Windows 7 Installing Win7 on Athlon

Hello and welcome to the forum!

There are plenty of other ways to go about this, but only one way I'll recommend. Some may be easier but imho, this way is most effective and fool-proof.

That's to download and burn the .iso to cd of a Linux live disc called gparted - Download GParted from SourceForge.net

Once burned, boot to the cd you just made. Once up and running, use it to format what you've called the D partition. (It will probably not have letters in this software.)

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Now to re-attempt Windows installation. I would recommend you look in the bios for a setting called Plug and Play OS. If it in fact does exists, set it to yes or enabled. Save. If it doesn't exist, don't worry about it.

I would create a USB installation key from the Windows DVD, to install Windows from. You'd have to set the bios to boot from the USB key now. In many instances, the bios sees the USB key as a hard drive. You might have to keep that in mind while looking for it while making this setting.

You can Google for how to create the Windows installation USB key. It isn't very difficult to do.

It is the most guaranteed way to install Windows for you, to have success, since you've already had issues.

Welcome to the forums,

Although the dogs are out of the hen house, or whatever analogy you might want to use in this instance, I would not recommend running both on separate partitions. I would recommend creating an index of the software you have in Windows XP, back up the important files that you can, and migrate the whole computer to Windows 7. You are wasting your activations, and valuable time, by dual booting this way. By using XP, you are relying on the sustainability of an operating system that was released in 2001. You may be operating under the assumption that you need to test this new software to make sure it works - yet most would assure you that Windows 7 is possibly the most extensively tested Windows in the history of the system. The open beta was by far the largest of any operating system. Not only that, but Windows 7 runs at nearly the same performance level, if not better, than XP.

I would suggest you just collect all of the software you will need to re-install under Windows 7, backup your important files, and use the clean install method. I would honestly compare this to running Windows 3.1 and Windows 98 in two separate partitions at this point - it is nonsensical for you to waste your time and resources this way. Unless you have files to recover on the Windows 7 partition - ditch this idea altogether. Combine your partitions, perform the file backup and software collection you need (likely using an external drive), and clean install Windows 7. If you have compatibility problems with programs in Windows 7, you are going to have the option to use XP Mode or a virtualization solution to run these programs under a guest system while Windows 7 is still online.

Slowly, but surely, time is running out for Windows XP. It's days are numbered, and it has created more problems than it is currently worth - a lot more problems. While I know this advice won't cure the short-term situation, it will certainly prevent the long-term one, where your system is split between 2001 and 2009. Best of luck, Michael.