Microsoft released Windows XP in 2001. Windows 7 was released in 2009 as an upgrade to both Windows XP and Windows Vista. Windows XP and 7 operate differently and require their own partitions on a computer to function properly. Windows 7 is aware of XP and can dual boot. However, since XP was released before 7, it must be installed to the computer first. You can install Windows 7 and XP to the same computer by creating two partitions and installing XP first. Writer Bio
