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A friend built a new computer and ask me to install the new OS on the one TB hard drive. What he wants and what he has read about is partitioning the new drive into 5 partitions. One for Win 7 Ultimate, One for XP, one for drivers, one for pics and one for important files and docs. This I have never done this and as it seems to me that drivers should go on the same partition as the OS. If the drivers went to a different partition then it would have to search for the drivers therefore maybe causing a slow down? Anyway as I said this is a new puter that has never been booted as there is no software on it yet. While installing the the main OS, Win 7 Ultimate, will I be able to create all the partitions at that time? I think I need step by step instructions on this whole process cuz as you know Murphy still resides here...lol

Okay Homey, yer about ta wish ya'd never been born.

It's possible to have different OS's on different partitions.
Bill Gates built in a nice lil present for those who try though.
It's a little something which won't allow boot managers to survive the process.
So at each stage of the installs you gave to save the separate OS Boot Managers to different locations so the new version can't overwrite or delete them.
You can partition during the first OS install.
Remember Win7 takes a crap load of space just itself.
I haven't done this process myself (because of the above, otherwise I'd still be running XP), but read up on it when Win7 came out.
You need to Google it and read several different approaches.
Sorry can't be of more help.
(For Bushy..: Also, don't forget to make one of those installs, Linux!)

- Shadow_Homfixr

A friend built a new computer and ask me to install the new OS on the one TB hard drive. What he wants and what he has read about is partitioning the new drive into 5 partitions. One for Win 7 Ultimate, One for XP, one for drivers, one for pics and one for important files and docs. This I have never done this and as it seems to me that drivers should go on the same partition as the OS. If the drivers went to a different partition then it would have to search for the drivers therefore maybe causing a slow down? Anyway as I said this is a new puter that has never been booted as there is no software on it yet. While installing the the main OS, Win 7 Ultimate, will I be able to create all the partitions at that time? I think I need step by step instructions on this whole process cuz as you know Murphy still resides here...lol

First I used Linux GRUB on a CD to partition the drive. Then used EasyBCD boot manager: EasyBCD. Then Installed Window XP Professional 32 bit and all the updates for XP a few hours worth of downloading and updating. Then using Windows 7 Professional 64 update disc installed Windows 7. Using EasyBCD, have Windows 7 as the first boot to be automatically loaded after ten seconds. So far no issues between the two OS's. Reading about Windows 8, the new OS format will not allow one to install another OS on the drive.

Oh just wonderful...lol Guess I have got some reading to do . Thanks alot guys for the input as he might have to settle for just one OS...lol.

Thanks jrocky and Homey, it has to be in that order too. If you install XP last, it'll overwrite the boot record to show only XP.

Currently, I run on 2 partitions. 1 is for Win7 and the other for Linux Mint (Which I'm on 99% of the time). I use Win7 for gaming as it's a great gaming platform. There are also a few business programs I need to run that's Win only, so I've installed Virtual Box in Linux and installed my favorite flavor(s) of Windows inside there for Win programs that doesn't require intensive processing such as games do.

For those of you that's not tried Virtual Box, you don't know what you're missing... (1 way to run Win 8 with your other OS' jrocky... )

- Shadow_Bshwackr

Thanks jrocky and Homey, it has to be in that order too. If you install XP last, it'll overwrite the boot record to show only XP.

Currently, I run on 2 partitions. 1 is for Win7 and the other for Linux Mint (Which I'm on 99% of the time). I use Win7 for gaming as it's a great gaming platform. There are also a few business programs I need to run that's Win only, so I've installed Virtual Box in Linux and installed my favorite flavor(s) of Windows inside there for Win programs that doesn't require intensive processing such as games do.

For those of you that's not tried Virtual Box, you don't know what you're missing... (1 way to run Win 8 with your other OS' jrocky... )

Thanks Shadow on Virtual Box. Most likely will not install Windows 8 until maybe it is reviewed, tested by the super geeks.

I wouldn't install 8 unless you have to. I have a developers copy that I'm 'looking' into. It's a fair statement to say that Win8 is designed for the "Social Media, touch screen" crowd. I'm sure MS is going after the masses with this release and trying to come up with an OS that's going to 'look and function' the same no matter what device you're on. Are you going to need new hardware to run 8? Of course you will, if you want to use all the cool new features...

It has a new interface/desktop functionality (called Metro) that takes some getting used to if your equipment isn't set up for touch screen.

To see some new features of Win8 at YouTube, Click HERE!

Homey, I use a partition manager called Gparted, which in built in to almost all Debian Linux Live Installs. You can get a stand alone version that you can boot from HERE!