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From: Alsenor on 18 Jan 2010 18:13
Thank you for your detailed advice!
My main problem is that my new HP PC came installed with W7, but without
install CD.
I am hesitant to wipe out my factory OS, for fear of not being able to
reinstall it.
It came with a 640 GB HDD, which I partitioned into 4 parts, but it won't
let me shrink the C partition into less than 300 GB, which is a big waste
for the W7 OS only.
If I could, I would have the slimmest W7 on C, then a second partition of 20
gigs for XP, and the rest in two partitions for APPS and DOCS.
That would make it easy to make image backups onto my old 80 GB external
drives, without having to worry about reinstalling APPS when needed for a
new drive.

"R. C. White" <rc(a)grandecom.net> wrote in message
news:ektVECJmKHA.2680(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Hi, Alsenor.
>
> Well, the Golden Rule of dual-booting is, as Charlie said, to always
> install the newest OS last. But since you don't want to erase your hard
> drive and start over, you'll need to first "break" Win7's dual-boot
> start-up by installing WinXP, and then run Win7's Repair utility to fix
> the damage.
>
> Since Win7 was pre-installed on your new, virgin computer, you probably
> have a small 100 MB partition - with NO drive letter - at the very
> beginning of your hard disk drive. (This arrangement is a new feature of
> Win7.) Then you have - or you originally had - a single partition called
> Drive C: with Win7 installed and a lot of free space. The Graphical View
> of Disk Management should show both these partitions on your Disk 0. You
> haven't given us any numbers so we don't know how big your HDD is or how
> much free space you have. Is this correct, so far?
>
> On the Disk Management screen, note especially the Status column in the
> top area. I expect that the System label is on that unlettered partition
> and that the Boot label is on Drive C:. Still correct?
>
> Then right-click on Drive C: and choose Shrink volume. Win7 probably
> takes up something less than 20 GB as originally installed, but it GROWS!!
> So, if you have plenty of hard drive space, leave it with at least 30 GB
> or even 40 GB. (My Win7 Ultimate x64 Drive C: is 60 GB, with 25 GB still
> free after about 6 months of use.) Then, still using Disk Management,
> right-click in the Free space and Create a volume for WinXP. Since WinXP
> is much smaller and does not grow as fast, 20 GB should be more than
> enough. You will want to create one or more additional volumes in the
> free space, but there's no hurry for this; you can do it after both Win7
> and WinXP are installed and working, or do it now.
>
> Then boot from the WinXP CD-ROM and install WinXP into that second
> partition. But remember, no matter where Windows (whether Win2K/XP/Vista
> or Win7) Setup installs Windows, Setup will ALWAYS write the < 1 MB of
> startup files into the System Partition. Typically that has always been
> Drive C:, but with Win7, that new unlettered partition is the System
> Partition and THAT's where you should expect to see WinXP's startup files
> (NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM and Boot.ini), alongside Win7's start-up files
> (bootmgr and the contents of the \Boot folder); all these files are Hidden
> and System, by default. If they are NOT in that hidden partition, please
> post back and tell us what you see.
>
> Now, you should be able to boot into WinXP, but not into Win7. Insert the
> Win7 DVD and boot from it. Choose to Repair the boot files. Win7 Setup
> should re-create the multi-boot menu, giving you the option to boot Win7
> or the "Previous version of Windows". When you choose "previous", Win7's
> bootmgr will step out of the way and turn over control to NTLDR, etc., so
> they can boot WinXP.
>
> I haven't actually done this, Alsenor, so tread carefully. I haven't run
> WinXP in over 3 years now, although I did keep a copy in a volume on one
> of my HDDs until last week - when that HDD died and will have to be
> replaced under warranty. I'm just glad that Win7 is on a different drive
> that is still good.
>
> RC
> --
> R. C. White, CPA
> San Marcos, TX
> rc(a)grandecom.net
> Microsoft Windows MVP
> Windows Live Mail 2009 (14.0.8089.0726) in Win7 Ultimate x64
>
> "Alsenor" <alsenor(a)ggholiday.com> wrote in message
> news:etFiDE6lKHA.1652(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>> Charlie, I bought a new HP with W7 installed. Unfortunately they don't
>> give you an installation CD with it any longer, nor does a home made
>> "rescue CD" include the "factory reset" option we had in Vista.
>> So I am a bit hesitant to abandon my original installation!
>> All I dared do so far was create a few partitions via "godmode", but even
>> that doesn't look exactly he way I want it.
>> I want to make the partitions just large enough to hold the 2 operating
>> systems, and use the rest of the space for "apps" and "docs" partitions.
>> However, although the C partition (where W7 resides) is more than 88%
>> free space, it doesn't let me shrink it to less than 300 GB. Why?
>> I even ran a chkdsk on it, which made no difference.
>> I appreciate your help!
>> Al.
>>
>> "Charlie Russel - MVP" <Charlie(a)mvKILLALLSPAMMERSps.org> wrote in message
>> news:uwNQpF0lKHA.5656(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>> Install XP first. Then Install Win7 as a New Install, (custom) not an
>>> upgrade. It will create the necessary settings to enable dual boot.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Charlie.
>>> http://msmvps.com/blogs/russel
>>>
>>>
>>> "Alsenor" <alsenor(a)ggholiday.com> wrote in message
>>> news:%23WvLNRzlKHA.2132(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>>> Can anyone give me a solid guide to creating a multi-boot drive?
>>>> I have partitioned my HD and would like to choose between W 7 and XP.
>
From: R. C. White on 20 Jan 2010 08:58
Hi, Alsenor.

