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Install Windows 7 after XP (Disc Director 11 Home)

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Hello,
I've a Windows XP (SP3) computer where I installed the OSS.
Drive C: is primary and active. Drive D: and E: are logical volumes. I created a second primary drive which is currently hidden. At the moment the default operating system is XP.
How can I install Windows 7 to the hidden drive without loosing anything?

Thank you in advance

Best regards
Thorsten

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You can do something like this:

  1. Create an Entire Disk Image backup. This is to allow you to easily return to the current state if something goes wrong and you need to start over.
  2. Create a DD CD that includes both the DD and OSS programs. You can also download the DD ISO and create a CD from it.
  3. Deactivate OSS (you can do this from the OSS menu). The reason I recommend doing this is because sometimes OSS does not see the CD/DVD drive correctly. Also, getting OSS out of the way when installing can help because it allows you to install the new OS normally and make sure it boots properly before having to deal with the boot manager.
  4. Select XP as the default OS. Make sure the computer boots correctly and directly into XP.
  5. Boot to DD from the DD CD. Set the Windows 7 partition as Active and the XP partition as HIDDEN. Apply the changes.
  6. Then boot from the Windows 7 DVD (press a key if needed to boot from the DVD) and install Windows 7 normally to the partition you created for it. I recommend you let Windows 7 format the partition (click the Advanced button to get the option). Also, make sure you select the correct partition for Windows 7 as the installer will still show the XP partition in the list even though it's hidden.
  7. Once Windows 7 is installed, install DD and then OSS. It should find the previous installation and update it. If you don't wish to install DD and OSS in Windows 7, you can boot to the DD/OSS CD and reactivate OSS.
  8. When you reboot, you should get the OSS menu with entries for both Windows 7 and XP. Check the Windows 7 menu entry properties and make sure the Windows 7 partition is Active and the XP partition is hidden. Check the XP menu entry properties and make sure the XP partition is Active and the Windows 7 partition is hidden.