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2 Harddisk with the same drive letters


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Guest flahmeshess
Posted

I have 2 harddisk, 1 installed with Win2K and one with WinXP. Both

have the same drive letters, C,D,E. The OS is installed on C.

 

I would attached 1 drive at a time to start up the OS. I need to copy

some files across (without using an external HDD). What would happen

if I attached both the drives ? Would the OS be corrupted and then

not be bootable ?

 

Thanks.

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Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)
Posted

Re: 2 Harddisk with the same drive letters

 

 

"flahmeshess" <dingdongdingding@yahoo.com> wrote in message

news:007958a8-21cc-4eba-a7e5-12114ea9429e@i24g2000prf.googlegroups.com...

>I have 2 harddisk, 1 installed with Win2K and one with WinXP. Both

> have the same drive letters, C,D,E. The OS is installed on C.

>

> I would attached 1 drive at a time to start up the OS. I need to copy

> some files across (without using an external HDD). What would happen

> if I attached both the drives ? Would the OS be corrupted and then

> not be bootable ?

>

> Thanks.

 

One disk will be the primary master disk. It will retain the

existing drive letters C:, D: and E:. The other will be a

slave disk or a secondary master disk. It will be assigned

the next available letters. When you reconnect it by itself

later on, it will use the original letters C:, D: and E:.

Guest flahmeshess
Posted

Re: 2 Harddisk with the same drive letters

 

Thanks Pegasus.

That's interesting. That means that I didn't have to unplug the

harddisk in the first place.

 

What do I need to do in this case ? When I'm in WinXP, before I

reboot, I mark the Win2K partition as active and then reboot ? Then

when I want to reboot WinXP, I mark the Win2K as active ? Is that

what I need to do ?

 

As I have unplug the Win2K to install my WinXP, now I don't have dual

boot. How do I create dual boot now that both the OS are running ?

In my Win2K, I have a panel that allows me to select to boot to OS or

Recovery console, can I make use of that ? Can point me to any

website that teaches me how to update the file to include WinXP as

another OS to boot ?

 

Thanks !!!!!!!

 

On Jul 22, 1:24 am, "Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I....@fly.com.oz> wrote:

> "flahmeshess" <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

>

> news:007958a8-21cc-4eba-a7e5-12114ea9429e@i24g2000prf.googlegroups.com...

>

> >I have 2 harddisk, 1 installed with Win2K and one with WinXP.  Both

> > have the same drive letters, C,D,E.  The OS is installed on C.

>

> > I would attached 1 drive at a time to start up the OS.  I need to copy

> > some files across (without using an external HDD).  What would happen

> > if I attached both the drives ?  Would the OS be corrupted and then

> > not be bootable ?

>

> > Thanks.

>

> One disk will be the primary master disk. It will retain the

> existing drive letters C:, D: and E:. The other will be a

> slave disk or a secondary master disk. It will be assigned

> the next available letters. When you reconnect it by itself

> later on, it will use the original letters C:, D: and E:.

Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)
Posted

Re: 2 Harddisk with the same drive letters

 

 

"flahmeshess" <dingdongdingding@yahoo.com> wrote in message

news:24a460ff-4a7f-460f-8985-d2e08fb8211e@j33g2000pri.googlegroups.com...

Thanks Pegasus.

That's interesting. That means that I didn't have to unplug the

harddisk in the first place.

 

What do I need to do in this case ? When I'm in WinXP, before I

reboot, I mark the Win2K partition as active and then reboot ? Then

when I want to reboot WinXP, I mark the Win2K as active ? Is that

what I need to do ?

 

As I have unplug the Win2K to install my WinXP, now I don't have dual

boot. How do I create dual boot now that both the OS are running ?

In my Win2K, I have a panel that allows me to select to boot to OS or

Recovery console, can I make use of that ? Can point me to any

website that teaches me how to update the file to include WinXP as

another OS to boot ?

 

Thanks !!!!!!!

 

==============================

 

Multi-booting is a completely different question than the one you

started off with. There are several ways to do it:

- Use the native Windows boot manager, by adjusting c:\boot.ini

to suit your requirements. Very primitive and in your case not

an option.

- Use the BIOS to make one or the other disk the primary master.

Some BIOSs can do it, others can't. I think it's a clumsy method.

- Use a proper boot loader. The good ones let you boot into

any partition and hide other partitions selectively.

 

The one I use is XOSL (free). In your case I would create a

15 MByte XOSL partition on either disk and take it from there.

However, I would first play with it, using a spare disk, until I

was completely at ease with it. If you have a free IDE slot and

if you can lay your hands on an old hard disk (ask your friendly

computer dealer if he has a very small disk!) then you could use

it for XOSL, completely risk-free.

 

There are several other boot loaders. Create another post,

asking for further suggestions.