> My main problem is that my new HP PC came installed with W7, but without
> install CD.

I'm hoping that someone who actually has such a PC will chime in and confirm
that the recovery partition on that machine will let you reinstall Win7
after you've wrecked its startup files by installing an older Windows over
it. I THINK you will be able to do that - but, as I said, I've never had a
PC with a pre-installed OS, so I'm only guessing.

Have you asked HP about this?

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

"Alsenor" <alsenor(a)ggholiday.com> wrote in message
news:uZ8MfPJmKHA.3476(a)TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Thank you for your detailed advice!
> My main problem is that my new HP PC came installed with W7, but without
> install CD.
> I am hesitant to wipe out my factory OS, for fear of not being able to
> reinstall it.
> It came with a 640 GB HDD, which I partitioned into 4 parts, but it won't
> let me shrink the C partition into less than 300 GB, which is a big waste
> for the W7 OS only.
> If I could, I would have the slimmest W7 on C, then a second partition of
> 20 gigs for XP, and the rest in two partitions for APPS and DOCS.
> That would make it easy to make image backups onto my old 80 GB external
> drives, without having to worry about reinstalling APPS when needed for a
> new drive.
>
> "R. C. White" <rc(a)grandecom.net> wrote in message
> news:ektVECJmKHA.2680(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> Hi, Alsenor.
>>
>> Well, the Golden Rule of dual-booting is, as Charlie said, to always
>> install the newest OS last. But since you don't want to erase your hard
>> drive and start over, you'll need to first "break" Win7's dual-boot
>> start-up by installing WinXP, and then run Win7's Repair utility to fix
>> the damage.
>>
>> Since Win7 was pre-installed on your new, virgin computer, you probably
>> have a small 100 MB partition - with NO drive letter - at the very
>> beginning of your hard disk drive. (This arrangement is a new feature of
>> Win7.) Then you have - or you originally had - a single partition called
>> Drive C: with Win7 installed and a lot of free space. The Graphical View
>> of Disk Management should show both these partitions on your Disk 0. You
>> haven't given us any numbers so we don't know how big your HDD is or how
>> much free space you have. Is this correct, so far?
>>
>> On the Disk Management screen, note especially the Status column in the
>> top area. I expect that the System label is on that unlettered partition
>> and that the Boot label is on Drive C:. Still correct?
>>
>> Then right-click on Drive C: and choose Shrink volume. Win7 probably
>> takes up something less than 20 GB as originally installed, but it
>> GROWS!! So, if you have plenty of hard drive space, leave it with at
>> least 30 GB or even 40 GB. (My Win7 Ultimate x64 Drive C: is 60 GB, with
>> 25 GB still free after about 6 months of use.) Then, still using Disk
>> Management, right-click in the Free space and Create a volume for WinXP.
>> Since WinXP is much smaller and does not grow as fast, 20 GB should be
>> more than enough. You will want to create one or more additional volumes
>> in the free space, but there's no hurry for this; you can do it after
>> both Win7 and WinXP are installed and working, or do it now.
>>
>> Then boot from the WinXP CD-ROM and install WinXP into that second
>> partition. But remember, no matter where Windows (whether Win2K/XP/Vista
>> or Win7) Setup installs Windows, Setup will ALWAYS write the < 1 MB of
>> startup files into the System Partition. Typically that has always been
>> Drive C:, but with Win7, that new unlettered partition is the System
>> Partition and THAT's where you should expect to see WinXP's startup files
>> (NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM and Boot.ini), alongside Win7's start-up files
>> (bootmgr and the contents of the \Boot folder); all these files are
>> Hidden and System, by default. If they are NOT in that hidden partition,
>> please post back and tell us what you see.
>>
>> Now, you should be able to boot into WinXP, but not into Win7. Insert
>> the Win7 DVD and boot from it. Choose to Repair the boot files. Win7
>> Setup should re-create the multi-boot menu, giving you the option to boot
>> Win7 or the "Previous version of Windows". When you choose "previous",
>> Win7's bootmgr will step out of the way and turn over control to NTLDR,
>> etc., so they can boot WinXP.
>>
>> I haven't actually done this, Alsenor, so tread carefully. I haven't run
>> WinXP in over 3 years now, although I did keep a copy in a volume on one
>> of my HDDs until last week - when that HDD died and will have to be
>> replaced under warranty. I'm just glad that Win7 is on a different drive
>> that is still good.
>>
>> RC
>>
>> "Alsenor" <alsenor(a)ggholiday.com> wrote in message
>> news:etFiDE6lKHA.1652(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>> Charlie, I bought a new HP with W7 installed. Unfortunately they don't
>>> give you an installation CD with it any longer, nor does a home made
>>> "rescue CD" include the "factory reset" option we had in Vista.
>>> So I am a bit hesitant to abandon my original installation!
>>> All I dared do so far was create a few partitions via "godmode", but
>>> even that doesn't look exactly he way I want it.
>>> I want to make the partitions just large enough to hold the 2 operating
>>> systems, and use the rest of the space for "apps" and "docs" partitions.
>>> However, although the C partition (where W7 resides) is more than 88%
>>> free space, it doesn't let me shrink it to less than 300 GB. Why?
>>> I even ran a chkdsk on it, which made no difference.
>>> I appreciate your help!
>>> Al.
>>>
>>> "Charlie Russel - MVP" <Charlie(a)mvKILLALLSPAMMERSps.org> wrote in
>>> message news:uwNQpF0lKHA.5656(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>>> Install XP first. Then Install Win7 as a New Install, (custom) not an
>>>> upgrade. It will create the necessary settings to enable dual boot.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Charlie.
>>>> http://msmvps.com/blogs/russel
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> "Alsenor" <alsenor(a)ggholiday.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:%23WvLNRzlKHA.2132(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>>>> Can anyone give me a solid guide to creating a multi-boot drive?
>>>>> I have partitioned my HD and would like to choose between W 7 and XP.

