Dual boot environemtn, partition drive, how?

[thehawk]

Good evening.

I intend to install Windows XP and Windows 7(dual boot that is) on a new machine I will purchase soon. My question is this: on my current machine, Windows XP only, I have a 2TB hard drive partitioned in four. For my future machine, the dual boot one, how on earth is it possible to partition the drive in four and have both Windows XP and Windows 7 see it as four partitions?

I mean, if I boot in Windows XP and partition the drive via the "Computer Management" screen, what will happen when I boot in Windows 7? How will I see the drive?

Cheers

[Falkentyne]

It's NTFS partitioning and both OS's can see them.

Um, windows 7 sets the drive or partition its installed on as C: and the XP drive as D: usually.

[thehawk]

I'm sorry, should have been more clear.

I am talking about two separate hard drives, one on which I will install Windows XP and Windows 7 in two separate partitions and the 2TB one which I want to partition in four and have it seen as the OS as four partitions in both OSs.

Hope this is clear

[IamAnoobieCheez]

I'm sorry, should have been more clear.

I am talking about two separate hard drives, one on which I will install Windows XP and Windows 7 in two separate partitions and the 2TB one which I want to partition in four and have it seen as the OS as four partitions in both OSs.

Hope this is clear

I'm getting more confused now.

So you will have grand total of 6 partitions? (2 partion on HDD1 & 4 partitons on HDD2)?

Just for curiosity, what is the size of HDD1?
If I understood right, the HDD2 is 2TB.


To answer your question;

I mean, if I boot in Windows XP and partition the drive via the "Computer Management" screen, what will happen when I boot in Windows 7? How will I see the drive?

Windows7 should be able to see ALL those partitions, total of 6 or whatever number you have.

Just be sure to install WinXP first, and then 7.

[thehawk]

Sorry, I will rephrase

The hard disks are two, which I will call:

Primary drive: 150GB
Data drive: 2TB

This is how it will be done. On the primary drive, the one for the operating systems, I will install Windows XP. I will then create the required partition for Windows 7 and install Windows 7 on it.

I will then add the data drive, the 2TB, to my system, I will boot in Windows 7, format the drive and partition it in four, H:, I:, J:, K:, using Windows 7's Computer Management screen.

The question is this: How will Windows XP see the 2TB drive which I have just partitioned in Windows 7 when I boot in it? Will XP see it as one whole drive, will it only show one partition, will it not show it at all?

My objective is of course to have both Windows 7 and XP see the data drive as four partitions.

I can't be more clear than that

[IamAnoobieCheez]

Sorry, I will rephrase

The hard disks are two, which I will call:

Primary drive: 150GB
Data drive: 2TB

This is how it will be done. On the primary drive, the one for the operating systems, I will install Windows XP. I will then create the required partition for Windows 7 and install Windows 7 on it.

I will then add the data drive, the 2TB, to my system, I will boot in Windows 7, format the drive and partition it in four, H:, I:, J:, K:, using Windows 7's Computer Management screen.

My objective is of course to have both Windows 7 and XP see the data drive as four partitions.

I can't be more clear than that

Yes I'm clear now.

The question is this: How will Windows XP see the 2TB drive which I have just partitioned in Windows 7 when I boot in it? Will XP see it as one whole drive, will it only show one partition, will it not show it at all?

Yes, winXP will see those 4 partitions in the data drive. Same goes for the win7.

[thehawk]

Sorry for asking twice but I need to be sure.

So you're saying that if I add the data drive to my system and format/partition it in four using Windows 7 and fill it up with data, if I boot in Windows XP I will see the same four partitions with the same data without any problems?

[IamAnoobieCheez]

Sorry for asking twice but I need to be sure.

So you're saying that if I add the data drive to my system and format/partition it in four using Windows 7 and fill it up with data, if I boot in Windows XP I will see the same four partitions with the same data without any problems?

As long as WindowsXP is installed in NTFS format it will see ALL partitons the windows 7 created. I think everyone installs win2000/xp/server2003 in NTFS nowdays... and I do. I am highly experienced in installing multiple OSes in multiple partitions.

So back to what Falkentyne was saying, he is right.

[thehawk]

Brilliant, thanks