triple-bootI finally got around to installing Windows 7 beta on my Asus Eee PC 1000H last night. I downloaded it shortly after returning from CES, but I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to use it. But last night I set aside a few hours to install Windows 7 and CrunchEee on my netbook and watch some bad TV while waiting for files to copy.

My initial impression is that Windows 7 runs great on the Eee PC. This doesn’t really surprise me, since people have been saying for weeks that Windows 7 runs like a dream on netbooks ranging from the Eee PC 900 to the Apricot PicBook Pro, both of which have less capable processors than the Eee PC 1000H.

But now that I have a triple boot system, I was surprised to note that Windows 7, Windows XP, and CrunchEee Linux all take just around 60 seconds to boot into a fully useable desktop. To be fair, I’ve been running Windows XP for about 4 months and there are probably a few programs that are slowing down the system startup in XP. So it’s likely that on a clean install, it would take about 50 seconds to boot Windows XP, 58 seconds to boot CrunchEee, and about 60 seconds to boot WIndows 7.

I shot a short video showing the boot times for each OS, which you can see after the break. Keep in mind I have two different bootloaders to sift through here, GRUB and the Windows 7 bootloader. So if I want to launch CrunchEee I just hit the button for it at the first menu. But to launch Windows XP I need to first select Windows and then scroll down to select Windows XP. This slows the boot process down a bit.

I’ll be using Windows 7 a bit more over the next few months and you’ll be able to keep up with my latest tips and impressions both here and at Download Squad, where I’ll be covering the less netbook-specific aspects of the operating system.

Thanks Robert Nelson!

Now on to the video:


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7 replies on “Triple Boot Video: Windows 7, XP and CrunchEee on my Eee PC”

  1. Oi, just grab the nlited version of XP. 16 second cold boot time, and a 6 second hibernation to on time. Same effects can be pulled off with a nlited Vista, and soon to be Windows 7.

  2. Can you tell me which method you used to arrive at a functioning bootloader? I have seen two methods described: 1) – install XP, then Linux (with Grub overwriting the MBR), then W7, rebooting with a Linux live CD and repairing the Grub that W7 over-wrote; and 2) – XP, Linux, W7, and then running EasyBCD to reconfigure the W7 bootloader.

    Thanks!

  3. I haven’t watched the video yet, but beware of later BIOS updates. There are some fairly well-documented problems with the most recent Eee BIOS versions and the Windows Vista/7 bootloader, which results in a black screen after boot. Essentially, it looks like recent BIOS versions send back video information to the BCD, which passes it on to the OS. When the OS goes to switch into “normal” resolution (when it loads the login window, or user settings if you have autologin) it fails and gives a black screen instead.

    I’m running Windows XP, Windows 7, Ubuntu, and Mac OS X on my Eee 901 here. Grub manages boot selection, and it goes something like this:

    Ubuntu: Grub > Ubuntu
    Mac OS X: Grub > Chameleon > Mac OS X
    Windows XP: Grub > NTLDR > Windows XP
    Windows 7: Grub > BCD > Windows 7

    Previously when I was using BCD to boot into XP as well I’d get a black screen there too.

  4. That’s awesome. I’m very glad you posted this. I just got my MSI Wind today, and I plan on making it a triple-booter, too. But with XP, OS X, and some lightweight Linux, like DSL, for (hopefully) a fast booter to the Internet.

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