From: Richard on 20 Jan 2010 11:29
Alsenor,

I have a new HP Pavilion dv7t-3000 Notebook. Like yours, my computer did not
come with recovery disks. In my case, the recovery files are located on D:
and I have also had to recover the system back to factory settings due to my
"playing around" trying to "force" a non-compatible application
installation. The recovery process works fine. Go ahead and use it. Assuming
that your can boot your system to the C: drive, search for "recovery
manager" at the "start menu". While my problem did not involve resizing or
creating partitions, it did set everything back to the original factory
settings.

Preferably before, but definitely after you completely restore the factory
settings, make a set of "recovery disks". You do this by searching from the
"start menu" for "recovery disc creation". This creates, in my case "3 DVD"
disks which are a copy of the recovery partition "D". That way, if you
decide to delete and reformat "D", you still have a copy of the factory
settings. Also if, for some reason, you can't boot from "C", you can boot
from these discs and restore your system. NOTE: The recovery disks ARE NOT
the same thing as a Windows 7 rescue disc. I haven't used the "rescue disc"
yet so I'm not exactly sure of its function. I just know that they are not
the same.

I also recommend that you check your BIOS boot order to ensure that it
allows booting from a CD/DVD first, and the internal HD second. During my
recovery, I noticed that the order was reversed. I assume that was one of
HP's great moves.

As an aside, I would like to point out a couple of additional things.

1. HP will not support your desire to have a "dual boot" system. Based on
my experience with them, they won't even understand what you are trying to
do and will insist that you recover your system back to "factory settings"
in order to receive support. Also I recommend an allocation of a lot of
phone time and the use of Filipino and/or Indian interpreters. HP Support
may speak English, but that doesn't mean that they understand it. Working
with them requires a llllllllloooooooooootttttttttt of patience.

