How to dual-boot Vista with XP (with XP installed first) - step-by-step guide with screenshots

Want to install Vista on your PC but don't want to get rid of XP just yet? Here's how to install it so you can dual-boot between them, in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide.

Page 1 - Intro ****************************************

Scenario: You want to install Vista on your PC alongside your XP installation, on the same drive. You have already installed XP. (If you installed Vista first, see our other tutorial on How to dual-boot Vista and XP - with Vista installed first.) Tutorial Summary: We're going to use the DISKPART utility on the Vista DVD to shrink the Windows XP partition on the hard disk and create enough space for an installation of Vista. We'll then install Vista and use the EasyBCD utility to modify Vista's bootloader to get XP loading properly.

This is an updated tutorial,based on our first Windows XP/Vista dual-booting workshop. The main difference is that we're covering using both the latest version of GParted and DISKPART to shrink the Windows XP partition.

DISKPART can shrink NTFS partitions and it's certainly the more convenient option, but on some systems using DISKPART to shrink the volume will fail, with an vague "Access is denied" error.

This may have something to do with different disk controllers, as this was a problem on the AcerPower test system which has a SATA hard drive, but not on the VMWare system which uses a virtual IDE controller. So we'll cover both processes

EasyBCD has also been updated since the first tutorial was written.

This tutorial was tested on a VMWare Workstation 6 virtual machine and an AcerPower SK50.

Page 2 - Get Started - Using GParted *************

We assume that before you start this tutorial, you have backed up the drive (partitions and data) that will host the two operating systems.

Your first step will be to modify the Windows XP system partition to make space for Vista using GParted

The GParted Live CD ISO is available here – burn it to CD and boot the system from the disc. The version we used was 0.3.4-7. It's important that you download this specific version because we've found that the operation of GParted does differ from version to version, and we know 0.3.4-7 works.

Boot the Linux machine from the GParted LiveCD. Depending on your system, you should just need to select the auto-configuration boot option.

During boot, press Enter twice when prompted to select the keymap and language settings.

When the main GUI loads, right-click on the main Windows XP NTFS partition (depending on your setup, probably /dev/hda1) and select Resize/Move.

XP & Vista - Resize Partition

Use the slider to reduce the partition size and free up enough room to instal Vista (at least 10GB) and click Resize/Move.

XP & Vista - Resize Partition 2

The changes haven’t actually been made, they’ve just been scheduled to run. To commit the changes and resize the partition, click Apply. GParted will ask to confirm the changes – hit OK and away you go.

Page 3 - Get Started - Using DISKPART ***********

Boot the machine from the Vista DVD. Select the appropriate language and then "Install Now".

XP & Vista - Load Vista

On the product key page, press SHIFT + F10 to launch a Windows PE 2.0 command window. Then type in DISKPART and press enter to get into the DISKPART utility.

XP & Vista - DISKPART

Now type in LIST VOLUME - this gives you a readout of the volumes available on the system. Select the main Windows XP volume (probably Volume 0) by typing in SELECT VOLUME 0.

XP & Vista - DISKPART Volume

Now type in SHRINK. Vista will reduce the size of Volume 0 (the selected Volume) by around 50%.

XP & Vista - DISKPART Shrink

Once that is done, type in EXIT and EXIT again to get back to the Vista installation window.

Page 4 - Now Install Vista


If you used the GParted LiveCD to shrink the XP partition, you'll need to reboot the system from the Vista install DVD. If you've used DISKPART then you just need to continue the installation. Once the install gets to the install location, there should be at least two options: a partition marked as Primary and unallocated space. Select the unallocated space and click Next. The install will then commence.

XP & Vista - Install Vista

The Vista boot manager will take over the system completely, and Windows XP effectively loads via Vista. It’s all pretty seamless though, and you shouldn’t encounter any technical problems.

Page 5 - Modify Vista's Bootloader *************

Once Vista is installed and the system reboots, you’ll be presented with a boot menu with two options: “Microsoft Windows Vista” and “An Earlier Version of Windows”.

