Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7...? -

HDD = Hard Drive Detailed Version ------------------------------- I want to try out Windows 7, but as far as I could tell, you need the discs (which I don t have) to go back to the old OS. I have Windows XP btw. However, a while ago, my computer got some viruses. A friend said he d fix it, and when I got it back from him, it was like a brand new XP. But I noticed he just put in a new HDD and left the old one in there. So I messed around with the Boot Menu, and found I could run my old HDD. So, ignoring the probable viruses on my old HDD, if I were to download the Windows 7 Beta onto that HDD and run it there, would my primary HDD still be XP? Short Version ------------------------------- If I put Windows 7 on an alternate HDD inside the same computer, will the primary HDD still run on XP?

Yes you want to dual boot, thats possible. I recommend formatting the infected HDD , it will get rid of all the viruses. One way to do that is to boot in safe mode , start then run and type in quot;CMDquot; , a new windows will open with a black screen. Type in quot;format C:quot; (you must replace the c with the letter of your infected HDD ) Then install Windows 7 on the formatted HDD , and after installation , Windows will ask you whether to boot Win. XP or Win. 7 But i don t recommend installing the Windows 7 because it is still a beta with probably lots of bugs.

Well, if you have two partitions, maybe Windows 7 asks you where to install and you ll have an option to install on second partition. If not - I would recommend download Virtual PC 2007 and try out Windows 7 on it. It will create a virtual computer on your hard drive so you don t have to worry about getting back to Windows XP.