2. Which version of Windows 7 do you have? If you have either
"Professional or Ultimate" you could install the XP Virtual Mode, which
would allow you to run XP from within Windows 7. Search Microsoft's website
on the XP Mode details. Also individuals in this newsgroup can probably be
of assistance. Unfortunately, I have not utilized that ability due to lack
of need at this time. "That's shorthand for chicken" :)

It sounds like you have a few hours attempting do accomplish what you
trying. You'll lose all of that, but at least if you recover back to factory
settings, you'll be back "neat and clean" at square one.
--
Thank You,
Richard

"Alsenor" <alsenor(a)ggholiday.com> wrote in message
news:uZ8MfPJmKHA.3476(a)TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Thank you for your detailed advice!
> My main problem is that my new HP PC came installed with W7, but without
> install CD.
> I am hesitant to wipe out my factory OS, for fear of not being able to
> reinstall it.
> It came with a 640 GB HDD, which I partitioned into 4 parts, but it won't
> let me shrink the C partition into less than 300 GB, which is a big waste
> for the W7 OS only.
> If I could, I would have the slimmest W7 on C, then a second partition of
> 20 gigs for XP, and the rest in two partitions for APPS and DOCS.
> That would make it easy to make image backups onto my old 80 GB external
> drives, without having to worry about reinstalling APPS when needed for a
> new drive.
>
> "R. C. White" <rc(a)grandecom.net> wrote in message
> news:ektVECJmKHA.2680(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> Hi, Alsenor.
>>
>> Well, the Golden Rule of dual-booting is, as Charlie said, to always
>> install the newest OS last. But since you don't want to erase your hard
>> drive and start over, you'll need to first "break" Win7's dual-boot
>> start-up by installing WinXP, and then run Win7's Repair utility to fix
>> the damage.
>>
>> Since Win7 was pre-installed on your new, virgin computer, you probably
>> have a small 100 MB partition - with NO drive letter - at the very
>> beginning of your hard disk drive. (This arrangement is a new feature of
>> Win7.) Then you have - or you originally had - a single partition called
>> Drive C: with Win7 installed and a lot of free space. The Graphical View
>> of Disk Management should show both these partitions on your Disk 0. You
>> haven't given us any numbers so we don't know how big your HDD is or how
>> much free space you have. Is this correct, so far?
>>
>> On the Disk Management screen, note especially the Status column in the
>> top area. I expect that the System label is on that unlettered partition
>> and that the Boot label is on Drive C:. Still correct?
>>
>> Then right-click on Drive C: and choose Shrink volume. Win7 probably
>> takes up something less than 20 GB as originally installed, but it
>> GROWS!! So, if you have plenty of hard drive space, leave it with at
>> least 30 GB or even 40 GB. (My Win7 Ultimate x64 Drive C: is 60 GB, with
>> 25 GB still free after about 6 months of use.) Then, still using Disk
>> Management, right-click in the Free space and Create a volume for WinXP.
>> Since WinXP is much smaller and does not grow as fast, 20 GB should be
>> more than enough. You will want to create one or more additional volumes
>> in the free space, but there's no hurry for this; you can do it after
>> both Win7 and WinXP are installed and working, or do it now.
>>
>> Then boot from the WinXP CD-ROM and install WinXP into that second
>> partition. But remember, no matter where Windows (whether Win2K/XP/Vista
>> or Win7) Setup installs Windows, Setup will ALWAYS write the < 1 MB of
>> startup files into the System Partition. Typically that has always been
>> Drive C:, but with Win7, that new unlettered partition is the System
>> Partition and THAT's where you should expect to see WinXP's startup files
>> (NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM and Boot.ini), alongside Win7's start-up files
>> (bootmgr and the contents of the \Boot folder); all these files are
>> Hidden and System, by default. If they are NOT in that hidden partition,
>> please post back and tell us what you see.
>>
>> Now, you should be able to boot into WinXP, but not into Win7. Insert
>> the Win7 DVD and boot from it. Choose to Repair the boot files. Win7
>> Setup should re-create the multi-boot menu, giving you the option to boot
>> Win7 or the "Previous version of Windows". When you choose "previous",
>> Win7's bootmgr will step out of the way and turn over control to NTLDR,
>> etc., so they can boot WinXP.
>>
>> I haven't actually done this, Alsenor, so tread carefully. I haven't run
>> WinXP in over 3 years now, although I did keep a copy in a volume on one
>> of my HDDs until last week - when that HDD died and will have to be
>> replaced under warranty. I'm just glad that Win7 is on a different drive
>> that is still good.
>>
>> RC
>> --
>> R. C. White, CPA
>> San Marcos, TX
>> rc(a)grandecom.net
>> Microsoft Windows MVP
>> Windows Live Mail 2009 (14.0.8089.0726) in Win7 Ultimate x64
>>
>> "Alsenor" <alsenor(a)ggholiday.com> wrote in message
>> news:etFiDE6lKHA.1652(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>> Charlie, I bought a new HP with W7 installed. Unfortunately they don't
>>> give you an installation CD with it any longer, nor does a home made
>>> "rescue CD" include the "factory reset" option we had in Vista.
>>> So I am a bit hesitant to abandon my original installation!
>>> All I dared do so far was create a few partitions via "godmode", but
>>> even that doesn't look exactly he way I want it.
>>> I want to make the partitions just large enough to hold the 2 operating
>>> systems, and use the rest of the space for "apps" and "docs" partitions.
>>> However, although the C partition (where W7 resides) is more than 88%
>>> free space, it doesn't let me shrink it to less than 300 GB. Why?
>>> I even ran a chkdsk on it, which made no difference.
>>> I appreciate your help!
>>> Al.
>>>
>>> "Charlie Russel - MVP" <Charlie(a)mvKILLALLSPAMMERSps.org> wrote in
>>> message news:uwNQpF0lKHA.5656(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>>> Install XP first. Then Install Win7 as a New Install, (custom) not an
>>>> upgrade. It will create the necessary settings to enable dual boot.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Charlie.
>>>> http://msmvps.com/blogs/russel
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> "Alsenor" <alsenor(a)ggholiday.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:%23WvLNRzlKHA.2132(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>>>> Can anyone give me a solid guide to creating a multi-boot drive?
>>>>> I have partitioned my HD and would like to choose between W 7 and XP.
>>
From: Alsenor on 20 Jan 2010 11:47
Yes, RC, that is what I was hoping for as well.
I haven't consulted with HP support yet, because I know they don't support
my plans of dual booting.