Guest flahmeshess
Posted

Re: 2 Harddisk with the same drive letters

 

Hi ! Wow...thanks very much for the detail explanation. But if I

decided to just plug in 2 harddisk and just use the BIOS to select

which one to boot up, it will work, right ? When I select Win2K

harddisk, all the drive letters on that HDD will be correctly assigned

and the driver letter on the WinXP will be changed by Win2K. When I

use BIOS to select the WinXP, all the drive letters on the WinXP HDD

will be correctly assigned while the drive letter on the Win2K HDD

will be changed by WinXP.... so did I understand your post correctly ?

 

On Jul 22, 2:11 pm, "Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I....@fly.com.oz> wrote:

> "flahmeshess" <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

>

> news:24a460ff-4a7f-460f-8985-d2e08fb8211e@j33g2000pri.googlegroups.com...

> Thanks Pegasus.

> That's interesting.  That means that I didn't have to unplug the

> harddisk in the first place.

>

> What do I need to do in this case ?  When I'm in WinXP, before I

> reboot, I mark the Win2K partition as active and then reboot ?  Then

> when I want to reboot WinXP, I mark the Win2K as active ?   Is that

> what I need to do ?

>

> As I have unplug the Win2K to install my WinXP, now I don't have dual

> boot.  How do I create dual boot now that both the OS are running ?

> In my Win2K, I have a panel that allows me to select to boot to OS or

> Recovery console, can I make use of that ?  Can point me to any

> website that teaches me how to update the file to include WinXP as

> another OS to boot ?

>

> Thanks !!!!!!!

>

> ==============================

>

> Multi-booting is a completely different question than the one you

> started off with. There are several ways to do it:

> - Use the native Windows boot manager, by adjusting c:\boot.ini

>    to suit your requirements. Very primitive and in your case not

>    an option.

> - Use the BIOS to make one or the other disk the primary master.

>    Some BIOSs can do it, others can't. I think it's a clumsy method.

> - Use a proper boot loader. The good ones let you boot into

>    any partition and hide other partitions selectively.

>

> The one I use is XOSL (free). In your case I would create a

> 15 MByte XOSL partition on either disk and take it from there.

> However, I would first play with it, using a spare disk, until I

> was completely at ease with it. If you have a free IDE slot and

> if you can lay your hands on an old hard disk (ask your friendly

> computer dealer if he has a very small disk!) then you could use

> it for XOSL, completely risk-free.

>

> There are several other boot loaders. Create another post,

> asking for further suggestions.

Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)
Posted

Re: 2 Harddisk with the same drive letters

 

 

"flahmeshess" <dingdongdingding@yahoo.com> wrote in message

news:11664415-778d-4bf5-91fa-fd7203923340@t54g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...

Hi ! Wow...thanks very much for the detail explanation. But if I

decided to just plug in 2 harddisk and just use the BIOS to select

which one to boot up, it will work, right ? When I select Win2K

harddisk, all the drive letters on that HDD will be correctly assigned

and the driver letter on the WinXP will be changed by Win2K. When I

use BIOS to select the WinXP, all the drive letters on the WinXP HDD

will be correctly assigned while the drive letter on the Win2K HDD

will be changed by WinXP.... so did I understand your post correctly ?

 

=================

 

I have never used the BIOS method myself - I only read about it

in reports from other posters. You would have to try it for yourself

or create another thread to get more details. Whatever you do, you

must ensure that the current drive letters remain as they are. Since

both installations use C: as the system drive, they must retain C:. If

you attempt to launch Windows off D:, for example, then you will

either have a system that uses some files on D: and others on C:

(which is bad) or you won't be able to log on (which is worse).

Having a second PC that is networked to the test PC would essential

for the subsequent repair/recovery process.

 

Create another post and ask about multi-booting!

Guest flahmeshess
Posted

Re: 2 Harddisk with the same drive letters

 

Ok. Thanks for your help. I'll think about using the SOXL or stick

to my plug unplug method. Once my migration to WinXP is complete, I

won't need my Win2K.

 

On Jul 22, 7:44 pm, "Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I....@fly.com.oz> wrote:

> "flahmeshess" <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

>

> news:11664415-778d-4bf5-91fa-fd7203923340@t54g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...

> Hi ! Wow...thanks very much for the detail explanation. But if I

> decided to just plug in 2 harddisk and just use the BIOS to select

> which one to boot up, it will work, right ? When I select Win2K

> harddisk, all the drive letters on that HDD will be correctly assigned

> and the driver letter on the WinXP will be changed by Win2K. When I

> use BIOS to select the WinXP, all the drive letters on the WinXP HDD

> will be correctly assigned while the drive letter on the Win2K HDD

> will be changed by WinXP.... so did I understand your post correctly ?