XP & Vista - Boot Menu

This is perhaps a little bit bland, so you’ll probably want to change it. Here’s where one of the new features of Vista comes in, and it’s not so terrific. In Windows XP if you want to modify the bootloader, just right-click on My Computer, select Properties, go to the Advanced Tab, and click Settings under Startup and Recovery, then click Edit. This opens a local file – boot.ini. It’s just a standard text file and you can change pretty much anything. Unfortunately it’s not that easy in Vista – you can still navigate to the Startup and Recovery settings, but all you can do is select which operating system is the default and modify the timeout settings.

To edit Vista’s boot manager you have to use the command line BCDEDIT utility. To access BCDEDIT, run the Command Window as an administrator and type in BCDEDIT.

Unfortunately BCDEDIT isn’t an easy tool to come to terms with, especially as it’s purely command line-driven. So, a great tool to use here is EasyBCD by NeoSmart Technologies. EasyBCD offers a GUI frontend to BCDEDIT, and makes life much easier.

Once Vista is installed, call up the browser and navigate to the EasyBCD download page - download, install and launch the application.

To configure the bootloader go to “Configure Boot” – you’ll see the two entries, for XP and Vista. To change the name of Windows XP, just overwrite “Earlier Version of Windows” with “Windows XP” and click Save Settings.

XP & Vista - Modify Boot

Reboot the system and the changes are visible. You have a dual-booting Vista and XP system. That's all there is to it.

XP & Vista - Changed Boot

Open up Windows Explorer and there’s two hard drives – the primary disk running Vista and the secondary disk with XP installed. Restart the system and load up Windows XP, and the XP disk is now the primary, with the Vista partition running on the secondary D: drive

If you decide that dual-booting Vista and XP is not for you, EasyBCD lets you wind back the clock.

All you have to do is remove Vista’s boot manager – go to “Manage Bootloader”, select “Uninstall the Vista Bootloader” and then “Write MBR”. Restart the machine and that’s it – the XP boot loader is the only one left on the system and XP loads. You can then delete the Vista partition and use GParted to re-extend the partition to take up the entire disk, or the Extend command in Vista DISKPART.

What " Triple Boot" and "Virtual PCs" !

Triple Boot!
1) disconnect the Vista hard drive
2) leave the new blank drive connected
3) Custom install XP onto a partition that leaves 10 or 20gb free unpartitioned space
4) Reboot into XP to make sure things are fine.
5) Shutdown, power off, unplug power cord - reconnect Vista drive.
6) Boot with a Linux CD/DVD and let it create it's partitons on the free space on the new drive.
7) Nearly all Linux distros will be able to find both XP and Vista and add them to a bootloader (usually Grub) that will manage things just fine. And you get to play with alternative open-source programs :) --- if you want the hands-down easiest Linux, try Ubuntu. For something more challenging, perhaps Mandriva, Suse/Novell, or RedHat.

Virtual PCs
I suppose I should put in a word, too, for the "virtual environment" idea -- it is possible to install XP into a virtual environment on a Vista PC, using the free Microsoft software "Virtual PC 2007" --- http://www.microsoft.com/windows/pro...c/default.mspx

I've dual, triple, and quadruple boot machines here at home, and enjoy virtual machines as well. They really aren't a big deal - it's simple stuff for the most part. Enjoy!
Best of luck

windows-xp-product-key-recovery

Windows XP and Vista Product Key Recovery

There are many programs available for extracting the product key from a Windows XP or Vista installation. The only problem is that they generally require the computer to be functional to run. These programs are useless if the operating system is corrupt and the computer will not boot into Windows. Fortunately, there are other options. This article explains how you can retrieve the product key with just the ntuser.dat file from the machine. You can also download a stand-alone version of my decrypter tool.

Windows Vista Users

I have been informed that this method also works on Windows Vista.

