I have a dell demension 4600 currently running xp professional my question is can I install vista with out uninstalling xp? xpor1
Yes, BUT: -Each OS should have its own partition -You need to backup current condition (disk image) -You need to partition your HDD(s) to make place for an other OS -You need to know how to set up a "dualboot" for wxp/vista -You need to know what you do and why... Before you decide what to do I recommend to read as many threads as possible above in the vista section! Then you know what to expect from that OS before having the same issues yourself. After reading a lot you will know better if you want to spend time installing vista or not. -Was this of any help for you? -POST HERE, LET US KNOW how it went! ...
Dual Boot XP Vista XPor1 . . . . To do what you want, you must create a dual boot system (Windows will not allow two OSs on the same partition). 1. Create two PRIMARY (bootable) partitions on a single drive or one each on two drives. 2. Install XP FIRST on one partition. (Vista, any OS, will argue with you if you try to install an inferior OS version) 3.Then install Vista on the second partition choosing a <NEW INSTALL>. Do not upgrade (which will overwrite XP). 4. Your boot options are written to the boot.ini file on C:\ regardless of what OS is on what partition. "Unhide" the boot.ini file if it is hidden; then right click on it, click on <PROPERTIES> and uncheck the read-only attribute. 5. Then, if desired, you can open the boot.ini file in Notepad and define which OS will automatically open by default; you can also specify, in seconds, the length of delay before your default OS opens, (By default, the timer is set to 30 seconds - rather long). Monk