>

> =================

>

> I have never used the BIOS method myself - I only read about it

> in reports from other posters. You would have to try it for yourself

> or create another thread to get more details. Whatever you do, you

> must ensure that the current drive letters remain as they are. Since

> both installations use C: as the system drive, they must retain C:. If

> you attempt to launch Windows off D:, for example, then you will

> either have a system that uses some files on D: and others on C:

> (which is bad) or you won't be able to log on (which is worse).

> Having a second PC that is networked to the test PC would essential

> for the subsequent repair/recovery process.

>

> Create another post and ask about multi-booting!

Guest John John (MVP)
Posted

Re: 2 Harddisk with the same drive letters

 

You can toggle the drives in the BIOS (without unplugging them) and the

installations will maintain their respective drive letter assignment

when they are booted, the Mount Manager's drive letter assignment is

persistent and it will be respected.

 

You can also boot the Windows 2000 installation from the Windows XP boot

menu, you just need to add a line to the Windows 2000 installation in

the boot.ini file (the one on the XP drive) and it will allow you to

dual boot with the Ntldr boot loader. There again, the Mount Manager's

drive letter assignment will still be respected and the booted

installation will retain its assigned drive letter. You can also boot

the Windows XP installation from the Windows 2000 boot menu, but to do

so you will have to replace the Windows 2000 version of the shared files

ntldr & NTDETECT.COM, the Windows 2000 version of these files cannot

boot the newer Windows XP, the XP version of the files can boot the

older Windows 2000.

 

John

 

flahmeshess wrote:

> Ok. Thanks for your help. I'll think about using the SOXL or stick

> to my plug unplug method. Once my migration to WinXP is complete, I

> won't need my Win2K.

>

> On Jul 22, 7:44 pm, "Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I....@fly.com.oz> wrote:

>

>>"flahmeshess" <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

>>

>>news:11664415-778d-4bf5-91fa-fd7203923340@t54g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...

>>Hi ! Wow...thanks very much for the detail explanation. But if I

>>decided to just plug in 2 harddisk and just use the BIOS to select

>>which one to boot up, it will work, right ? When I select Win2K

>>harddisk, all the drive letters on that HDD will be correctly assigned

>>and the driver letter on the WinXP will be changed by Win2K. When I

>>use BIOS to select the WinXP, all the drive letters on the WinXP HDD

>>will be correctly assigned while the drive letter on the Win2K HDD

>>will be changed by WinXP.... so did I understand your post correctly ?

>>

>>=================

>>

>>I have never used the BIOS method myself - I only read about it

>>in reports from other posters. You would have to try it for yourself

>>or create another thread to get more details. Whatever you do, you

>>must ensure that the current drive letters remain as they are. Since

>>both installations use C: as the system drive, they must retain C:. If

>>you attempt to launch Windows off D:, for example, then you will

>>either have a system that uses some files on D: and others on C:

>>(which is bad) or you won't be able to log on (which is worse).

>>Having a second PC that is networked to the test PC would essential

>>for the subsequent repair/recovery process.

>>

>>Create another post and ask about multi-booting!

>

>

Guest flahmeshess
Posted

Re: 2 Harddisk with the same drive letters

 

Thanks very much John ... and thanks Pegasus....

 

On Jul 22, 11:44 pm, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

> You can toggle the drives in the BIOS (without unplugging them) and the

> installations will maintain their respective drive letter assignment

> when they are booted, the Mount Manager's drive letter assignment is

> persistent and it will be respected.

>

> You can also boot the Windows 2000 installation from the Windows XP boot

> menu, you just need to add a line to the Windows 2000 installation in

> the boot.ini file (the one on the XP drive) and it will allow you to

> dual boot with the Ntldr boot loader. There again, the Mount Manager's

> drive letter assignment will still be respected and the booted

> installation will retain its assigned drive letter. You can also boot

> the Windows XP installation from the Windows 2000 boot menu, but to do

> so you will have to replace the Windows 2000 version of the shared files

> ntldr & NTDETECT.COM, the Windows 2000 version of these files cannot

> boot the newer Windows XP, the XP version of the files can boot the

> older Windows 2000.

>

> John

>

> flahmeshess wrote:

> > Ok. Thanks for your help. I'll think about using the SOXL or stick

> > to my plug unplug method. Once my migration to WinXP is complete, I

> > won't need my Win2K.

>

> > On Jul 22, 7:44 pm, "Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I....@fly.com.oz> wrote:

>

> >>"flahmeshess" <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

>

> >>news:11664415-778d-4bf5-91fa-fd7203923340@t54g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...