Translations

• Swedish translation of this article

Background Information

While this may not sound very useful to the average user, if you work with computers on a daily basis you have most likely ran into this problem: You have to perform a fresh installation of Windows on a computer with a corrupt operating system, and the product key has been lost. This method makes it easy to find.

Instructions

The first step is getting the ntuser.dat file from the computer. In most cases the easiest method is to remove the hard drive, and connect it to a working machine.

ntuser.dat is generally located here:
C:\Documents and Settings\(User Name)\ntuser.dat
Where (User Name) is the primary account - Most often it is ‘Owner’ or ‘User’

Now that you have the file, you need to be able to view it. I recommend loadhive.exe (Download it here) from matcode.com.

Just run the program and select the file. It will show you a message with more information. It is important that you do not close this program until you are finished viewing the registry, as it temporarily loads the file, and unloads it again when you exit.

Now run regedit. Under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE you will notice a new sub-key called NTUSER. Starting with NTUSER go to Software > Microsoft > Windows NT > Current Version.

In the right window, double-click on DigitalProductID. This is the entry that contains the encoded product key.

We want the information in bytes 52 to 66. You can use the chart below for reference. We need the 15 sets of numbers where the 1’s are located.

0000  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  ..
0008  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  ..
0010  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  ..
0018  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  ..
0020  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  ..
0028  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  ..
0030  00 00 00 00 11 11 11 11  ..
0038  11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11  ..
0040  11 11 11 00 00 00 00 00  ..
0048  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  ..

******** Link ***************
0050  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  ..

Now that you have the 15 byte encrypted code, you can type it into my decrypter tool:

Web-based version

Windows XP Key Decrypter Tool

Downloadable stand-alone version (exe)

Windows XP Key Decrypter Tool

Just click ‘Decrypt Code‘ and you will have your 25 digit Windows XP product key!

Troubleshooting

If you cannot find the DigitalProductId key in the file you loaded earlier, try the software hive located here:

\%SystemRoot%\System32\config\software

Load it the same way as before. Under regedit, it will generally create the new entries here: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE_00 (although the loadhive program will tell you where it puts it).

Final Notes

• The decrypter tool ignores spaces and dashes, and is not case-sensitive.
• If you cannot find ntuser.dat, make sure you can view hidden and system files.
• If you are not sure which user account to select, I recommend searching for all ntuser.dat files on the drive, and using the largest one.
• Do not attempt to open your own ntuser.dat file with Load Hive, because it is already in use, and you already have access to your own registry
• If you cannot find the proper key with the data you need, try the alternate hive file, mentioned in the troubleshooting section above.

NOTICE!

Please do not ask me how to retrieve the product key from your Windows CD - it is not possible. Also, please do not ask general Windows questions here. The comments below are only for discussion of this particular retrieval method. If you have Windows questions, or questions about product keys in general, search Google.

Bill Gates - Biography

Bill Gates - Biography

				Bill Gates Biography Name : Bill Gates Date of birth : 28 October 1955 Place of birth : Seattle, Washington, USA Birth name : William Henry Gates III Nickname : Trey Height : 5' 10
Videos

Bill Gates Trivia

Wealthiest businessman in the world. Avid reader. Enjoys playing golf and bridge. Daughter Jennifer Katharine Gates, born 1996. Son Rory John Gates, born 1999. Welcomed third child Daughter Phoebe Adele on September 14, 2002. The baby weighed 9lbs. 13oz. Personal fortune exceeds $46 Billion Dollars [2005] Was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. His company, Microsoft, went public on 28 October 1985, his 30th birthday. Dropped out of Harvard University in 1975 to devote himself full-time to Microsoft. Has endowed a foundation that has given several billion dollars to various charitable and educational projects. Is an avid reader. Plays both golf and bridge. Was the subject of two biographies by James Wallace: "Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire" and "Overdrive: Bill Gates and the Race to Control Cyberspace". His personal wealth exceeds that of some third-world countries. Became a billionaire (US dollars) at age 31 Derided by critics as "Chairman Bill" after Chinese Communist leader Mao Tse-tung, who was popularly known as "Chairman Mao." In a March 2002 poll of over 1,600 teenagers in Hong Kong and mainland China by researchers at the City University of Hong Kong, Gates outranked Mao as the person they idolized the most. Children: Jennifer Katharine (26 April 1996), son Rory John (23 May 1999), Phoebe Adele (14 September 2002) Has an IQ of 160 Has been the richest man in the world consistently every year since 1998. Made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II on March 2, 2005. Because he is not a British citizen, he may not use the title Sir, but is allowed to put KBE after his name.

