Computersight -

If you are running Windows Vista, and have a desire to dual boot another OS, but don’t want to get rid of your current one, this guide will help you. For example, If you really want to try the new Windows 7 and not commit to it, I will show you how.

You will need:

• An OS installation CD of your choice.
• The amount of required hard disk space your OS requires.
• Computer running Windows Vista (Windows 7 will work also)

Before you begin, make sure all your files are backed up, there is always a chance something could go wrong when messing with the hard drive. This is a small chance though if you do it right.

1. Go to Start>Right-Click Computer> Manage

2. On the left pane, Click Disk Management under Storage.

• You should see your current partitions. Most OEM computers come with 2 partitions, the main C: Drive, and a recovery drive.

3.  Right Click the drive you want to partition from. Click Shrink Volume.

4. It will then ask how much of it you want to shrink. 1024Mb is 1 Gigabyte. Use a calculator to find out how many Mb/Gb you want to reserve for your new OS.

5. After shrinking the volume, Right Click the newly unallocated space and click New Simple Volume. The wizard will guide you through creating the partition. When it gets to Format Partition, make sure you format it using NTFS, and Default under allocation unit size.

6. After it formats, you are ready to install the OS on it. Restart your computer with your OS disc in, and make sure you hit the corresponding button to open boot options on your bios when the computer starts up again.

7 In Boot Options, select your CD drive, and boot from there.

8. The OS installation wizard will appear and will guide you through the rest of the process.

IMPORTANT: When installing the OS, make sure you select the newly made partition you want to install on. If you select the partitiont that has your old OS, it will format it and you will lose all your data.

9. Enjoy!