Installing A Previous Version Of Windows On Windows 7 PC

One scenario where Bootsect is particularly handy is when you are installing a previous version of Windows on a computer running Windows 7. Normally, Windows 7 won’t let you install and then run a previous version of Windows. You can work around this issue using Bootsect and BCDedit.

To install a previous version of Windows onto a computer running Windows 7, follow these steps:

1. Insert the media for the previous version of Windows into your CD-ROM or DVDROM drive.

2. Restart the computer and run Setup for the previous version of Windows. Be sure to install the previous version of Windows onto a different partition or drive than the one running Windows 7.

3. Log on to the previous version of Windows and restore the Windows 7 boot manager.

You must specify the partition where Windows 7 is installed. If Windows 7 were installed on C:, you’d use the following command:

bootsect /nt60 c:

4. Create a BCD entry for the pre-Windows 7 operating system you just installed using BCDedit. BCDedit is located in the \Windows\System32 directory of the Windows 7 partition. Type the following commands exactly as shown, where Windows_Version is the version of Windows you installed:

Bcdedit /create {legacy} /d "Windows_Version"

Bcdedit /set {legacy} device boot

Bcdedit /set {legacy} path \ntldr

Bcdedit /displayorder {legacy} /addlast

5. Restart the computer to apply the BCD changes.

For Your Information:

Windows XP Mode provides a virtual Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3 (SP3) environment for computers running Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, or Windows 7 Enterprise. You can use this environment to run your applications for Windows XP directly from the Windows 7 desktop. Read More... Configuring And Using Windows XP Mode In Windows 7 

Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 makes it easy to install and run many Windows XP productivity applications directly from your Windows 7-based PC. It utilizes virtualization technology, such as Windows Virtual PC, to provide a virtual Windows XP environment for Windows 7. Read more: Running Windows XP In Windows 7