Bill Gates Detailed Biography

Bill Gates is one of the most influential people in the world. He is cofounder of the most recognized brands in the computer industry with nearly every desk top computer using at least one software program from Microsoft. According to Forbes magazine Gates is the wealthiest man in the world and has been in the number 1 position for at least seven years. Gates was born and grew up in Seattle, Washington USA. His father, William H. Gates II was a Seattle attorney and his mother, Mary Maxwell Gates was a school teacher and chairperson of the United Way charity. Gates and his two sisters had a comfortable upbringing, with Gates able to attend the exclusive secondary "Lakeside School". Bill Gates started studying at Harvard University in 1973 where he met up with Paul Allen. Gates and Allen gates worked on a version of the programming language BASIC, that was the basis for the MITS Altair (the first microcomputer available). He did not go on to graduate from Harvard University as he left in his junior year to start what was to become the largest computer software company in the world, Microsoft Corporation. "To enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential." Microsoft Mission Statement After dropping out of Harvard Bill Gates and his partner Paul Allen set about revolutionizing the computer industry. Gates believed there should be a computer on every office desk and in every home. In 1975 the company Micro-soft was formed, an abbreviation of microcomputer software. It soon became simply "Microsoft"� and went on to completely change the way people use computers. Microsoft helped to make the computer easier to use with its developed and purchased software, and made it a commercial success. The success of Microsoft began with the MS-DOS computer operating system that Gates licensed to IBM. Gates also set about protecting the royalties that he could acquire from computer software by aggressively fighting against all forms of software piracy, effectively creating the retail software market that now exists today. This move was quite controversial at the time as it was the freedom of sharing that produced much innovation and advances in the newly forming software industry. But it was this stand against software piracy, that was to be central in the great commercial success that Microsoft went on to achieve. With his great success in the computer software industry also came many criticisms. With his ambitious and aggressive business philosophy, Gates or his Microsoft lawyers have been in and out of courtrooms fighting legal battles almost since Microsoft began. The Microsoft monopoly sets about completely dominating every market it enters through either acquisition, aggressive business tactics or a combination of them. Many of the largest technology companies have fought legally against the actions of Microsoft, including Apple Computer, Netscape, Opera, WordPerfect, and sun Microsystems. With an estimated wealth of $46.6 billion in 2004, Bill Gates is the richest man in the world and he should be starting to get used to the number spot as he has been there from the mid-ninties up until now. The famous investor Warren Buffett is gaining on Gates though with an estimated $42.9 billion in 2004. Microsoft hasn't just made Bill Gates very wealthy though. According to the Forbes business magazine Paul Allen, Microsoft cofounder is the 5th richest man in the world with an estimated $21 billion. While Bill Gates' long time friend and Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer is the 19th richest man in the world at $12.4 billion. Being the richest man in the world has also enabled Gates to create one of the world's largest charitable foundations. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has an endowment of more than $28 billion, with donations totaling more than $1 billion every year. The foundation was formed in 2000 after merging the "Gates Learning Foundation" and "William H. Gates Foundation". Their aim is to "bring innovations in health and learning to the global community". Bill Gates continues to play a very active role in the workings of the Microsoft Company, but has handed the position of CEO over to Steve Ballmer. Gates now holds the positions of "Chairman" and "Chief Software Architect". He lives near Lake Washington with his wife Melinda French Gates and their three children. Interests of Gates include reading, golf and playing bridge. In March 2005 William H. Gates received an "honorary" knighthood from the queen of England. Gates was bestowed with the KBE Order (Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for his services in reducing poverty and improving health in the developing countries of the world. After the privately held ceremony in Buckingham Palace with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Gates commented on the recognition.. "I am humbled and delighted. I am particularly pleased that this honor helps recognize the real heroes our foundation (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) supports to improve health in poor countries. Their incredible work is helping ensure that one day all people, no matter where they are born, will have the same opportunity for a healthy life, and I'm grateful to share this honor with them." The KBE Order of the British Empire is the second highest Order given out, but it is only an honorary knighthood as only citizens that are British or a part of the Commonwealth receive the full Order. This means that Gates does not become Sir Bill Gates.

