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I have PC#1 with Windows 10 installed on its SSD drive. I have PC#2 with Windows 7 installed on its SSD drive. What I want to do is combine those 2 already-installed OS on 2 partitions of the same SSD. I want to temporarely use this unique SSD on my 2 PCs by physically connecting the SSD to one of the PCs.

I cloned my 2nd SSD containing Windows 7 on a new partition of my first SSD (using EasyUS Partition Master).

I now have my 2 OSs on the same SSD. My problem is obviously the booting. Since Windows 10 was the first OS installed on the drive, it is booted by default when I use it on PC#1. I don't know what to do to force the booting of Windows 7 when I use it on PC#2.

I still have the installation CD of Windows 7 so I tried to boot from it, but it offers me to install Windows 7 and that's not what I want to do.

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No information about Windows 7 was installed into the Windows Boot Manager when the second OS partition is copied over to the Windows 10 disk, so the second OS isn't bootable on either system.

  1. It is possible to manually make changes to Windows Boot Manager to add Windows 7 as a boot option. You may be able to automate these changes by using a Windows Installation Media to repair the Windows 7 installation's boot options.

  2. Setting up your system for dual boot will definitely do the trick:

    1. Backup and remove your current Windows 7 partition(s)
    2. Boot to Windows 7 installation media
    3. Install Windows 7 to the same disk as Windows 10
      • This step causes the appropriate changes to be made into the boot manager to dual boot
    4. Verify that you may choose between Windows 10 and Windows 7 when rebooting
    5. Replace the Windows 7 partition with your back-up.
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  • So if I get it correctly, I do step #1 or #2 not both? #2 seems good. Just to make sure I get it. For step #1 to #4, it seems pretty straight forward. For step 5, I need some precision. Once I installed a brand new Win 7 on a different partition of my SSD and confirmed the dual booting is working, I can completely wipe this partition and then clone PC#2 SSD to my main SSD like I did in the first place? That's brilliant. I'm looking forward to try it!
    – Alexandre Darsigny
    Feb 28, 2021 at 2:48
  • That's not working. Windows 7 do not want to install on my new partition because my disk is GPT and my PC doesn't support UEFI. I gave up on that. I took an old HDD instead and did a disk to disk clone instead. If anybody has the same idea one today, just don't do it.
    – Alexandre Darsigny
    Feb 28, 2021 at 16:27

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