"R. C. White" <rc(a)grandecom.net> wrote in message
news:#bqXUidmKHA.2592(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Hi, Alsenor.
>
>> My main problem is that my new HP PC came installed with W7, but without
>> install CD.
>
> I'm hoping that someone who actually has such a PC will chime in and
> confirm that the recovery partition on that machine will let you reinstall
> Win7 after you've wrecked its startup files by installing an older Windows
> over it. I THINK you will be able to do that - but, as I said, I've never
> had a PC with a pre-installed OS, so I'm only guessing.
>
> Have you asked HP about this?
>
> RC
> --
> R. C. White, CPA
> San Marcos, TX
> rc(a)grandecom.net
> Microsoft Windows MVP
> Windows Live Mail 2009 (14.0.8089.0726) in Win7 Ultimate x64
>
> "Alsenor" <alsenor(a)ggholiday.com> wrote in message
> news:uZ8MfPJmKHA.3476(a)TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> Thank you for your detailed advice!
>> My main problem is that my new HP PC came installed with W7, but without
>> install CD.
>> I am hesitant to wipe out my factory OS, for fear of not being able to
>> reinstall it.
>> It came with a 640 GB HDD, which I partitioned into 4 parts, but it won't
>> let me shrink the C partition into less than 300 GB, which is a big waste
>> for the W7 OS only.
>> If I could, I would have the slimmest W7 on C, then a second partition of
>> 20 gigs for XP, and the rest in two partitions for APPS and DOCS.
>> That would make it easy to make image backups onto my old 80 GB external
>> drives, without having to worry about reinstalling APPS when needed for a
>> new drive.
>>
>> "R. C. White" <rc(a)grandecom.net> wrote in message
>> news:ektVECJmKHA.2680(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>> Hi, Alsenor.
>>>
>>> Well, the Golden Rule of dual-booting is, as Charlie said, to always
>>> install the newest OS last. But since you don't want to erase your hard
>>> drive and start over, you'll need to first "break" Win7's dual-boot
>>> start-up by installing WinXP, and then run Win7's Repair utility to fix
>>> the damage.
>>>
>>> Since Win7 was pre-installed on your new, virgin computer, you probably
>>> have a small 100 MB partition - with NO drive letter - at the very
>>> beginning of your hard disk drive. (This arrangement is a new feature
>>> of Win7.) Then you have - or you originally had - a single partition
>>> called Drive C: with Win7 installed and a lot of free space. The
>>> Graphical View of Disk Management should show both these partitions on
>>> your Disk 0. You haven't given us any numbers so we don't know how big
>>> your HDD is or how much free space you have. Is this correct, so far?
>>>
>>> On the Disk Management screen, note especially the Status column in the
>>> top area. I expect that the System label is on that unlettered
>>> partition and that the Boot label is on Drive C:. Still correct?
>>>
>>> Then right-click on Drive C: and choose Shrink volume. Win7 probably
>>> takes up something less than 20 GB as originally installed, but it
>>> GROWS!! So, if you have plenty of hard drive space, leave it with at
>>> least 30 GB or even 40 GB. (My Win7 Ultimate x64 Drive C: is 60 GB,
>>> with 25 GB still free after about 6 months of use.) Then, still using
>>> Disk Management, right-click in the Free space and Create a volume for
>>> WinXP. Since WinXP is much smaller and does not grow as fast, 20 GB
>>> should be more than enough. You will want to create one or more
>>> additional volumes in the free space, but there's no hurry for this; you
>>> can do it after both Win7 and WinXP are installed and working, or do it
>>> now.
>>>
>>> Then boot from the WinXP CD-ROM and install WinXP into that second
>>> partition. But remember, no matter where Windows (whether
>>> Win2K/XP/Vista or Win7) Setup installs Windows, Setup will ALWAYS write