> >>Hi ! Wow...thanks very much for the detail explanation. But if I

> >>decided to just plug in 2 harddisk and just use the BIOS to select

> >>which one to boot up, it will work, right ? When I select Win2K

> >>harddisk, all the drive letters on that HDD will be correctly assigned

> >>and the driver letter on the WinXP will be changed by Win2K. When I

> >>use BIOS to select the WinXP, all the drive letters on the WinXP HDD

> >>will be correctly assigned while the drive letter on the Win2K HDD

> >>will be changed by WinXP.... so did I understand your post correctly ?

>

> >>=================

>

> >>I have never used the BIOS method myself - I only read about it

> >>in reports from other posters. You would have to try it for yourself

> >>or create another thread to get more details. Whatever you do, you

> >>must ensure that the current drive letters remain as they are. Since

> >>both installations use C: as the system drive, they must retain C:. If

> >>you attempt to launch Windows off D:, for example, then you will

> >>either have a system that uses some files on D: and others on C:

> >>(which is bad) or you won't be able to log on (which is worse).

> >>Having a second PC that is networked to the test PC would essential

> >>for the subsequent repair/recovery process.

>

> >>Create another post and ask about multi-booting!

Guest flahmeshess
Posted

Re: 2 Harddisk with the same drive letters

 

oh... one thought came to my mind...

 

is that case, should I have unplug my Win2K before I install my

WinXP ? Would I still be able to get the proper drive letter for

WinXP even thought the C, D, E drives are already assigned to Win2K ?

 

On Jul 23, 12:24 am, flahmeshess <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Thanks very much John ... and thanks Pegasus....

>

> On Jul 22, 11:44 pm, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

>

>

>

> > You can toggle the drives in the BIOS (without unplugging them) and the

> > installations will maintain their respective drive letter assignment

> > when they are booted, the Mount Manager's drive letter assignment is

> > persistent and it will be respected.

>

> > You can also boot the Windows 2000 installation from the Windows XP boot

> > menu, you just need to add a line to the Windows 2000 installation in

> > the boot.ini file (the one on the XP drive) and it will allow you to

> > dual boot with the Ntldr boot loader.  There again, the Mount Manager's

> > drive letter assignment will still be respected and the booted

> > installation will retain its assigned drive letter.  You can also boot

> > the Windows XP installation from the Windows 2000 boot menu, but to do

> > so you will have to replace the Windows 2000 version of the shared files

> > ntldr & NTDETECT.COM, the Windows 2000 version of these files cannot

> > boot the newer Windows XP, the XP version of the files can boot the

> > older Windows 2000.

>

> > John

>

> > flahmeshess wrote:

> > > Ok.  Thanks for your help.  I'll think about using the SOXL or stick

> > > to my plug unplug method. Once my migration to WinXP is complete, I

> > > won't need my Win2K.

>

> > > On Jul 22, 7:44 pm, "Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I....@fly.com.oz> wrote:

>

> > >>"flahmeshess" <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

>

> > >>news:11664415-778d-4bf5-91fa-fd7203923340@t54g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...

> > >>Hi ! Wow...thanks very much for the detail explanation.  But if I

> > >>decided to just plug in 2 harddisk and just use the BIOS to select

> > >>which one to boot up, it will work, right ?  When I select Win2K

> > >>harddisk, all the drive letters on that HDD will be correctly assigned

> > >>and the driver letter on the WinXP will be changed by Win2K.  When I

> > >>use BIOS to select the WinXP, all the drive letters on the WinXP HDD

> > >>will be correctly assigned while the drive letter on the Win2K HDD

> > >>will be changed by WinXP.... so did I understand your post correctly ?

>

> > >>=================

>

> > >>I have never used the BIOS method myself - I only read about it

> > >>in reports from other posters. You would have to try it for yourself

> > >>or create another thread to get more details. Whatever you do, you

> > >>must ensure that the current drive letters remain as they are. Since

> > >>both installations use C: as the system drive, they must retain C:. If

> > >>you attempt to launch Windows off D:, for example, then you will

> > >>either have a system that uses some files on D: and others on C:

> > >>(which is bad) or you won't be able to log on (which is worse).

> > >>Having a second PC that is networked to the test PC would essential

> > >>for the subsequent repair/recovery process.

>

> > >>Create another post and ask about multi-booting!- Hide quoted text -

>

> - Show quoted text -

Guest John John (MVP)
Posted

Re: 2 Harddisk with the same drive letters

 

I don't quite follow here. I thought that the operating systems were

already installed and that they were installed independently of one another?

 

John

 

flahmeshess wrote:

> oh... one thought came to my mind...

>

> is that case, should I have unplug my Win2K before I install my

> WinXP ? Would I still be able to get the proper drive letter for

> WinXP even thought the C, D, E drives are already assigned to Win2K ?

>

> On Jul 23, 12:24 am, flahmeshess <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>

>>Thanks very much John ... and thanks Pegasus....

