds the
> Partition Table, which points to the System Partition. The first physical
> sector of the System Partition tells the computer to find the file bootmgr
> (no extension), which uses the BCD (Boot Configuration Data) in the hidden
> \Boot folder to choose which OS to load and run, and where to find that
> OS, which may be in any volume on any HDD.
>
> So, even if you install Win7 into the second partition on your second HDD,
> the boot process will still start in the first partition of your first
> HDD. It will present a menu from which you can choose Vista or Win7. If
> you choose Vista, your second HDD will be "just another HDD" and its
> partitions will be just data drives, so far as Vista is concerned. But if
> you choose Win7, then bootmgr will load and start Win7 from wherever you
> put it, and your first HDD will be just another HDD - EXCEPT for the first
> partition, which will still be the System Partition, because that's where
> the critical startup files for the whole computer are.
>
> If you install Win7 by booting from the Win7 DVD-ROM, Setup will not know
> what drive letters have already been assigned by Vista. Setup will assign
> the letter C: to the partition where you choose to install Win7, even if
> that is the second partition on the second HDD. Then it will assign the
> next letter (D:) to the System Partition. When you boot into Vista, its
> operating system files will still be in C:\Windows; when you boot into
> Win7, Vista's OS files will be in D:\Windows. This will not confuse the
> computer at all, but we have become accustomed to the idea that the first
> partition on the first HDD is always C:, and some users have trouble
> shaking that mindset.
>
> If you install Win7 by booting into Vista, then inserting the Win7 DVD and
> running its Setup.exe from the Vista desktop, Setup will see Vista's drive
> letters and will respect those. So, if you tell Setup to install Win7
> into Drive E: (the second partition on the second HDD), then Win7's boot
> volume will become E: and all those GBs of operating system files will go
> into E:\Windows. You will still see all of Vista's operating system files
> in C:\Windows, and all your data will be in folders with the same drive
> letters in both Vista and Win7. You can use Disk Management to change any
> drive letters you like, of course, except for the current System and Boot
> volumes, which can be changed only by running Setup again - which means
> reinstalling the OS.
>
> Sorry for the too-long post, Doug. The ideas actually are pretty simple,
> but they take a lot of words to explain.
>
> RC
> --
> R. C. White, CPA
> San Marcos, TX
> [email]rc@grandecom.net[/email]
> Microsoft Windows MVP
> Windows Live Mail 2009 (14.0.8089.0726) in Win7 Ultimate x64
>
> "Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
> news:Od1ekJ7SKHA.4980@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>> This may sound like a stupid question???Does it matter if I install
>> Windows 7 on a different drive than C:(where I have Vista installed??)
>>
>> Thanks Again
>>
>> Doug
>> "Richard G. Harper" <rgharper******.com> wrote in message
>> news:uT%23u593SKHA.1268@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...[color=darkred]
>>> Yes, Windows has a boot loader and if you load your OSes in the right
>>> order (oldest first, newest second) you should be all set.
>>>
>>> "Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
>>> news:O70kb73SKHA.4704@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>>> I built a new machine.Running Vista Home premium,8GB of Ram,Phenom11
>>>> 3.2MHz. I have 2 hard drives.First one portioned to C: and D:.
>>>> Second HD portioned into D: and E: I have Vista on C drive.I would
>>>> like to Dual Boot Vista with Windows7.
>>>> My question is do I need a Boot loader application??,or does vista have
>>>> the ability to dual boot ??
>>>>
>>>> I appreciate any help or a link to a website.
>>>>
>>>> Thank You
>>>>
>>>> Doug
>>>[/color]
>>[/color][/color]