>>> the < 1 MB of startup files into the System Partition. Typically that
>>> has always been Drive C:, but with Win7, that new unlettered partition
>>> is the System Partition and THAT's where you should expect to see
>>> WinXP's startup files (NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM and Boot.ini), alongside
>>> Win7's start-up files (bootmgr and the contents of the \Boot folder);
>>> all these files are Hidden and System, by default. If they are NOT in
>>> that hidden partition, please post back and tell us what you see.
>>>
>>> Now, you should be able to boot into WinXP, but not into Win7. Insert
>>> the Win7 DVD and boot from it. Choose to Repair the boot files. Win7
>>> Setup should re-create the multi-boot menu, giving you the option to
>>> boot Win7 or the "Previous version of Windows". When you choose
>>> "previous", Win7's bootmgr will step out of the way and turn over
>>> control to NTLDR, etc., so they can boot WinXP.
>>>
>>> I haven't actually done this, Alsenor, so tread carefully. I haven't
>>> run WinXP in over 3 years now, although I did keep a copy in a volume on
>>> one of my HDDs until last week - when that HDD died and will have to be
>>> replaced under warranty. I'm just glad that Win7 is on a different
>>> drive that is still good.
>>>
>>> RC
>>>
>>> "Alsenor" <alsenor(a)ggholiday.com> wrote in message
>>> news:etFiDE6lKHA.1652(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>>> Charlie, I bought a new HP with W7 installed. Unfortunately they don't
>>>> give you an installation CD with it any longer, nor does a home made
>>>> "rescue CD" include the "factory reset" option we had in Vista.
>>>> So I am a bit hesitant to abandon my original installation!
>>>> All I dared do so far was create a few partitions via "godmode", but
>>>> even that doesn't look exactly he way I want it.
>>>> I want to make the partitions just large enough to hold the 2 operating
>>>> systems, and use the rest of the space for "apps" and "docs"
>>>> partitions.
>>>> However, although the C partition (where W7 resides) is more than 88%
>>>> free space, it doesn't let me shrink it to less than 300 GB. Why?
>>>> I even ran a chkdsk on it, which made no difference.
>>>> I appreciate your help!
>>>> Al.
>>>>
>>>> "Charlie Russel - MVP" <Charlie(a)mvKILLALLSPAMMERSps.org> wrote in
>>>> message news:uwNQpF0lKHA.5656(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>>>> Install XP first. Then Install Win7 as a New Install, (custom) not an
>>>>> upgrade. It will create the necessary settings to enable dual boot.
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Charlie.
>>>>> http://msmvps.com/blogs/russel
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> "Alsenor" <alsenor(a)ggholiday.com> wrote in message
>>>>> news:%23WvLNRzlKHA.2132(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>>>>> Can anyone give me a solid guide to creating a multi-boot drive?
>>>>>> I have partitioned my HD and would like to choose between W 7 and XP.
>
From: Alsenor on 20 Jan 2010 12:16
Richard, it seems my D partition contains the same, however called "factory
image".
It has 11.04 GB.
When I saw that I felt relieved that this may be the same as the "factory
reset" option on the Vista rescue CDs I had.
My only concern is that I may not be able to boot up at all, in which case
it would be of no use.
I had a previous machine, identical to the current one, which refused ANY
kind of booting attempt or repair, after I had been "playing around" with
partitioning, and trying to install XP Pro.
I finally had to take it back and get a new one, but don't want to repeat
the same mistake.
Some of the problems seem to stem from my attempts to restore from backup
partitions that were not the same size as the one I wanted to restore to.

