Ok gots - ta dual boot

Hey everyone

Now I just brought home a new company laptop that I need to dual boot. I started by trying to simply use the disk management tool to create a new partition but it will only allow me to shrink the main drive by 49gb. Now with that the main drive is 62gb and has 50gb free.

Really we won't be using Vista a lot I just can't bring myself to wipe it off all together so I want a Vista partition that is relatively small and an XP partition that takes up most of the drive.

I had hoped to use Partition magic but I only own the XP version which DOES run on vista but I'm worried if I try to use it something catastrophic may happen.

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You should be able to get away with it-just be prepared for XP to wipe the master boot record when it installs-because it will.
You're probably going to have to wipe the drive, partition, install XP, then install Vista in the free space.
Sucks, but thats the only sure way I know to do it.

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I'll have to think of the name for this Linux LCD distro. All it does is repartitions drives.

The only thing is the creator isn't able to guarantee that nothing will accidentally be erased when the drive is repartitioned. I've used it a couple of times and works wonders. I just suggest defraging the drive before using it.

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hmm, the problem is that I don't have the Vista disc. Its a future shop laptop and it just came pre-installed. If I had the disc I would do away with the Vista install all together and just keep the disc around for later.

Goober, alright sounds good

thanks

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It most probably came with a recovery disc, that has the Vista Files on it. I suggest backing up the drive, or all important data on it, and reformatting it and then repartitioning it. Then use the recovery Discs, to Install Vista on the smaller of two paritions, and then install XP on the larger. Make sure that the larger of the two is at the beginning of the drive, and make it a primary partition.

I used partition magic before on a working system, and it just destroyed my MBR, not allowing me to go into the Installed XP. So don't try it on a system drive, it will only end up in disaster.

It would be helpful if you gave us the make, and model of the Laptop, so I can tell ou where you might be able to get a Vista Disc for it. Usually the maunfacturer gives people the option of installing the OS seperatley from all their junk software.

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Ok I looked it up, and I cannot find it >.< BUT! apparently qtparted is nearly on every Linux lcd. It would have been so much easier for me if I could have used a gui instead of command line (the version i had was a command line, and all the os did was repartition drives :S).

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Ok thanks guys.

Think I am just going to wipe vista now and use the restore disc to install it in the future. (it did come with one I just hadn't realized it)

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Sounds like the easiest/safest way to go

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