>>

>>On Jul 22, 11:44 pm, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>>You can toggle the drives in the BIOS (without unplugging them) and the

>>>installations will maintain their respective drive letter assignment

>>>when they are booted, the Mount Manager's drive letter assignment is

>>>persistent and it will be respected.

>>

>>>You can also boot the Windows 2000 installation from the Windows XP boot

>>>menu, you just need to add a line to the Windows 2000 installation in

>>>the boot.ini file (the one on the XP drive) and it will allow you to

>>>dual boot with the Ntldr boot loader. There again, the Mount Manager's

>>>drive letter assignment will still be respected and the booted

>>>installation will retain its assigned drive letter. You can also boot

>>>the Windows XP installation from the Windows 2000 boot menu, but to do

>>>so you will have to replace the Windows 2000 version of the shared files

>>>ntldr & NTDETECT.COM, the Windows 2000 version of these files cannot

>>>boot the newer Windows XP, the XP version of the files can boot the

>>>older Windows 2000.

>>

>>>John

>>

>>>flahmeshess wrote:

>>>

>>>>Ok. Thanks for your help. I'll think about using the SOXL or stick

>>>>to my plug unplug method. Once my migration to WinXP is complete, I

>>>>won't need my Win2K.

>>

>>>>On Jul 22, 7:44 pm, "Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I....@fly.com.oz> wrote:

>>

>>>>>"flahmeshess" <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

>>

>>>>>news:11664415-778d-4bf5-91fa-fd7203923340@t54g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...

>>>>>Hi ! Wow...thanks very much for the detail explanation. But if I

>>>>>decided to just plug in 2 harddisk and just use the BIOS to select

>>>>>which one to boot up, it will work, right ? When I select Win2K

>>>>>harddisk, all the drive letters on that HDD will be correctly assigned

>>>>>and the driver letter on the WinXP will be changed by Win2K. When I

>>>>>use BIOS to select the WinXP, all the drive letters on the WinXP HDD

>>>>>will be correctly assigned while the drive letter on the Win2K HDD

>>>>>will be changed by WinXP.... so did I understand your post correctly ?

>>

>>>>>=================

>>

>>>>>I have never used the BIOS method myself - I only read about it

>>>>>in reports from other posters. You would have to try it for yourself

>>>>>or create another thread to get more details. Whatever you do, you

>>>>>must ensure that the current drive letters remain as they are. Since

>>>>>both installations use C: as the system drive, they must retain C:. If

>>>>>you attempt to launch Windows off D:, for example, then you will

>>>>>either have a system that uses some files on D: and others on C:

>>>>>(which is bad) or you won't be able to log on (which is worse).

>>>>>Having a second PC that is networked to the test PC would essential

>>>>>for the subsequent repair/recovery process.

>>

>>>>>Create another post and ask about multi-booting!- Hide quoted text -

>>

>>- Show quoted text -

>

>

Posted

Re: 2 Harddisk with the same drive letters

 

1. Connect the WinXP disk as the first one, i.e., the one that the

motherboard boots by default, and the Win2K disk as the second.

2. Boot into WinXP.

3.a. Edit boot.ini on the WinXP disk (Start > Run > c:\boot.ini).

3.b. Edit boot.ini on the Win2K disk (Start > Run > e:\boot.ini; I'm

assuming the Win2K disk is e:; if not, use the correct letter).

4. Copy the entry under [operating systems] from the Win2K boot.ini

and paste it in the WinXP boot.ini, changing rdisk(0) to rdisk(1).

5. Save WinXP boot.ini; exit Win2K boot.ini.

 

On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:37:43 -0700 (PDT), flahmeshess

<dingdongdingding@yahoo.com> wrote:

>Thanks Pegasus.

>That's interesting. That means that I didn't have to unplug the

>harddisk in the first place.

>

>What do I need to do in this case ? When I'm in WinXP, before I

>reboot, I mark the Win2K partition as active and then reboot ? Then

>when I want to reboot WinXP, I mark the Win2K as active ? Is that

>what I need to do ?

>

>As I have unplug the Win2K to install my WinXP, now I don't have dual

>boot. How do I create dual boot now that both the OS are running ?

>In my Win2K, I have a panel that allows me to select to boot to OS or

>Recovery console, can I make use of that ? Can point me to any

>website that teaches me how to update the file to include WinXP as

>another OS to boot ?

>

>Thanks !!!!!!!

>

>On Jul 22, 1:24 am, "Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I....@fly.com.oz> wrote:

>> "flahmeshess" <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

>>

>> news:007958a8-21cc-4eba-a7e5-12114ea9429e@i24g2000prf.googlegroups.com...

>>

>> >I have 2 harddisk, 1 installed with Win2K and one with WinXP.  Both

>> > have the same drive letters, C,D,E.  The OS is installed on C.

