Shoutbox

(thread title continues here) ... Windows installation inaccessible.

As the thread title says, I need to install Vista on a computer via Windows and not via booting of the DVD.

When I get to the screen where it asks me whether to upgrade or use "advanced" mode, I choose advanced, and after I select my partion, I get this message:

quote:

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Originally posted by Windows Vista Installation
The partition you selected might contain files from a previous Windows installation. If it does, these files and folders will be moved to a folder named Windows.old. You will be able to access the information in Windows.old, but you will not be able to use your previous version of Windows

OK      Cancel

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Ummm ... thank you very much Vista for not allowing me to use my previous installation!
I could do that in XP (install an OS in the same partition) but it looks like Vista doesn't want me to do it...

I guess that if I partitioned the drive, it would probably work and allow me to still use XP, but the problem is that I can't partition my HDD (that's another story)


So to sum it up, I need to install Vista via my Windows installation, keep my previous Windows installation, and not partition the HDD.

Is it possible?

nope, sorry. not possible. you can only have one (functioning) OS per partition

But, I'm pretty sure that I had done that on XP (however, on XP I booted from the CD and didn't run the installation from Windows, but it shouldn't really matter, because I can also see the option to select where Windows will be installed when launching the installation from Windows)

quote:

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Originally posted by Mike
But, I'm pretty sure that I had done that on XP

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That would have done is installed windows into a new directory, but all of the important files that are not in that directory (ntldr, ntdetect.com,
config.sys, the entire docs and settings folder) would all be replaced, rendering the previous install useless. That's what I meant in my first response about only having one functional OS per partition.

I can't see why you cant just use a partitioning tool to add a new partition and install Vista that way...

quote:

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Originally posted by MeEtc

That would have done is installed windows into a new directory, but all of the important files that are not in that directory (ntldr, ntdetect.com,
config.sys, the entire docs and settings folder) would all be replaced, rendering the previous install useless. That's what I meant in my first response about only having one functional OS per partition.

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That could explain it, since I didn't try accessing the older Windows installations when I had done that (because they were broken anyway)

quote:

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Originally posted by MeEtc
I can't see why you cant just use a partitioning tool to add a new partition and install Vista that way...

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Because my HDD is dirty and partition programs refuse to partition my HDD...

quote:

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Originally posted by Mike

quote:

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Originally posted by MeEtc
I can't see why you cant just use a partitioning tool to add a new partition and install Vista that way...

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Because my HDD is dirty and partition programs refuse to partition my HDD...

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For some reason Partition Magic refused to partition my HDD too, but Vista's built in partitioning tool works fine. (just search for partition in Control Panel)

quote:

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Originally posted by Eljay

quote:

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Originally posted by Mike

quote:

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Originally posted by MeEtc
I can't see why you cant just use a partitioning tool to add a new partition and install Vista that way...

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Because my HDD is dirty and partition programs refuse to partition my HDD...

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For some reason Partition Magic refused to partition my HDD too, but Vista's built in partitioning tool works fine. (just search for partition in Control Panel)

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But I need to install Vista to do this first
Also, it's not only Partition Magic, but every Partition tool I have tried.
They just refuse to/can't partition my HDD

Well, I guess that I could remove the HDD and put it on an external one and do that in an other computer that has vista, or just give up

Hmm silly me. Tried using GParted LiveCD?

Most tools require you to have unpartitioned space to create a 2nd partition.

example.

If you installed xp n used the full Hard drive you cant trim it and make a 2nd partition if its all ready partitioned as one big C Drive.

if you install xp. delete the current partition (leaving you with X amount of unpartitioned space)

then manually create a partitin (example i dunno 40GB = 40000) this is when your booting up from XP CD.

In return leaves the rest of your hard drive unpartitioned. once xp is install.

Create the 2nd partition out of the unpartitioned space.

how to?

Right click my computer
manage
Disk management.


Thats all the info i can remember. All i know is its very difficult to repartition an already partitioned harddrive with out losing all the info

quote:

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Originally posted by Eljay
Hmm silly me. Tried using GParted LiveCD?

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I haven't used that LiveCD, but I have used GParted that exists in a Ubuntu Live CD I have.

Here's what happens when I tried to use GParted: After clicking the apply button to apply my changes, it looked like it tried to do something, but after 1-2 secs it just went back to "Reading drive information" state without saying anything or having done anything
However, my Ubuntu LiveCD is old, and it seems that GParted is frequently updated, so it could just be a bug with the version I have on my CD...

quote:

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Originally posted by joemailey
Most tools require you to have unpartitioned space to create a 2nd partition.

example.

If you installed xp n used the full Hard drive you cant trim it and make a 2nd partition if its all ready partitioned as one big C Drive.

if you install xp. delete the current partition (leaving you with X amount of unpartitioned space)

then manually create a partitin (example i dunno 40GB = 40000) this is when your booting up from XP CD.

In return leaves the rest of your hard drive unpartitioned. once xp is install.

Create the 2nd partition out of the unpartitioned space.

how to?

Right click my computer
manage
Disk management.


Thats all the info i can remember. All i know is its very difficult to repartition an already partitioned harddrive with out losing all the info

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Thanks, but I don't want to reformat