How To Install Two Windows Operating Systems In Single PC
This tutorial shows, how to install Windows 7 or 8 with Windows XP. To follow this tutorial, you should have enough free space on your HDD and at least two local disk drives already created on your HDD. In case you don’t have, you can also create them while installing Windows 7 or 8.
Remember! You can only install newer operating system with older operating system already installed. For example- you can install Windows Vista, 7, 8 or 10 on Windows XP but you can’t install Windows XP on Windows Vista, 7, 8 or 10. If you install older version of Windows over newer version, only newly installed Windows (older version) will work and you will lose your currently installed newer version of Windows.
We are assuming that you have Windows XP already installed. If you don’t have any operating system installed on your PC, Click here to see how to install Windows XP.
The things you should have:
- PC with one Windows operating system already installed
- Another Disk Drive in your computer which doesn’t have any data on it.
- Bootable DVD of Windows 7 or 8. You can also use Bootable USB Drive of Windows 7 or 8.
In this Tutorial we are taking example of Windows 7.
Follow these steps:
Step 1
First Insert Windows 7 DVD into your DVD Drive. Open My Computer on Windows XP and Double click on DVD icon.
Step 2
Double-clicking the DVD icon, Windows 7 Setup will start.
Click on Install Now. Setup will load necessary files. You will be asked for Downloading latest update for installation, you can skip these updates.
Step 3
If you are using Multi-version Disk, select which version of Windows 7 you want to install and click Next.
Accept the License Agreement.
Step 4
Now you will see two options:
1. UPGRADE
2. CUSTOM,
Click on CUSTOM, to install another copy of Windows in your PC.
Select the disk drive you want to install Windows 7 on, and click Next.
Step 5
Setup will start copying Windows files. This is time to sit back and relax. During the whole Process your computer may restart several times.
After Copying, Windows will expand files.
This is most time consuming process. Your PC may restart during this process. Rest of the tasks will not take much time.
After completing installation, PC will restart.
Step 6
Now Setup will update registry settings, start services and will continue Windows 7 Setup. Your PC will continue after restart.
On Startup you will see two options,
- Earlier version of Windows
- Windows 7
Select second option (Windows 7) and press Enter.
Your Windows 7 will restart for the first time.
Step 7
Setup will prepare computer for first use.
Now you will see Language selection screen. Select Language and Locale & click Next.
Now enter your name and press Next.
Enter password for your Account and click Next.
Step 8
Provide Product Key for your Windows 7 copy and Press Next. You can skip this step by clicking on Skip button near Next button to provide Product Key later.
Use Recommended settings for your PC, you can change them later.
Lastly Select your timezone and click Next. Now your Windows 7 has been configured.
Step 9
Windows will finalize these settings and your Windows 7 will start.
After preparing desktop you are fully ready to use your Windows.
Now Windows installation is complete. You can use any of the two Windows, XP or 7. Just restart your computer and on Startup you will always see two options: one for Earlier versions of Windows i. e. Windows XP and second for Windows 7. Select whichever you want to use.
See Also: How to clean install Windows 10? or How to upgrade to Windows 10?
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