Windows 7 / Getting Started

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Installing a Previous Version of Windows on a Computer Running Windows 7

One scenario where Bootsect is particularly handy is when you are installing a previous version of Windows on a computer running Windows 7. Normally, Windows 7 won't let you install and then run a previous version of Windows. You can work around this issue using Bootsect and BCDedit.

To install a previous version of Windows onto a computer running Windows 7, follow these steps:

1. Insert the media for the previous version of Windows into your CD-ROM or DVDROM drive.
2. Restart the computer and run Setup for the previous version of Windows. Be sure to install the previous version of Windows onto a different partition or drive than the one running Windows 7.
3. Log on to the previous version of Windows and restore the Windows 7 boot manager. You must specify the partition where Windows 7 is installed. If Windows 7 were installed on C:, you'd use the following command:
   bootsect /nt60 c:
4. Create a BCD entry for the pre-Windows 7 operating system you just installed using BCDedit. BCDedit is located in the \Windows\System32 directory of the Windows 7 partition. Type the following commands exactly as shown, where Windows_Version is the version of Windows you installed:

   Bcdedit /create {legacy} /d "Windows_Version"
   Bcdedit /set {legacy} device boot
   Bcdedit /set {legacy} path \ntldr
   Bcdedit /displayorder {legacy} /addlast
   

5. Restart the computer to apply the BCD changes.