Multi-Boot

[mcH4Mmer]

Right now I have an OEM Mobo and a new Mobo (because the OEM dosen't have a 16x PCI slot ) and GPU to upgrade my PC.

What I plan on doing is partitioning my drive and installing the second Windows 7 on it. Just incase something goes wrong with the installation of the new Mobo/OS so I can reinstall my old Mobo and be back where I started so I'm not completely screwed.

My question is will I be able to install the same version of Windows 7 (Home Premium SP1) and be able to choose which one to boot even though theyre the same system? Also will I be able to make the first partition (with the original OS) smaller and smaller as I transfer files?

Bonus Question! What would happen If I were to accidently boot the original OS with the new Mobo installed?

many thanks in advance!

 

[monkeysweat]

u don't want to do that do you? if you already have an active windows OS drive and it has not been previously partitioned, you can cause a mess of problems, it is not easy to make an active partition smaller and work after.. I think you'd be best off spending 50 on a 500 GB hard drive and starting fresh if you still need the files off the old hard drive,, if you don't really need the files or you can back them up to a DVD, do that and wipe your current one clean,, it is possible to set up a multiboot system,, but what you want to do is difficult at best and super stressful on your hard drive.

To be honest, I would just swap everything over and boot,, windows 7 is somewhat intelligent enough to see a new MB in place and will set itself up for the new Motherboard,,, it may not be the cleanest way to do it, but 99.996% chance of working. You will have to reactivate windows with Microsoft over the phone.

if it doesn't work, go buy new hard drive, install windows 7, copy files (this time around make a partition ahead of time 120GB should be good enough)

 

[mcH4Mmer]

Why would partitioning cause more problems? I'm basically using the first partition for backup incase my new windows dosent work out. I can't just install my new Mobo and boot because my current windows is an OEM OS and board. I'm gonna move over my games when I know the OS works on the second partition.

Thanks for the quick reply!

 

[monkeysweat]

IS your drive already partitioned? it sounded like it wasn't before,,, if so, your other partition, is it empty? you are not going to want to resize active partitions (at least don't try to make them smaller) as it can cause issues as there is always data at the back/middle/ & end,, you start moving everything around and it can mess up the works.
you will need to install a bootloader such as GRUB to multiboot


I would not worry about the OEM OS,, Windows 7 is windows 7, give it a shot - perhaps you save ALOT of time & 50 bux.

 

[mcH4Mmer]

It has a recovery partition at 2gb and im backing up files to decrease the size of the first partition so maybe it wont conflict with the new partition (3rd) I'll probably make it half the size of the HD so it dosen't cut in to the data on C:

And I was told by several people OEM Windows dosent run with a new mobo its preset to the one it was installed with.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

I have never had an issue resizing any partition using a reputable partitioning tool. I have never used a non partitioned drive and any box that has arrived at my test bench, left it w/ multiple partitions.

However, on an old drive that you hadn't planned for this eventuality in advance, it's not such a wise idea. I'd invest $40 and buy new HD. Install the OS on the new drive w/ the data cable to the old drive unplugged. After the OS install is completed and all Windows Updates installed, I'd reconnect the data cable to the old drive.

The issue left is that what was your original Windows 7 CD ..... if it's a retail version, no problem. If it's an OEM version that "came with the computer", then you are gonna have to survive the "activation" process. Much was written about XP when this process was instituted but the trade press has been rather mum on the subject since. Whether you can get away with this depends upon how many hardware hash's change.....you can sometimes get away with a MoBo change w/o issue but the greater number of differences.....manufacturer, chipset, CPU socket type, LAN chipset, CPU serial number, etc., the more likely you'll have a problem.

http://www.helpwithwindows.com/WindowsXP/activation.html
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457054.aspx

Official statement is here:

http://www.microsoft.com/oem/en/licensing/sblicensing/pages/licensing_faq.aspx

7th question down under "System Builder Licensing"

Q. Can a PC with an OEM Windows operating system have its motherboard upgraded and keep the same license? What if it was replaced because it was defective?

A. Generally, an end user can upgrade or replace all of the hardware components on a computer—except the motherboard—and still retain the license for the original Microsoft OEM operating system software. If the motherboard is upgraded or replaced for reasons other than a defect, then a new computer has been created. Microsoft OEM operating system software cannot be transferred to the new computer, and the license of new operating system software is required. If the motherboard is replaced because it is defective, you do not need to acquire a new operating system license for the PC as long as the replacement motherboard is the same make/model or the same manufacturer's replacement/equivalent, as defined by the manufacturer's warranty.

The reason for this licensing rule primarily relates to the End User Software License Terms and the support of the software covered by that End User Software License Terms. The End User Software License Terms is a set of usage rights granted to the end user by the PC manufacturer and relates only to rights for that software as installed on that particular PC. The system builder is required to support the software on the original PC. Understanding that end users, over time, upgrade their PCs with different components, Microsoft needed to have one base component "left standing" that would still define the original PC. Since the motherboard contains the CPU and is the "heart and soul" of the PC, when the motherboard is replaced (for reasons other than defect) a new PC is essentially created. The original system builder did not manufacture this new PC, and therefore cannot be expected to support it.

 

[mcH4Mmer]

I have never had an issue resizing any partition using a reputable partitioning tool. I have never used a non partitioned drive and any box that has arrived at my test bench, left it w/ multiple partitions.

However, on an old drive that you hadn't planned for this eventuality in advance, it's not such a wise idea. I'd invest $40 and buy new HD. Install the OS on the new drive w/ the data cable to the old drive unplugged. After the OS install is completed and all Windows Updates installed, I'd reconnect the data cable to the old drive.

The issue left is that what was your original Windows 7 CD ..... if it's a retail version, no problem. If it's an OEM version that "came with the computer", then you are gonna have to survive the "activation" process. Much was written about XP when this process was instituted but the trade press has been rather mum on the subject since. Whether you can get away with this depends upon how many hardware hash's change.....you can sometimes get away with a MoBo change w/o issue but the greater number of differences.....manufacturer, chipset, CPU socket type, LAN chipset, CPU serial number, etc., the more likely you'll have a problem.[/quote]

My original partition was never over half of the used space out of 680gb and im cut&pasting big program files such as games to my external backup before I partition, then I'm probably gonna backup the entire drive since I'm getting negative feedback.

What I don't get is why its risky with Windows' own partition utility..

Also will I be able to run games from the original partition on my second?

And my new mobo is a Gigabyte everythings pretty much the same except I actually have a PCI slot for my GPU in this one. So I don't think I'll be able to get another activation key from HP even if I say my mobo melted lol.

 

[shanky887614]

you wont have any problems choosing which one to boot and they wont cause conflicts

windows will just come up with a list and ask you which one to load

search online there are many great tutorials on how to do this

look for the dual booting vista/xp and win7

the way you do it works exactly the same

 

[monkeysweat]

i seriously recommend getting another hard drive to do this changeover,,, you are going to compromise your install if you change partition sizes it may work,, but I'd say you got a 95% chance of it not working.
if you don't have the budget, I would just pop the old hard drive on the new mb and boot up as i mentioned before and let it have a go, if it don't work, go back to old one until you can afford a hard drive.

 

[mcH4Mmer]

I think I may be going the difficult route, could I just backup my hard-drive then do a clean install of windows 7 then restore my backup?

Will doing a clean install only wipe the partition you choose to install it on? because I have a 2nd HP Recovery partition that could be useful incase something goes wrong.

 

[monkeysweat]

what ever partition you use to install windows will only wipe that partition, not your entire disk, the only way you can wipe an entire disk is if you delete all your partitions and reformat entire disk.