>>

>> > I would attached 1 drive at a time to start up the OS.  I need to copy

>> > some files across (without using an external HDD).  What would happen

>> > if I attached both the drives ?  Would the OS be corrupted and then

>> > not be bootable ?

>>

>> > Thanks.

>>

>> One disk will be the primary master disk. It will retain the

>> existing drive letters C:, D: and E:. The other will be a

>> slave disk or a secondary master disk. It will be assigned

>> the next available letters. When you reconnect it by itself

>> later on, it will use the original letters C:, D: and E:.

Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)
Posted

Re: 2 Harddisk with the same drive letters

 

 

"Andy" <1@2.3> wrote in message

news:tqad84t42uq7k05jnsl6mh3pgh4i1l0bhu@4ax.com...

> 1. Connect the WinXP disk as the first one, i.e., the one that the

> motherboard boots by default, and the Win2K disk as the second.

> 2. Boot into WinXP.

> 3.a. Edit boot.ini on the WinXP disk (Start > Run > c:\boot.ini).

> 3.b. Edit boot.ini on the Win2K disk (Start > Run > e:\boot.ini; I'm

> assuming the Win2K disk is e:; if not, use the correct letter).

> 4. Copy the entry under [operating systems] from the Win2K boot.ini

> and paste it in the WinXP boot.ini, changing rdisk(0) to rdisk(1).

> 5. Save WinXP boot.ini; exit Win2K boot.ini.

>

 

This method will probably get Win2000 to run off drive letter G:,

which is exactly what the OP must avoid.

Guest flahmeshess
Posted

Re: 2 Harddisk with the same drive letters

 

Yes yes... already installed. I'm just wondering if I could have left

the Win2K HDD plug in while I install WinXP. Would I still be able to

install WinXP to the 2nd HDD but still install to C drive.

 

On Jul 23, 10:31 am, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

> I don't quite follow here.  I thought that the operating systems were

> already installed and that they were installed independently of one another?

>

> John

>

>

>

> flahmeshess wrote:

> > oh... one thought came to my mind...

>

> > is that case, should I have unplug my Win2K before I install my

> > WinXP ?   Would I still be able to get the proper drive letter for

> > WinXP even thought the C, D, E drives are already assigned to Win2K ?

>

> > On Jul 23, 12:24 am, flahmeshess <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>

> >>Thanks very much John ... and thanks Pegasus....

>

> >>On Jul 22, 11:44 pm, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

>

> >>>You can toggle the drives in the BIOS (without unplugging them) and the

> >>>installations will maintain their respective drive letter assignment

> >>>when they are booted, the Mount Manager's drive letter assignment is

> >>>persistent and it will be respected.

>

> >>>You can also boot the Windows 2000 installation from the Windows XP boot

> >>>menu, you just need to add a line to the Windows 2000 installation in

> >>>the boot.ini file (the one on the XP drive) and it will allow you to

> >>>dual boot with the Ntldr boot loader.  There again, the Mount Manager's

> >>>drive letter assignment will still be respected and the booted

> >>>installation will retain its assigned drive letter.  You can also boot

> >>>the Windows XP installation from the Windows 2000 boot menu, but to do

> >>>so you will have to replace the Windows 2000 version of the shared files

> >>>ntldr & NTDETECT.COM, the Windows 2000 version of these files cannot

> >>>boot the newer Windows XP, the XP version of the files can boot the

> >>>older Windows 2000.

>

> >>>John

>

> >>>flahmeshess wrote:

>

> >>>>Ok.  Thanks for your help.  I'll think about using the SOXL or stick

> >>>>to my plug unplug method. Once my migration to WinXP is complete, I

> >>>>won't need my Win2K.

>

> >>>>On Jul 22, 7:44 pm, "Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I....@fly.com.oz> wrote:

>

> >>>>>"flahmeshess" <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

>

> >>>>>news:11664415-778d-4bf5-91fa-fd7203923340@t54g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...

> >>>>>Hi ! Wow...thanks very much for the detail explanation.  But if I

> >>>>>decided to just plug in 2 harddisk and just use the BIOS to select

> >>>>>which one to boot up, it will work, right ?  When I select Win2K

> >>>>>harddisk, all the drive letters on that HDD will be correctly assigned

> >>>>>and the driver letter on the WinXP will be changed by Win2K.  When I

> >>>>>use BIOS to select the WinXP, all the drive letters on the WinXP HDD

> >>>>>will be correctly assigned while the drive letter on the Win2K HDD

> >>>>>will be changed by WinXP.... so did I understand your post correctly ?

>

> >>>>>=================

>

> >>>>>I have never used the BIOS method myself - I only read about it

> >>>>>in reports from other posters. You would have to try it for yourself

> >>>>>or create another thread to get more details. Whatever you do, you

> >>>>>must ensure that the current drive letters remain as they are. Since

> >>>>>both installations use C: as the system drive, they must retain C:. If

> >>>>>you attempt to launch Windows off D:, for example, then you will

> >>>>>either have a system that uses some files on D: and others on C:

> >>>>>(which is bad) or you won't be able to log on (which is worse).

