So, Which Should I Install First...

[Lord Orwell]

Win2k and WinXP's partitioning tool is just as easy to use as the Vista/Win7's during the boot setup. The Vista/Win7's tool just got a face lift, but you click the same buttons to create/delete/format partitions during setup.

it's not as powerful as the one in 7's. 7 has the ability to shrink the current partition without erasing any data in it. This lets you create a new partition for 7 to reside in.

[JuggaloBrotha]

it's not as powerful as the one in 7's. 7 has the ability to shrink the current partition without erasing any data in it. This lets you create a new partition for 7 to reside in.

The only time shrinking a partition has been useful to me is if I shrink the end partition to expand the first two partitions, which MS doesn't do in the setup partitioner nor the Computer Management Partitioner (in Windows). I've had to go with a Linux boot utility for that.

[Lord Orwell]

The only time shrinking a partition has been useful to me is if I shrink the end partition to expand the first two partitions, which MS doesn't do in the setup partitioner nor the Computer Management Partitioner (in Windows). I've had to go with a Linux boot utility for that.

that's because resizing the first partition is easy. You simply defrag and tell the os it's smaller afterwards. Resizing the second partition like you just said would require moving all the data in the partition farther down the list.