Windows XP has appeared to install over Windows 7

[Vacuumfan7072]

I was going to install Windows XP on an external hard disk in case of emergency.
However, instead of saving on the Seagate Momentus, it instead saved on the main Samsung and reroutes to that hard drive. Now I removed it and it says there is a hardware configuration problem.
I installed it again on the secondary Maxtor disk, but when I select Sata-0 Samsung it reroutes to the Maxtor and boots off of it. However, when I went to the OS (Samsung) disk it appeared to be intact. I created a recovery disk in the past and when I tried to boot from it, it loaded the files and gave me an error box.
The major problem is that it's my parents' computer.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Fujitsu_Technician]

did you back up there files and folders? I do hope so for your sake.

this sounds to me like you have wiped 7 and installed windows xp in place of it.

when you run the windows xp setup disk you needed to select the other drive 1 drive

needed to be added to port 0 which is master and the other port 1 which is slave.

and then the setup would see the second hard disk and you could install windows xp on to

that your other choice could of been with dual boot the 2 together by editing the boot ini file

and adding xp as the 2nd boot choice this could of been done using bcedit in windows 7

how ever lets now move on what does the error message say?

Kind Regards

 

[BK_123]

Yes backup all the time, Otherwise you could try and partition the drive..

 

[berry120]

Why are you installing XP on an external hard drive "in case of emergency?" What emergency could possibly warrant you needing an older version of an OS on an external drive? The normal thing to do is to use a recovery CD / DVD / pen drive, and just make it when you land yourself in the situation where you need it (otherwise it'll likely be hopelessly out of date, or perhaps even broken, if you come to rely on it.)

To be honest, it looks like you've got things in a bit of a state without fully knowing what you're doing. You *did* back up all the data first right? When installing XP it gives you an option to select what drive you want to install on - if you select the wrong drive or partition, then yes, it's going to overwrite what's on there already.

If so, then not a problem. If not, then pull the drives into another machine, check if the data is there and extract it before doing anything else - put it somewhere safe while you fiddle with the remaining drives! If not, I'm afraid it's more likely than not that you've just wiped the data.

Once you've got the data off, wipe the drive again, install Windows 7, and then put the data back on (if you have it), returning it at least to a usable state.

 

[Celegorm]

If it was truely installed on the external, all you did was destroy the boot-sector of the drive. Pop the windows 7 disk back in and if the original hard drive was not wiped clean it should be able to repair that.

The reason you had these issues is because XP uses a drastically different format for determining boot order than windows 7. It didn't see the boot file it needed so it created one and over-wrote what 7 had installed. This is why you always install the oldest operating system first. But also to ask Berry's question, what's the point? If you have an extra hard drive, why not just clone to it on a regular basis so if something does go wrong you can just restore from an image? I don't see a need to do anything with XP.

 

[Vacuumfan7072]

did you back up there files and folders? I do hope so for your sake.

this sounds to me like you have wiped 7 and installed windows xp in place of it.

when you run the windows xp setup disk you needed to select the other drive 1 drive

needed to be added to port 0 which is master and the other port 1 which is slave.

and then the setup would see the second hard disk and you could install windows xp on to

that your other choice could of been with dual boot the 2 together by editing the boot ini file

and adding xp as the 2nd boot choice this could of been done using bcedit in windows 7

how ever lets now move on what does the error message say?

Kind Regards

1. I selected, "keep file system intact"
2. The W7 sounds were still there
3. I checked twice. the external disk was there first

---------- Post added at 02:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:28 PM ----------

1. The Samsung is larger than the Maxtor
2. I have lots of important stuff on there
3. Windows 7 is not a boot option, only Microsoft Windows XP Professional and Microsoft Windows XP Professional
4. The files were still there
5. What next?

---------- Post added at 02:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:31 PM ----------

If it was truely installed on the external, all you did was destroy the boot-sector of the drive. Pop the windows 7 disk back in and if the original hard drive was not wiped clean it should be able to repair that.

The reason you had these issues is because XP uses a drastically different format for determining boot order than windows 7. It didn't see the boot file it needed so it created one and over-wrote what 7 had installed. This is why you always install the oldest operating system first. But also to ask Berry's question, what's the point? If you have an extra hard drive, why not just clone to it on a regular basis so if something does go wrong you can just restore from an image? I don't see a need to do anything with XP.

Should I modify the boot.ini file? Also, I have no clue where the installation DVD is.

 

[Celegorm]

No don't modify anything manually. Contact dell (as I'm assuming it's for the computer in your signature) and get one or see if they have an ISO that you can download for your computer.

 

[Vacuumfan7072]

I downloaded an ISO.
I will install on the C: disk and then copy the files and settings.

 

[Celegorm]

You shouldn't even need to install, just do the repair. If repair isn't an option... well then I guess you have to install.

 

[setishock]

You're getting in deeper and deeper. A lot of what you're going to have to do I'm sure is over your head. Better fess up to mom and dad and let the grownups take care of it.