"R. C. White" <rc@grandecom.net> wrote in message
news:Oy4bZ$ATKHA.508@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> Hi, Doug.
>
> It's not a stupid question. But confusing use of some common words in
> technical contexts makes a simple idea hard to explain.
>
> For example, "drive" means different things in different contexts - just
> like "right" can mean the right hand, or correct, or "the right stuff",
> and "left" can refer to the left hand or to what we left behind. A
> "drive" letter never refers to a physical hard disk drive, but to only a
> primary partition or to a logical drive in an extended partition on that
> physical drive. And "drive" letters can also be assigned to other
> devices, such as optical drive, USB flash drives, or even digital cameras.
>
> When we say that each operating system (WinXP or Vista or Win7 - or
> multiple installations of one of those) must be installed on a separate
> 'drive", we really mean a separate "volume"; while often called a
> "partition", this actually can be either a separate primary partition or a
> separate logical drive in an extended partition. And a different volume
> on the same HDD works as well as one on a different HDD The use of the
> term "volume" is increasing and that helps to reduce the "partition" and
> "drive" confusion, but only slightly.
>
> When Windows Setup runs, it installs Windows in TWO parts; one part is
> huge, the other is quite small. The big part goes into the X:\Windows
> folder on whichever volume we choose; this becomes the "boot volume" and
> is the one we usually think of when we say we "installed Windows onto
> Drive X:". This can be any volume on any HDD in the computer. But, no
> matter where we put the boot volume, a few files MUST go into the "system
> partition", which is the one that the computer uses to start up and to
> find Windows - or another operating system - in the first place. This
> system volume is the Active (bootable) primary partition on the HDD
> designated in the BIOS as the current boot device.
>
> The definitions of "system volume" and "boot volume" are counterintuitive
> to common usage. As often said, we boot from the system volume and keep
> our operating system files in the boot volume. See this KB article:
> Definitions for system volume and boot volume
> [url]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314470/EN-US/[/url]
>
> In the typical Windows installation, Drive C: is the first (only?)
> partition on the first (only?) HDD, so all this is handled automatically
> and silently. But when we start to dual-boot, the definitions and
> distinctions become critically important.
>
> The dual-boot system for Vista changed from the method used in Win2K/XP,
> and Win7 continues Vista's system. At power-on, the computer finds the
> first physical sector on the HDD designated in the BIOS as the boot
> device; this sector holds the MBR (Master Boot Record), and it holds the
> Partition Table, which points to the System Partition. The first physical
> sector of the System Partition tells the computer to find the file bootmgr
> (no extension), which uses the BCD (Boot Configuration Data) in the hidden
> \Boot folder to choose which OS to load and run, and where to find that
> OS, which may be in any volume on any HDD.
>
> So, even if you install Win7 into the second partition on your second HDD,
> the boot process will still start in the first partition of your first
> HDD. It will present a menu from which you can choose Vista or Win7. If
> you choose Vista, your second HDD will be "just another HDD" and its
> partitions will be just data drives, so far as Vista is concerned. But if
> you choose Win7, then bootmgr will load and start Win7 from wherever you
> put it, and your first HDD will be just another HDD - EXCEPT for the first
> partition, which will still be the System Partition, because that's where
> the critical startup files for the whole computer are.
>
> If you install Win7 by booting from the Win7 DVD-ROM, Setup will not know
> what drive letters have already been assigned by Vista. Setup will assign
> the letter C: to the partition where you choose to install Win7, even if
> that is the second partition on the second HDD. Then it will assign the
> next letter (D:) to the System Partition. When you boot into Vista, its
> operating system files will still be in C:\Windows; when you boot into
> Win7, Vista's OS files will be in D:\Windows. This will not confuse the
> computer at all, but we have become accustomed to the idea that the first
> partition on the first HDD is always C:, and some users have trouble
> shaking that mindset.
>
> If you install Win7 by booting into Vista, then inserting the Win7 DVD and
> running its Setup.exe from the Vista desktop, Setup will see Vista's drive
> letters and will respect those. So, if you tell Setup to install Win7
> into Drive E: (the second partition on the second HDD), then Win7's boot
> volume will become E: and all those GBs of operating system files will go
> into E:\Windows. You will still see all of Vista's operating system files
> in C:\Windows, and all your data will be in folders with the same drive
> letters in both Vista and Win7. You can use Disk Management to change any
> drive letters you like, of course, except for the current System and Boot
> volumes, which can be changed only by running Setup again - which means
> reinstalling the OS.[/color]

RC,

I can already be in Vista.Put the Windows 7 CD in drive and let it run
exe.

