Just ordered a new CPU, RAM, HDD, and Mobo, an Asus p5ql.
I have also bought Vista Home Basic 64 bit edition.
I now have two sata HDDs.
I intend to install Vista on my new drive.
I will then copy some files over from the old XP drive.
Is there any way of then having a dual boot option at PC power on (I have never dual booted before and it appears to be a minefield on the google research I've done!), or will the old drive just be a 'data' drive for the Vista one?
Is the only way to boot into XP (having reinstalled it due to the new hardware)is to make changes to the boot order in the mobo bios?
If I can boot into XP this way, will it see the Vista drive?
I do not think my current USB modem is compatible with Vista 64 hence the need for an XP OS still.
Thanks in advance. _________________ Stock Q9550, 4GB ram, Gainward 260 GTX GS, Vista 64
not got any info on the dual boot thing as ive never done it. but i would say that it is unlikely that the usb modem wont work with vista64. i have vista64 and there is nothing that wont work on it now with the exception of some very obscure and old programmes.
Vista 1st / XP 2nd - Click Here _________________ There's no 'I' in 'team'. But then there's no 'I' in 'useless smug colleague', either. And there's four in 'platitude-quoting idiot'. Go figure.
Whose Idea was it to put an 'S' in the word 'lisp' ?
The modem is a Speedtouch 330. From what I can find, there are vista 32 bit drivers but not vista 64 bit compatible.
I can sort of see how dual booting would work with the two OS on one drive in different partitions, but not if on two separate drives. Would I have to keep going into the bios on startup to select the drive (and hence OS) that I wish to boot from? _________________ Stock Q9550, 4GB ram, Gainward 260 GTX GS, Vista 64
Ask your ISP for a new modem, they will likely give you a free wireless router. Those Speedtouch USB modems are slow and outdated now. _________________ My Blog
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Things don't get repeated, you just read it again. - Serenity on Internet Forums
Thanks Ratty. I shall be upgrading next week. If I hit any probs, expect this post to be resurrected! _________________ Stock Q9550, 4GB ram, Gainward 260 GTX GS, Vista 64
You are not still considering dual boot just for an outdated modem are you? It will be more hassle than it is worth. _________________ My Blog
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Things don't get repeated, you just read it again. - Serenity on Internet Forums
You are not still considering dual boot just for an outdated modem are you? It will be more hassle than it is worth.
I would tend to agree with JH on this - If the only reason to dual boot is the modem drivers, you would be better off investing in a new USB ADSL modem (or a cheap router with the added benefits of a hradware firewall) that is compatible with Vista x64 - This will give the benefit of faster access times to your ISP (unless you are restricted to 512k)
If you have other reasons to dual boot then go ahead & do so. _________________ There's no 'I' in 'team'. But then there's no 'I' in 'useless smug colleague', either. And there's four in 'platitude-quoting idiot'. Go figure.
Whose Idea was it to put an 'S' in the word 'lisp' ?
You shouldn't even have to invest in a new one, just call your ISP and tell them that the modem they provided won't work with your new computer, they will give you a better one and if they don't I suggest you threaten to switch ISPs. _________________ My Blog
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Things don't get repeated, you just read it again. - Serenity on Internet Forums
I've gone and bought the basic version of Vista. I would like to keep XP for a while as I use CD burning software that is not vista 64 compatible, and so that I can still play some of my old games without hassle.
If dual booting is really a pig to get right, I may just plug one drive in at a time, or just select the drive I want to boot from within the bios? Is that feasible? In other words, I'll install vista without my current XP drive attached, unplug the vista drive, plug in the XP drive and re-install XP (due to the major hardware change). Therefore I will have two drives and two OS that aren't aware of each other. Now if I plug both drives in and change the drive boot priority in the bios, will that work to select which OS to boot or will the presence of the OS on the other drive cause problems? _________________ Stock Q9550, 4GB ram, Gainward 260 GTX GS, Vista 64
ImgBurn is Vista compatible, brilliant and free. There is, IMO, little point in dual booting for legacy software when there are so many alternatives.
What you suggest with the hard drives should work. But will not make it nice and easy to switch. Most dual booting guides suggest you use the same drive. I have seen some people come a cropper trying to do it with two drives.
The above thread should be a lot of help if you decide to go for the dual boot. I would still recommend you don't however, I dual booted for a while and found I wasn't using XP after a week or so. _________________ My Blog
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Things don't get repeated, you just read it again. - Serenity on Internet Forums
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