I wonder if one could make a bootable copy of that D partition, and use that
as the last resort of rescue?
Your pointer to the "recovery disc creation" may actually BE that solution -
I suspect it is exactly what I was looking for.
Do you agree?

The version my box came with is the "Home Premium". I also have an
"Ultimate" (of questionable origin), which works fine on my wife's machine,
in dual boot mode with XP.
If I install that version I may lose some of the HP proprietary stuff they
installed on the machine, but may gain the "XP Virtual Mode", eliminating
the need for a dual boot.
I should try some apps on the other machine to make sure that virtual stuff
actually works in W 7.

Richard, et al, I really appreciate the help and thorough advice!

Al.

"Richard" <Reply(a)Communities.Thanks> wrote in message
news:#GhFF3emKHA.5040(a)TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Alsenor,
>
> I have a new HP Pavilion dv7t-3000 Notebook. Like yours, my computer did
> not come with recovery disks. In my case, the recovery files are located
> on D: and I have also had to recover the system back to factory settings
> due to my "playing around" trying to "force" a non-compatible application
> installation. The recovery process works fine. Go ahead and use it.
> Assuming that your can boot your system to the C: drive, search for
> "recovery manager" at the "start menu". While my problem did not involve
> resizing or creating partitions, it did set everything back to the
> original factory settings.
>
> Preferably before, but definitely after you completely restore the factory
> settings, make a set of "recovery disks". You do this by searching from
> the "start menu" for "recovery disc creation". This creates, in my case "3
> DVD" disks which are a copy of the recovery partition "D". That way, if
> you decide to delete and reformat "D", you still have a copy of the
> factory settings. Also if, for some reason, you can't boot from "C", you
> can boot from these discs and restore your system. NOTE: The recovery
> disks ARE NOT the same thing as a Windows 7 rescue disc. I haven't used
> the "rescue disc" yet so I'm not exactly sure of its function. I just know
> that they are not the same.
>
> I also recommend that you check your BIOS boot order to ensure that it
> allows booting from a CD/DVD first, and the internal HD second. During my
> recovery, I noticed that the order was reversed. I assume that was one of
> HP's great moves.
>
> As an aside, I would like to point out a couple of additional things.
>
> 1. HP will not support your desire to have a "dual boot" system. Based
> on my experience with them, they won't even understand what you are trying
> to do and will insist that you recover your system back to "factory
> settings" in order to receive support. Also I recommend an allocation of a
> lot of phone time and the use of Filipino and/or Indian interpreters. HP
> Support may speak English, but that doesn't mean that they understand it.
> Working with them requires a llllllllloooooooooootttttttttt of patience.
>
> 2. Which version of Windows 7 do you have? If you have either
> "Professional or Ultimate" you could install the XP Virtual Mode, which
> would allow you to run XP from within Windows 7. Search Microsoft's
> website on the XP Mode details. Also individuals in this newsgroup can
> probably be of assistance. Unfortunately, I have not utilized that ability
> due to lack of need at this time. "That's shorthand for chicken" :)
>
> It sounds like you have a few hours attempting do accomplish what you
> trying. You'll lose all of that, but at least if you recover back to
> factory settings, you'll be back "neat and clean" at square one.
> --
> Thank You,
> Richard
>
> "Alsenor" <alsenor(a)ggholiday.com> wrote in message
> news:uZ8MfPJmKHA.3476(a)TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> Thank you for your detailed advice!
>> My main problem is that my new HP PC came installed with W7, but without
>> install CD.
>> I am hesitant to wipe out my factory OS, for fear of not being able to
>> reinstall it.
>> It came with a 640 GB HDD, which I partitioned into 4 parts, but it won't
>> let me shrink the C partition into less than 300 GB, which is a big waste
>> for the W7 OS only.
>> If I could, I would have the slimmest W7 on C, then a second partition of
>> 20 gigs for XP, and the rest in two partitions for APPS and DOCS.
>> That would make it easy to make image backups onto my old 80 GB external
>> drives, without having to worry about reinstalling APPS when needed for a
>> new drive.
>>
>> "R. C. White" <rc(a)grandecom.net> wrote in message
>> news:ektVECJmKHA.2680(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>> Hi, Alsenor.
>>>
>>> Well, the Golden Rule of dual-booting is, as Charlie said, to always
>>> install the newest OS last. But since you don't want to erase your hard
>>> drive and start over, you'll need to first "break" Win7's dual-boot
>>> start-up by installing WinXP, and then run Win7's Repair utility to fix
