I have some really basic windows installation questions - I have a laptop running windows xp with the hard drive partitioned in two halves, C and D. D was empty as far as I could tell, so I reformatted it to NTFS and installed windows vista on it last night. It seemed to work OK. Now,
Do I need to reinstall all the software applications I need onto the D drive to use them under vista? The computer can’t just use them from the C part?
Similarly, I could see all my files on the C drive fine, so I guess I can just leave them there and manipulate them from vista no problem?
Is this is a normal, respectable, everyday way to set up a laptop, ie have a choice of two operating systems, or will it cause problems?
Say I really like vista and want to get rid of xp, how would you do that?
Thanks!
In most cases, yes, because the applications will have created necessary entries in the registry and may have placed dll files into the system folders (on the old Windows installation). In cases where the application consists of a fairly simple set of files, or a single executable, all in the same place (sometimes the case with freeware and open source software), you should be able to run it without reinstalling (subject to Vista actually letting you do it).
Documents and stuff? Sure - just don’t forget that’s where you left them in the event that you decide to format the old partition.
Just to clarify Mangetout’s response, he was stating that yes, you will have to reinstall most of your apps, not yes you can just use them straight from the C partition. Installing an app is more than just putting files on your hard drive. Most prorgams keep a great deal of critical installation and configuration information in a central Windows database called the registry. The information stored here varies from application to application, but in general, information about where the program’s data files have been stored, what and where its plugins (if applicable) are, registration information (again, if applicable) and so on. While your XP installation on drive C will have this information, your Vista installation on D will not, so it is necessary to install these apps again to get them working under Vista. Note however that if you install them under Vista to the same places they are installed to on C, it may cease to function under your XP installation if the program being installed is designed to install different files in order to support Vista.