Or I can go to My Computer/Drive/ and start setup??

Thank You Very Much
Doug[color=blue]
>
> Sorry for the too-long post, Doug. The ideas actually are pretty simple,
> but they take a lot of words to explain.
>
> RC
> --
> R. C. White, CPA
> San Marcos, TX
> [email]rc@grandecom.net[/email]
> Microsoft Windows MVP
> Windows Live Mail 2009 (14.0.8089.0726) in Win7 Ultimate x64
>
> "Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
> news:Od1ekJ7SKHA.4980@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>> This may sound like a stupid question???Does it matter if I install
>> Windows 7 on a different drive than C:(where I have Vista installed??)
>>
>> Thanks Again
>>
>> Doug
>> "Richard G. Harper" <rgharper******.com> wrote in message
>> news:uT%23u593SKHA.1268@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...[color=darkred]
>>> Yes, Windows has a boot loader and if you load your OSes in the right
>>> order (oldest first, newest second) you should be all set.
>>>
>>> "Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
>>> news:O70kb73SKHA.4704@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>>> I built a new machine.Running Vista Home premium,8GB of Ram,Phenom11
>>>> 3.2MHz. I have 2 hard drives.First one portioned to C: and D:.
>>>> Second HD portioned into D: and E: I have Vista on C drive.I would
>>>> like to Dual Boot Vista with Windows7.
>>>> My question is do I need a Boot loader application??,or does vista have
>>>> the ability to dual boot ??
>>>>
>>>> I appreciate any help or a link to a website.
>>>>
>>>> Thank You
>>>>
>>>> Doug
>>>[/color]
>>[/color][/color]

He means logical drives not physical drives.

--
..
--
"Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
news:O8QhLFHTKHA.5164@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> Why can I not install 2 OSes on a single drive that is portioned into 2
> drives??C: and D:
>
> Is it because of windows 7 or Vista??I have had XP and Linux on one
> drive.??
>
> Thanks
>
> Doug
> "Richard G. Harper" <rgharper******.com> wrote in message
> news:u03Tmk%23SKHA.1232@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>> You cannot install two OSes on the same drive, they must be on different
>> drives.
>>
>> "Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
>> news:Od1ekJ7SKHA.4980@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...[color=darkred]
>>> This may sound like a stupid question???Does it matter if I install
>>> Windows 7 on a different drive than C:(where I have Vista installed??)
>>>
>>> Thanks Again
>>>
>>> Doug
>>> "Richard G. Harper" <rgharper******.com> wrote in message
>>> news:uT%23u593SKHA.1268@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>>> Yes, Windows has a boot loader and if you load your OSes in the right
>>>> order (oldest first, newest second) you should be all set.
>>>>
>>>> "Doug" <Dugglissremove this ******.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:O70kb73SKHA.4704@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>>>> I built a new machine.Running Vista Home premium,8GB of Ram,Phenom11
>>>>> 3.2MHz. I have 2 hard drives.First one portioned to C: and D:.
>>>>> Second HD portioned into D: and E: I have Vista on C drive.I would
>>>>> like to Dual Boot Vista with Windows7.
>>>>> My question is do I need a Boot loader application??,or does vista
>>>>> have the ability to dual boot ??
>>>>>
>>>>> I appreciate any help or a link to a website.
>>>>>
>>>>> Thank You
>>>>>
>>>>> Doug
>>>>
>>>[/color][/color]
>[/color]