Posts by William Cooper5

My apologies if this isn't quite the right subforum for this kind of thing.

The firm I work for is running an unlicensed version of Windows 7 Ultimate. Because we rely on this one specific legacy program, upgrading to Windows 10 or even attempting a system backup isn't really on the table right now. Since you can't just go out and buy Windows 7 anymore—I've only seen these sketchy licenses floating around random sites or eBay—what’s the actual protocol here to make sure the company stays compliant during an audit? Is there any legitimate way to still purchase a license and properly register the OS we currently have installed?

Thanks,

Nathan Ramos said:1. Start by wiping the drive completely.
2. Reformat everything so you have strictly just one single partition.
3. Install Windows 7
4. Grab a partition manager tool or something similar to split up that space later.
5. While you are running Windows 7, initiate the installation of Windows XP onto one of those partitions.

Think of it like this: while you're already up and running in Windows 7, just pop in the Windows XP disc and run the setup from there.

How am I supposed to launch an XP installation while I'm already inside Windows 7? I can get the autoplay to trigger, but it won't actually let me hit install.

Alright, here's the deal. I'm trying to get Windows XP installed on this new laptop. The plan is to set up a dual boot alongside Windows 7. I can see that there are actually drivers available for XP for this specific machine, but for the life of me, I cannot get the OS to install. I've already burned through at least four different installation discs, and I even went into the BIOS to switch from SATA to compatible mode. All I get is "Setup is starting Windows," then a flash of a blue screen—not even a full BSOD, just a flicker—for about two seconds before the whole thing shuts down.
I've been scouring the internet all night looking for a fix, but I haven't found a single thing that actually makes sense or works.
The laptop in question is a Dell Inspiron running an Intel Core i5.