How to Install Dual Operating System in Laptop

Unless there is some requirement to have Vista installed, don't. Install W7 alone.

Otherwise for dual ops you would have the drive partioned.

You would need to partition your drive and install second O.S. to allow you at start up to choose which to system to run. The new partition would then be the D Drive.

Dear sir,

Can u tell me procedure for installing method in brief.

Srinivas

If you have the machine for it install VM and change OS without rebooting.

STEP ONE:

PARTITION THE DRIVE (C:\, D:\)

INSTALL FIRST O.S. - DIRECT TO DRIVE C:\

INSTALL 2ND O.S. - DIRECT TO DRIVE D:\

Something I am very curious about.

Sooo You repartition the one physical drive to be C: and D:

You then install one operating system on drive C: and one operating system on D:.

If your original operating system is on C:, do you not lose it when you repartition? Don't you normally reformat after partitioning? If so, how... you no longer have an operating system to format from.

Now that you have the operating systems installed... when you boot the system, how does it know which operating system to boot up? Through the BIOS?

Another thought that comes to mind, is that I hope the OP ordered system recovery disks with the system. If not, the very first thing I would do is make a set... BEFORE trying to add Win7. I don't know about Dell and Vista, but with HP and Win7 you can make ONE SET of system recovery disks. If you blow the operating system before doing this, you might be in a world of hurt.

Bill

You repartition using the installed OS, Shrinking the space used by the curretly installed OS which is Drive C. Pop in you CD/DVD when rebooting and choose the empty partition (Drive D) when you install the second OS. If you choose C drive, you will overwrite the existing OS. When finished, restarting the computer, Windows boot program will detect the two OSes and make you choose which one would you use. No need to touch the BIOS. If you do not have the CD/DVD for the OS then make sure you make a recovery disk first before doing anything on partitions.

Thanks a bunch "Guest"! This explains things much better than the DO A B and C answers above. I am a firm believer in Murphy, and approaching such a project (without your comments) would scare the hell out of me.

I think it is really important for the OP to remember (for the third time between guest and myself)

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SYSTEM RECOVERY DISKS BEFORE STARTING THIS PROJECT for both operating systems.

Bill

With Windows systems, drive 'D' is used for recovery, so I would choose a different letter if that was how I would go about it.

Personally, I have Virtual Box installed on my Mac (Windows version also available Free). This allows Windows to run natively in a window on the Mac, and can have any Linux flavour as an option.

No need to reboot to change operating systems.

Using Virtual Box is good, if you know much about computers. The guy does not even know how to install second OS, we should not be suggesting/expecting him to use Virtual Box. We are deviating from the solution to his problem.

Installing Virtual Box itself is just like adding any other software.

The set-up of the second OS is just as easy, with NO opportunity to corrupt the current system in the act, as you can only use available space on the drive. Overwriting the current OS is impossible when adding a second OS this way.