Quote:
Originally Posted by Arkryal
Correct, however, Vista installs a boot manager if another partition exists as bootable, XP over-writes the boot record so all other OS installs seem to disappear. So you can install XP first, then vista and have no problems, but Vista first then XP will auto-boot into XP with no vista option. You can load GRUB or any similar boot manager to fix it, but as I said it takes a 3rd party app, or at minimum a repair install of vista after XP is loaded to return it as a boot option. Just don't want anyone to install XP over vista and wonder why they can't get back to vista without an explanation. I didn't mean to imply that the task was difficult or should be avoided, simply that anyone unfamiliar with multiple OS installations should do a quick Google search first to head-off any potential problems.
Given Vista's current state of stability (or lack thereof as many see it), a dual boot may be the best solution. If you have the time and an empty partition, go for it. Especially if you are or plan to be an active programmer. The works only done when it's tested on every conceivable system, so multiple OS's are a great start. If you have no programming aspirations, it does help avoid compatibility issues. As Jeff points out, XP and Vista use the same file system, so in most cases anything installed in XP will then run in Vista, inside and often outside the compatibility mode.
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Actually its simple to boot Vista after you install XP, you juts modify C:\boot.ini.... In addition Vista is highly stable, I've been using it here at home, and at work for over 6 months without issue. How come no one remembers how unstable and shitty XP was when it came out?.... now its suddenly the best OS ever....