>>> the damage.
>>>
>>> Since Win7 was pre-installed on your new, virgin computer, you probably
>>> have a small 100 MB partition - with NO drive letter - at the very
>>> beginning of your hard disk drive. (This arrangement is a new feature
>>> of Win7.) Then you have - or you originally had - a single partition
>>> called Drive C: with Win7 installed and a lot of free space. The
>>> Graphical View of Disk Management should show both these partitions on
>>> your Disk 0. You haven't given us any numbers so we don't know how big
>>> your HDD is or how much free space you have. Is this correct, so far?
>>>
>>> On the Disk Management screen, note especially the Status column in the
>>> top area. I expect that the System label is on that unlettered
>>> partition and that the Boot label is on Drive C:. Still correct?
>>>
>>> Then right-click on Drive C: and choose Shrink volume. Win7 probably
>>> takes up something less than 20 GB as originally installed, but it
>>> GROWS!! So, if you have plenty of hard drive space, leave it with at
>>> least 30 GB or even 40 GB. (My Win7 Ultimate x64 Drive C: is 60 GB,
>>> with 25 GB still free after about 6 months of use.) Then, still using
>>> Disk Management, right-click in the Free space and Create a volume for
>>> WinXP. Since WinXP is much smaller and does not grow as fast, 20 GB
>>> should be more than enough. You will want to create one or more
>>> additional volumes in the free space, but there's no hurry for this; you
>>> can do it after both Win7 and WinXP are installed and working, or do it
>>> now.
>>>
>>> Then boot from the WinXP CD-ROM and install WinXP into that second
>>> partition. But remember, no matter where Windows (whether
>>> Win2K/XP/Vista or Win7) Setup installs Windows, Setup will ALWAYS write
>>> the < 1 MB of startup files into the System Partition. Typically that
>>> has always been Drive C:, but with Win7, that new unlettered partition
>>> is the System Partition and THAT's where you should expect to see
>>> WinXP's startup files (NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM and Boot.ini), alongside
>>> Win7's start-up files (bootmgr and the contents of the \Boot folder);
>>> all these files are Hidden and System, by default. If they are NOT in
>>> that hidden partition, please post back and tell us what you see.
>>>
>>> Now, you should be able to boot into WinXP, but not into Win7. Insert
>>> the Win7 DVD and boot from it. Choose to Repair the boot files. Win7
>>> Setup should re-create the multi-boot menu, giving you the option to
>>> boot Win7 or the "Previous version of Windows". When you choose
>>> "previous", Win7's bootmgr will step out of the way and turn over
>>> control to NTLDR, etc., so they can boot WinXP.
>>>
>>> I haven't actually done this, Alsenor, so tread carefully. I haven't
>>> run WinXP in over 3 years now, although I did keep a copy in a volume on
>>> one of my HDDs until last week - when that HDD died and will have to be
>>> replaced under warranty. I'm just glad that Win7 is on a different
>>> drive that is still good.
>>>
>>> RC
>>> --
>>> R. C. White, CPA
>>> San Marcos, TX
>>> rc(a)grandecom.net
>>> Microsoft Windows MVP
>>> Windows Live Mail 2009 (14.0.8089.0726) in Win7 Ultimate x64
>>>
>>> "Alsenor" <alsenor(a)ggholiday.com> wrote in message
>>> news:etFiDE6lKHA.1652(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>>> Charlie, I bought a new HP with W7 installed. Unfortunately they don't
>>>> give you an installation CD with it any longer, nor does a home made
>>>> "rescue CD" include the "factory reset" option we had in Vista.
>>>> So I am a bit hesitant to abandon my original installation!
>>>> All I dared do so far was create a few partitions via "godmode", but
>>>> even that doesn't look exactly he way I want it.
>>>> I want to make the partitions just large enough to hold the 2 operating
>>>> systems, and use the rest of the space for "apps" and "docs"
>>>> partitions.
>>>> However, although the C partition (where W7 resides) is more than 88%
>>>> free space, it doesn't let me shrink it to less than 300 GB. Why?
>>>> I even ran a chkdsk on it, which made no difference.
>>>> I appreciate your help!
>>>> Al.
>>>>
>>>> "Charlie Russel - MVP" <Charlie(a)mvKILLALLSPAMMERSps.org> wrote in
>>>> message news:uwNQpF0lKHA.5656(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>>>> Install XP first. Then Install Win7 as a New Install, (custom) not an
>>>>> upgrade. It will create the necessary settings to enable dual boot.
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Charlie.
>>>>> http://msmvps.com/blogs/russel
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> "Alsenor" <alsenor(a)ggholiday.com> wrote in message
>>>>> news:%23WvLNRzlKHA.2132(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>>>>> Can anyone give me a solid guide to creating a multi-boot drive?
>>>>>> I have partitioned my HD and would like to choose between W 7 and XP.
>>>
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