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Thread ID: 114989	2010-12-28 00:46:00	Dual boot	pepper2 (8629)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1165150	2010-12-28 00:46:00	Hi folks I am considering purchasing an Acer Aspire with i3 CPU, 4 gb Ram and 1 tb HDD, etc. It has a small case and does not appear to have any space for another hard drive. I have quite a lot of XP software running on my current computer and I want to transition slowly to the new OS. One particular accountancy package is known to have serious problems with Win 7 and the manuafcturers recommend an expensive upgrade. I am also expecting some driver problems as I transition. My question is this: Is it best to run XP on an external hard drive and dual boot or buy Win 7 Pro and use a XP visualisation programme? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you	pepper2 (8629)
1165151	2010-12-28 04:31:00	I would just make 2 partitions on the drive and install XP to one and Win7 to the other (install XP first) XP-Mode in Win7 is stupid, don't bother with it. A proper virtual XP will be OK but don't expect good graphics performance. I would personally do a dual-boot with 2 partitions, Assuming Acer provides (or you can get elsewhere) drivers for XP for the PC!	Agent_24 (57)
1165152	2011-01-13 01:27:00	Thank you for the reply above . I sent the following question to Acer helpdesk and got a reply that it was outside the scope of the technical team and I could ring an Australian telephone number that incurs a charge (as well as the toll call charges) . Not very helpful from a major computer supplier . \Quote I have a preinstalled version of Windows 7 and no original discs . I have created a System Repair Disc, Acer Factory Default Recovery discs, Driver and Applications disc . I now want to create a new partion on my HDD and put Windows XP on it and dual boot into either Win7 or XP . I have studied a tutorial on the subject of dual booting when XP is installed after Win7 . Nothing is simple but it is possible . See . sevenforums . com/tutorials/8057-dual-boot-installation-windows-7-xp . html?ltr=D" target="_blank">www . sevenforums . com The issue is that I need to have an installation copy of Win7 to do a Startup Repair after XP is installed . The question is "Does one of the discs that I have created perform this function? Unquote Can someone on this forum please help? Thank you	pepper2 (8629)
1165153	2011-01-13 02:01:00	I believe a System Repair Disc (created by Windows itself) will do a startup repair.	pcuser42 (130)
1165154	2011-01-13 02:41:00	What’s wrong with XP-Mode. In the long run you will probably find running Windows XP as a virtual machine much less of a hassle than rebooting all the time to switch operating systems.	gcarmich (10068)
1165155	2011-01-13 06:19:00	All the options have there pro's and cons Dual boot will mean 100% compatability; however extra time spent booting and rebooting the systems XP mode has worked fine for me; I'd suggest you give it a try and it means you can consolidate your system If you go the Virtualization route it has roughly 98? 99% compatibility but will effect windows 7 performance; however with a i3 and 4GB ram it shouldnt be too noticeable; I'd suggest dedicating 512~1GB of ram to XP and thats all if its only one or two programs your using. Of those I'd suggest virtualization. - It seems to be the best solution.	PCT Joe (15018)
1165156	2011-02-13 07:03:00	Follow up on the dual boot issue I have been through quite a few different exercises and the main stumbling block to placing XP on a separate partition is the lack of a compatible raid driver for XP. Acer does not have one and that is that. I did partition my hdd successfully but I just cannot install XP. If i want to proceed I will have to upgrade my Windows 7 Home Premium to Professional or Ultimate and use the XP mode. My only way out of this dilema	pepper2 (8629)
1165157	2011-02-13 07:06:00	Do you know what the chipset or RAID controller is? (if a separate one) You may be able to get drivers elsewhere if Acer won't give you any...	Agent_24 (57)
1165158	2011-02-13 07:15:00	Yes I do know the controller , it is AHCI_Intel.9.5.5.1003_W7x86W7x64_A.zip I have tried elsewhere but Acer are not very forthcoming on details to assist. Thanks	pepper2 (8629)
1165159	2011-02-13 07:22:00	That's not the controller, that's the filename of the ZIP archive containing the drivers for it. But going by that I guess its an integrated controller into an Intel southbridge of some kind. (not 100% sure though) Either way, if you can write the model number of your Acer system, we can find out probably what it uses. Or you can use a program like Everest to find out what your southbridge etc is. EDIT: Try these: downloadcenter.intel.com Even if there are no drivers, you may be able to get around this by disabling RAID\AHCI and using IDE emulation mode, however you may lose support for things like hotplugging eSATA drives. If nothing else, you could always get an add-in IDE\SATA card and a 2nd hard drive.	Agent_24 (57)
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