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Adding xp drive to win 7 computer

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Last response: in Windows 7
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Hello,
I read the dual boot thread, with two hard drives. Just want to be perfectly safe. My wife doesn't like Win 7, I would like to install the XP drive from the previous computer. Both are sata, I have the XP drive in, but have not used an XP install disk. I don't want to lose data on either drive.
My thoughts are to use XP on the new computer, and just copy any data from the Win 7 drive to a thumb drive, then to the XP drive.
Eventually, the Win 7 drive could serve as backup, with Win 7 ignored.
Please advise of step by step technique. I do not have a Win 7 install disk.

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Windows 7 Expert

You Can't put a Windows XP hard drive in from your old computer and expect it to boot up unless the hardware on both machines is very similar, also even if you managed to get it to boot up the Windows XP will become deactivated requiring you to purchase a new Windows XP license.
Windows 7 Expert

You can downgrade to Windows XP if you want but it's going to require a fresh install. You should also know that even if you do not like 7 it is an all around better OS. It is safer and more efficient. You should also know even if you have/buy XP Microsoft is ending support for it in 2014. No more updates at all. No more security no more drivers nothing. With Windows 7 you have until 2020 before you have to update. Might as well get used to Windows 7 because Windows 8 will be out soon and it is even more different from XP than Windows 7 is.

Edit: Most Windows XP installs were the 32bit version and that limits you to 4GB of RAM. If your computer came with more than 4GB of RAM it probably came with Windows 7 x64 ( 64bit ) to make use of that memory.

Thanks for the reply. I don't know if it really matters if Microsoft abandons XP. I picked up a Win 98 unit the other day. It booted fast, was easy to use, no pop-ups (Win 7 is loaded with them) and had Office, too.
The new computer has 4gig of memory. I am concerned if something on the new computer wants Win 7, and XP won't be able to get the driver or something.
She doesn't like Office 11 either. Things that used to take two or three steps now take ten.
Can't they just leave well enough alone? A little patch now and then,sure, but this new system every couple of years is silly.
I have not had a problem installing XP on alternate computers. I put in the code, and it activates. Office 03 said "You've used all the installs available", but I haven't heard that from XP.
Considering that we will be using the same hard drive that has XP already on it, it shouldn't really be a new install, anyway, eh? :D 
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Windows 7 Expert

Once they end support there will be no more updates....including security updates. I guess as long as you never enter personal information or credit card numbers and you dont mind being part of a botnet and having new hardware not work with your computer you should have no problems.

Moore's law states computing power doubles every two years. Windows XP was written for 1Ghz processors and 512MB of RAM. Over the years it got Service Pack 2 and 3. These improved performance on newer hardware but what can be added after the software is written is limited. Windows 7 is optimized for multicore processors and large amounts of memory. It is also much more secure. Windows 7 has passed XP as the most used OS now but if you look at malware infection rates Windows XP accounts for about 80% of the infected computers worldwide even though it is used in less than 50% of the computers.

Not sure what you mean a new system every few years. XP lated from 2001-2014 and Windows 7 will last from 2009-2020. Considering how far hardware has come it's downright amazing to me an OS lasts as long as it does. I have used Windows since 3.1 and Windows 7 is the best Windows so far. ( OK I skipped that crap that was Windows ME but you get the idea :)  )

Anyway you are free to do what you want of course but there is a pretty good argument to stay with 7. Also with Pro or Ultimate you can run XP mode. Basically running XP in a virtual machine. It's more for business software that can not run on Windows 7 but it gives you a full version of XP running inside 7.


http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.as...

Looks like the virtual XP might be a good compromise. It sure would have been a lot simpler to be able to access the old drive, so many programs installed and updated on it.
Once virtual XP is on the Win 7 hard drive, will that make accessing the programs and data on the XP drive possible?
Right now, the new computer sees the XP drive, but I don't think it will run everything on it.
Moving a program from one drive to another doesn't install it, I've run into that problem before.
The new machine is Win 7 Home Premium, 64.
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