> >>>>>Having a second PC that is networked to the test PC would essential

> >>>>>for the subsequent repair/recovery process.

>

> >>>>>Create another post and ask about multi-booting!- Hide quoted text -

>

> >>- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

>

> - Show quoted text -

Guest John John (MVP)
Posted

Re: 2 Harddisk with the same drive letters

 

Yes, no, maybe... It depends on how the disk's active partition is

enumerated when the installation is done.

 

How Windows 2000 Assigns, Reserves, and Stores Drive Letters

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/234048

 

Overview of PNP enumeration and hard disk drive letter assignments in

Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/825668/en-us

 

John

 

flahmeshess wrote:

> Yes yes... already installed. I'm just wondering if I could have left

> the Win2K HDD plug in while I install WinXP. Would I still be able to

> install WinXP to the 2nd HDD but still install to C drive.

>

> On Jul 23, 10:31 am, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

>

>>I don't quite follow here. I thought that the operating systems were

>>already installed and that they were installed independently of one another?

>>

>>John

>>

>>

>>

>>flahmeshess wrote:

>>

>>>oh... one thought came to my mind...

>>

>>>is that case, should I have unplug my Win2K before I install my

>>>WinXP ? Would I still be able to get the proper drive letter for

>>>WinXP even thought the C, D, E drives are already assigned to Win2K ?

>>

>>>On Jul 23, 12:24 am, flahmeshess <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>>

>>>>Thanks very much John ... and thanks Pegasus....

>>

>>>>On Jul 22, 11:44 pm, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

>>

>>>>>You can toggle the drives in the BIOS (without unplugging them) and the

>>>>>installations will maintain their respective drive letter assignment

>>>>>when they are booted, the Mount Manager's drive letter assignment is

>>>>>persistent and it will be respected.

>>

>>>>>You can also boot the Windows 2000 installation from the Windows XP boot

>>>>>menu, you just need to add a line to the Windows 2000 installation in

>>>>>the boot.ini file (the one on the XP drive) and it will allow you to

>>>>>dual boot with the Ntldr boot loader. There again, the Mount Manager's

>>>>>drive letter assignment will still be respected and the booted

>>>>>installation will retain its assigned drive letter. You can also boot

>>>>>the Windows XP installation from the Windows 2000 boot menu, but to do

>>>>>so you will have to replace the Windows 2000 version of the shared files

>>>>>ntldr & NTDETECT.COM, the Windows 2000 version of these files cannot

>>>>>boot the newer Windows XP, the XP version of the files can boot the

>>>>>older Windows 2000.

>>

>>>>>John

>>

>>>>>flahmeshess wrote:

>>

>>>>>>Ok. Thanks for your help. I'll think about using the SOXL or stick

>>>>>>to my plug unplug method. Once my migration to WinXP is complete, I

>>>>>>won't need my Win2K.

>>

>>>>>>On Jul 22, 7:44 pm, "Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I....@fly.com.oz> wrote:

>>

>>>>>>>"flahmeshess" <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

>>

>>>>>>>news:11664415-778d-4bf5-91fa-fd7203923340@t54g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...

>>>>>>>Hi ! Wow...thanks very much for the detail explanation. But if I

>>>>>>>decided to just plug in 2 harddisk and just use the BIOS to select

>>>>>>>which one to boot up, it will work, right ? When I select Win2K

>>>>>>>harddisk, all the drive letters on that HDD will be correctly assigned

>>>>>>>and the driver letter on the WinXP will be changed by Win2K. When I

>>>>>>>use BIOS to select the WinXP, all the drive letters on the WinXP HDD

>>>>>>>will be correctly assigned while the drive letter on the Win2K HDD

>>>>>>>will be changed by WinXP.... so did I understand your post correctly ?

>>

>>>>>>>=================

>>

>>>>>>>I have never used the BIOS method myself - I only read about it

>>>>>>>in reports from other posters. You would have to try it for yourself

>>>>>>>or create another thread to get more details. Whatever you do, you

>>>>>>>must ensure that the current drive letters remain as they are. Since

>>>>>>>both installations use C: as the system drive, they must retain C:. If

>>>>>>>you attempt to launch Windows off D:, for example, then you will

>>>>>>>either have a system that uses some files on D: and others on C:

>>>>>>>(which is bad) or you won't be able to log on (which is worse).

>>>>>>>Having a second PC that is networked to the test PC would essential

>>>>>>>for the subsequent repair/recovery process.

