How to setup two operating system.

[thaimic]

Hi all,
Please help me.
My problem is:
At present, I am still using Windows 7 ultimate on my laptop DELL N4110.
But now I want to setup one more operating system (Windows XP SP) on my laptop DELL N4110.
I tried to do as follow:
-Firstly: I have created one more partition so that I can install windows XP SP2 on that (this step already succeed).
- Second: I have set DVD room for boot first (this step already succeed).
- My step was put Windows xp sp2 CD (have support for hard disk sata) while It running had appear blue color message error (it look like "setup Windows xp not support SATA hard disk for laptop")

Please help me.

 

[iPwn]

I would honestly go with a virtual solution. Get a program such as VMWare Player (free) or VirtualBox (also free) and then create a new virtual machine inside one of those programs and install XP. This creates a virtual layer and allows multiple OS' to be run on the machine. If you have never used a solution like this, post back.

If you're not wanting to go with a virtual solution, you can follow the article found here.

 

[miheckman]

There is a setting in the bios that you can change the SATA mode there are two choices and they should be IDE mode and AHCI mode see if you can find that and Windows xp does not like laptop sata drives

 

[thaimic]

Hi iPwn,
As your solution before I may install Windows XP sp2. I have to create Windows XP SATA disk with Nlite aplication (or Windows xp disk have had.). if so it is very difficult for me to do this disk. So kindly let me know your first solution which is virtual.

 

[iPwn]

So, there's two mainstream options. VMWare Player that you can get here, or VirtualBox which you can get here. I typically use VMWare player so that's what I'll walk you through.

1. Install VMWare Player and restart the PC.
2. Launch VMWare player and select "Create a New Virtual Machine"
3. Insert the Windows XP CD and it should recognize that disk on the next window to pop-up. Click next once it does.
4. Fill out the Product Key, Full Name, and password. Click next
5. Here you can name the Machine (Default is OS name) and set the default location. Change the default location! Change it to be housed on a different drive, preferably on a data drive (Data Partition/Drive, USB Mass storage (Not preferred)). The reason you want to put it on a secondary drive is if you ever reformat, your Virtual Machine is not lost and it's good habit to save data on secondary drives.
Click next once you find a good name/save location.
6. Now you will select the size of the Virtual OS' main drive. The default is 40GB but the virtual drive will not be that large on your physical drive. It's an expanding virtual disk so while Windows XP will recognize a full 40GB (or however large you select), the Virtual Machine's footprint on your HDD will only be as large as the data housed inside the Virtual Machine.
Leave the Radio button marked on "Store virtual disk as a single file"
Click Next
7. This is the "Summary" Page, but you'll probably want to add some more RAM to the VM.
Click "Customize Hardware"
8. Select Memory and set that to 1GB or whatever you would like.
9. Click Ok which will take you back to the Summary screen. Click Finish to start the VM up. Now install WinXP like you would on a new machine.

 

[Legodude522]

You can also check out Microsoft Virtual PC: Windows Virtual PC: Home Page