Bill Gates: Leaves Microsoft

Bill Gates: Leaves Microsoft

Bill Gates: Leaves Microsoft

Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, who is the harbinger of new phase of software industry, has spent his last day at office on Friday.

Paul Allen, who teamed up with Gates to start Microsoft in a garage in the year 1975, is amongst those who has bestowed special honor to his childhood friend at a gala dinner party.

After decades of devoting time to Microsoft, Bill Gates has taken the decision of turning his attention on a full time basis to the philanthropic ‘Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’ that he has established along with his wife.

More news about Bill Gates has been inferred from quite a number of sources. According to them, he is leaving Microsoft in order to fight with a ‘fast-changing’ computer era. Also he wants to remain aloof from the growing challenges from Internet juggernaut Google and also longtime rival Apple that make Macintosh computers. .

3 people will essentially fill the void that Bill Gates is going to leave behind at Microsoft.

Gate's job as chief software architect is being handled by Ray Ozzie.

Craig Mundie inherited Gate's chief research and strategy officer duties, while Steve Ballmer is CEO at the software colossus that is based on Redmond, Washington.

Bill Gates continues to hold the post of chairman of the Microsoft board of directors and its largest shareholder.

Bill Gates is leaving Microsoft at a crucial juncture when "cloud computing" is shaking the packaged software foundation on which the whole of prosperity and fortune are dependant.

Cloud computing refers to a trend in which firms like ‘Google and Salesforce.com’ are giving opportunities to all the people to use programs on the internet instead of installing and maintaining software on their own machines.

Competition between two companies like Microsoft and Apple is quite common in Silicon Valley. The culture-shifting popularity of Apple's iPods and iPhones is credited with rising interest of the people for the Macintosh machines.

In order to compete with Apple's market-dominating iPods Bill Gates’ Microsoft have started selling of Zune brand MP3 players in the month of September 2006. However the devices have lost popularity.

Microsoft has failed in a recent bid to buy ‘Yahoo’ for almost fifty billion dollars in order to combine online resources to remain fit to fight out the competition with Google in the blooming internet search and advertising.

Microsoft’s server and tools division along with its entertainment unit, that sells Xbox videogame consoles and gaming software, turns out to be quite profitable.

Bill Gates is expected to maintain the ears of Microsoft leaders. He conferred upon them a legacy that includes focusing in-house teams on what Bill Gates expects to be major technology trends, such as an "Internet tidal wave."

"At some point the firm has to take the essence of what made Bill Gates successful and make sure that is preserved," said Rob Enderle, the analyst of Enderle Group in Silicon Valley.

My New Web Site With New Ideas - Coming Soon ! as " Star Lanka Online Dot Com " !

We are in a new House, Named.
Star Lanka Online Dot Com

we proudly present our new fixed web site,
www.starlankaonline.com in very near future. Also we are going to keep our download files like Dialog TV Monthly Programme Guide ( Unofficial ) , songs, TV Programmes and many more. That's why we were so silent past few weeks without many posts. But these free blogs remain same as before with new posts.

Many thanks to

Mr. Tharindu Shashindra webmaster of, www.arunella.com
and
Mr.K.D.Manuka Lakshitha , the webmaster of www.srizone.net
. Who are the ones , show us the way.

Await......
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