Windows Win 7 and Win XP dual boot

I've installed Win7 Ultimate 64 bit on my system drive and have left a 10 gig partition on which to install Win XP 32 bit (needed to run occasional legacy apps).

If I install Win XP to that partition, as I understand it, the XP install will wipe out the Win 7 boot load entry - can I use the Win 7 installation DVD to "repair" my Win 7 install in order to restore the Win 7 boot load entry?

I've seen an app call BCD (?) but am wondering of I need to bother with it?

 

the windows 7 recovery console will automagically fix issues with the boot manager if you let it so yes, just use the DVD. Although these days if I need an old OS for legacy stuff I just fire up a virtualbox image, far less hassle.

 

Thanks.

With my legacy scanner hardware, VM's aren't an option unfortunately, hence the dual boot need.

 

Yeah, next time you do that, install XP first.

 

Actually, he doesn't even need to do that. Win7 Pro, Enterprise and Ultimate comes with XP mode. So he doesn't even need an XP license, and he can get just that.

I am not sure it wil work, but XP Mode support USB devices, so I wonder if you plug your scanner, don't install WIn7 drivers (as I undersatdn doesn't exists), but in XP mode, you install them (if it can see it).

You can get XP Mode here (it's a separate download)
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx

If it works, you won't need to switch OS to use your scanner, just start up the Scanner software and it will float in Win7 (but be running in XP).

 

As per my previous post, my scanner is a SCSI scanner and Adaptec don't supply 64 bit drivers, only 32 bit, hence the need for "real" XP.
Windows XP Mode doesn't support installing 32 bit legacy drivers.

 

Thanks for all your advice folks, very helpful.

 

Okay, I've installed XP on a separate partition of my system's second physical disk and as expected, ended up not being able to boot into Win 7 64.

As advised in this thread, I used my Win 7 install CD to "fix" the issue but then ended up not being able to boot into Win XP. To fix this I downloaded EasyBCD and used that to recreate a Win XP boot menu entry but had to copy the NTDETECT and NTLDR files from the root of my XP install disk into the boot disk.

Now when I boot I get the Win 7 and Win XP menu options with a 30 sec timeout to boot into Win 7.

Just thought I'd let you all know.

 

ok great!