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RE: Vista OEM + XP Retail?

WAW8 — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:35:42 GMT

Vista prefers to be installed in unformatted space -- where it will provide the capability to format a new partition. But, it will allow you to install it in an existing partition (I think it does a reformat anyway -- been so long since I did that, I forget).

Just note that an OEM license can only be activated once -- period! Thus, if you're planning on making any hardware changes to your machine after installing Vista, use the option of NOT providing a product key during installation. That will give you 30-days of usage, during which you can changes hardware as much as you like, before you're forced to provide a key.

Once you provide a key, any hardware change, and some software changes (drivers, most notably) run the risk of Vista deactivation. If that happens, you will have to telephone MS and get a new key. They will NOT reactivate the existing key.

RE: Vista OEM + XP Retail?

kbfan — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:53:29 GMT

That does seem to be the reasonable order, and I'd actually make the XP partition smaller than the disk, leaving the desired amount of space for Vista, so I wouldn't have to resize it.

My concern was whether the OEM Vista disc would allow Vista to be installed on a new partition of a disk that already had a partition for XP. I was wondering if would insist the disk was unformatted, as would be the usual case when building a new machine.

RE: Vista OEM + XP Retail?

WAW8 — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:01:13 GMT

Always install the OS's older to newer, meaning, install XP first. Then, resize your partition to make room for Vista, and install Vista. It will automatically detect XP and create a boot menu where you can select either OS.

Vista OEM + XP Retail?

kbfan — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:12:14 GMT

I'm building a new machine, so I bought Vista OEM (64 bit). I want to dual boot, so I bought the retail version of XP. My reasoning was that I won't need to transfer the Vista to a future PC, but if I upgrade down the road, I'd like to move XP to the new machine. (Vista may be fine, but to borrow from the late Charlton Heston, MS can take my XP away from my cold dead hands!)

So, my guess is that I need to install Vista first. However, I'm wondering if that's true. The OEM version won't upgrade a partition that already has XP, but does it insist on a completely unformatted disk? If I already have an XP partition, can the OEM version of Vista leave that alone and install one a new, second, partition on the disk?

(I have a related post about how to get both Vista and XP to see their respective boot partition as C: and the other partition as D:. )