Can we have dual booting from Windows Vista

You cannot 'upgrade' Windows Vista to Windows XP - that is technically a 'downgrade' and would need you to save all your user data on Vista then format you Windows drive then do a clean install of Windows XP.

If you try to install XP over the top of Vista you will have lots of problems because of the difference in architecture and boot manager changes.

The only alternative would be to set up a dual-boot installation where you install XP alongside Vista but would be best done on either a separate disk partition or on a second disk. Normally such a dual-boot configuration would start with having XP installed then adding Vista as the second operating system.

Yes you will have to format your drive and remove partitions, then create new partitions and add a boot up option menu. Then when you power on your computer it will ask if you want to boot Windows 7, or Windows XP. You will have to have both copies of Windows also your restore partition can't do this.

Grab a copy of :
EasyBCD is NeoSmart Technologies' multiple award-winning answer to taking control of your bootloader. EasyBCD extends and revamps the Windows Vista/Windows 7 BCD bootloader, and with EasyBCD, almost anything is possible. Setting up and configuring a dual-boot between Windows 7, Windows Vista, older versions of Windows such as XP & 2003, Linux, Ubuntu, BSD, and Mac OS X is a breeze. You just point & click and EasyBCD does the rest.
EasyBCD is geared for users of all kinds. Whether you just want to add an entry to your old XP partition or want to create a duplicate for testing purposes; if you're interested in debugging the Windows Kernel or septuple-booting your seven test operating systems, EasyBCD is the key.

• Boot into XP/Vista/7/Ubuntu/OS X and more!

and if :

Your "BOOT" folder has been deleted, was not created, or has been corrupted; and the Vista bootloader will not show.
Solution Boot into a working copy of Windows and install/run EasyBCD.
Go to the "BCD Backup/Repair" page:




Select "Re-create/repair boot files" then "Perform Action" to begin recovery. EasyBCD will recreate (if possible) your boot files and re-configure your bootloader from scratch.
If EasyBCD fails, that means a process has locked your BOOT folder. Manually delete this folder with a Live CD, recovery console, or other method, then try Type Three again.

How to dual boot Vista and XP (with Vista installed first) -- the step-by-step guide with screenshots

UPDATED | Got a Vista PC and want to install XP so you can dual-boot between them? Here's how to do it, in an easy, step-by-step format. Page 1 - Intro

Scenario: You want to install Vista on your PC alongside your XP installation, on the same drive. You have installed Vista already. (If you have XP installed first, check out our earlier tutorial on how to dual boot Vista and XP with XP installed first.)
Tutorial Summary: We need to shrink the Vista partition on the hard disk and create enough space for an installation of XP. This can be done in three ways - using the GPartEd Live CD, the DISKPART utility on the Vista DVD or the Vista Disk Management GUI - and we'll cover all three. We'll then install XP and install EasyBCD to reinstate the Vista bootloader which will be overwritten during the XP installation, and then use EasyBCD to configure Vista's bootloader to boot the XP partition.
Updated September 2008: This is an updated tutorial, based on our first Windows Vista/XP dual-booting workshop. The main differences are that we are now using Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3. EasyBCD has also been updated and this makes some of the steps in our first tutorial redundant - the whole process is now easier.
This tutorial has been tested on a VMWare 6 Workstation.

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VISIT THIS FOR THE COMPLETE TUTORIAL :
http://apcmag.com/how_to_dual_boot_vista_and_xp_with_vista_installed_first__the_stepbystep_guide.htm
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try to download belarc advisor software. Run this in your vista OS and send it to me so I can check your hardware specs. This is the only way to avoid problems in the future or before you start the formatting.

Hi.

It is possible use this link for step by step procedure.

http://community.bartdesmet.net/blogs/bart/archive/2007/10/07/getting-started-with-windows-pe-2-0-for-windows-vista-boot-windows-from-a-usb-flash-drive.aspx

I think it will help you.

Regards
Faraz.

The Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store contains boot configuration parameters and controls how the operating system is started in Microsoft®Windows Vista.
Remove Windows Vista From Dual Boot System Windows Vista works slightly different from earlier versions of Windows when installed on a dual boot system, in that it has a completely different boot loader.
When Windows Vista is first installed as a dual boot operating system a new boot folder is added to the root directory of your PC. This is a hidden file and therefore is not noticed. When you boot your PC a menu appears with the following options:

• Earlier versions of Windows
• Windows Vista

Clicking the Windows Vista option will boot the PC into Windows Vista. If, however, you select the earlier versions of Windows option, another menu will appear from which you can choose Windows XP or whatever earlier version - Windows 2000 or Windows 2003 server - you installed first.
Because of this new boot loader it is not as easy to remove Vista from a dual boot system scenario. Simply deleting the Vista partition will, of course, remove Windows Vista, but, unfortunately, it will not remove the Windows Vista boot loader. For this reason, if you simply delete the Windows Vista partition, on rebooting your machine you will not automatically boot into Windows XP (or an earlier version). Instead you will once again be presented with a menu from which you have to choose which operating system you wish to boot to.
Obviously, once you have removed the boot loader and rebooted the Vista operating system will still be on the partition you originally installed it on. To remove Vista completely you will need to Delete the partition that Windows Vista was installed upon.
To remove this menu, or more to the point, the boot loader, proceed as follows:
1/ Boot the PC to Windows Vista
2/ Ensure you are logged onto the Internet and then download the freeware boot loader utility VistaBootPro (www.vistabootpro.org)
3/ Once you have downloaded VistaBootPro, install it on your machine
4/ During Install VistaBootPro will install an icon on your desktop
5/ Locate the VistaBootPro icon and Right Click on it. Then, from the drop down menu, Click on the Run As Administrator option
6/ User Account Control (UAC) will pop up and ask for permission to run the program
7/ After you have given UAC permission - you must be the administrator or have administrator privileges - VistaBootPro will run.
8/ Once VistaBootPro opens, Click on the Bootloader tab
9/ In the Bootloader Maintenance section, Click on the Radio button next to the option marked 'Uninstall the Vista Bootloader (Used to restore Legacy OS) option' and then Click the Apply button
10/ Finally Reboot your PC
11/ On rebooting your machine you will boot directly into Windows XP (or an earlier operating system). No menu will appear.
12/ All that is left to do now is to delete the partition which originally contained Windows Vista. (Assuming you wish to remove the Vista partition from your hard drive).

Boot to Vista. Then

• right-click "my computer", then "properties".
• click the "Advanced" section (Vista: on the left side bar).
• In the section that says "Startup and Recovery", click "settings".
• Under "Default operating system", choose "Windows Vista".
• REMOVE the checks next to "Time to display list of..." and "Time to display recovery options..."
• click ok to everything.

Now you will need to remove Windows XP.
IMPORTANT: for the next step make sure you boot to Windows Vista. Otherwise you could corrupt your computer.

• Go to "Start", "Control Panel"
• Open "Administrative Tools"
• next, open "Computer Management".
• On the left, there's a side bar. Under "Storage", click "Disk Management".

• Now, If windows XP is on drive C:\,
  right click C:\ and select "Format"
• Click "OK".

hope this helps.

It should have come with the 32. For dual boot on this machine, go in and set up XP on the same partition as Vista. When the machine starts up it will go to a screen that allows you to choose which op system you want. You shouldn't, but if you run into conflicts you will need to create a separate partition for the two op systems.

Hi abc_19 ,

Before I answer your question , let me tell you that you need to back up your data.Also, make sure that your system hardware supports Vista.

You also need to have genuine windows XP and windows Vista disks handy with you.

1. Partition your hard drive. In Windows XP, using the $50 PartitionMagic or (according to one of our readers) the free GParted Live CD, create a new "primary" partition to install Vista on. Make it at least 20 gigabytes in size.
2. Install Vista on the new partition. Pop in the Vista CD and point it to your newly-created partition as the installation destination. Installation will restart your machine at various points.
3. Choose your operating system on boot. Once Vista is installed on your newly-created partition, on boot up, you'll get a choice to start XP or Vista. The default is Vista. However, this can be changed using Vista's boot manager.
When you're up and running with Windows Vista, be sure to check our our Vista upgrade power tips.
The original article appears below for posterity, and it's still got relevant screenshots and other info for those of you looking to dual-boot XP and Vista.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNZi5fLpqus

(WATCH THE ABOVE VIDEO FOR MORE HELP)

Cheers :-)