>>

>>>>>>>Create another post and ask about multi-booting!- Hide quoted text -

>>

>>>>- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

>>

>>- Show quoted text -

>

>

Guest flahmeshess
Posted

Re: 2 Harddisk with the same drive letters

 

OK. I manage to edit boot.ini on the XP side and boot up both 2k and

XP but:

 

- in XP, I have all the XP drive letters correct. 2K drive letters

are reassigned

 

- when I'm back in 2k, the 2k drive letters (C/D/E/Y) are correct but

the XP C/D/Z drives are not assigned any drive letters while the E

drive is assigned to F.

 

I cannot access the files in XP drives while I'm boot up as 2K. Is it

safe to assign a drive letter to the XP drives ?

 

Thanks very much.... very much appreciated.

 

On Jul 23, 7:30 pm, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

> Yes, no, maybe... It depends on how the disk's active partition is

> enumerated when the installation is done.

>

> How Windows 2000 Assigns, Reserves, and Stores Drive Lettershttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/234048

>

> Overview of PNP enumeration and hard disk drive letter assignments in

> Windows Server 2003 and Windows XPhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/825668/en-us

>

> John

>

> flahmeshess wrote:

> > Yes yes... already installed. I'm just wondering if I could have left

> > the Win2K HDD plug in while I install WinXP. Would I still be able to

> > install WinXP to the 2nd HDD but still install to C drive.

>

> > On Jul 23, 10:31 am, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

>

> >>I don't quite follow here. I thought that the operating systems were

> >>already installed and that they were installed independently of one another?

>

> >>John

>

> >>flahmeshess wrote:

>

> >>>oh... one thought came to my mind...

>

> >>>is that case, should I have unplug my Win2K before I install my

> >>>WinXP ? Would I still be able to get the proper drive letter for

> >>>WinXP even thought the C, D, E drives are already assigned to Win2K ?

>

> >>>On Jul 23, 12:24 am, flahmeshess <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>

> >>>>Thanks very much John ... and thanks Pegasus....

>

> >>>>On Jul 22, 11:44 pm, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

>

> >>>>>You can toggle the drives in the BIOS (without unplugging them) and the

> >>>>>installations will maintain their respective drive letter assignment

> >>>>>when they are booted, the Mount Manager's drive letter assignment is

> >>>>>persistent and it will be respected.

>

> >>>>>You can also boot the Windows 2000 installation from the Windows XP boot

> >>>>>menu, you just need to add a line to the Windows 2000 installation in

> >>>>>the boot.ini file (the one on the XP drive) and it will allow you to

> >>>>>dual boot with the Ntldr boot loader. There again, the Mount Manager's

> >>>>>drive letter assignment will still be respected and the booted

> >>>>>installation will retain its assigned drive letter. You can also boot

> >>>>>the Windows XP installation from the Windows 2000 boot menu, but to do

> >>>>>so you will have to replace the Windows 2000 version of the shared files

> >>>>>ntldr & NTDETECT.COM, the Windows 2000 version of these files cannot

> >>>>>boot the newer Windows XP, the XP version of the files can boot the

> >>>>>older Windows 2000.

>

> >>>>>John

>

> >>>>>flahmeshess wrote:

>

> >>>>>>Ok. Thanks for your help. I'll think about using the SOXL or stick

> >>>>>>to my plug unplug method. Once my migration to WinXP is complete, I

> >>>>>>won't need my Win2K.

>

> >>>>>>On Jul 22, 7:44 pm, "Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I....@fly.com.oz> wrote:

>

> >>>>>>>"flahmeshess" <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

>

> >>>>>>>news:11664415-778d-4bf5-91fa-fd7203923340@t54g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...

> >>>>>>>Hi ! Wow...thanks very much for the detail explanation. But if I

> >>>>>>>decided to just plug in 2 harddisk and just use the BIOS to select

> >>>>>>>which one to boot up, it will work, right ? When I select Win2K

> >>>>>>>harddisk, all the drive letters on that HDD will be correctly assigned

> >>>>>>>and the driver letter on the WinXP will be changed by Win2K. When I

> >>>>>>>use BIOS to select the WinXP, all the drive letters on the WinXP HDD

> >>>>>>>will be correctly assigned while the drive letter on the Win2K HDD

> >>>>>>>will be changed by WinXP.... so did I understand your post correctly ?

>

> >>>>>>>=================

>

> >>>>>>>I have never used the BIOS method myself - I only read about it

> >>>>>>>in reports from other posters. You would have to try it for yourself

> >>>>>>>or create another thread to get more details. Whatever you do, you

> >>>>>>>must ensure that the current drive letters remain as they are. Since

> >>>>>>>both installations use C: as the system drive, they must retain C:. If

> >>>>>>>you attempt to launch Windows off D:, for example, then you will

> >>>>>>>either have a system that uses some files on D: and others on C:

> >>>>>>>(which is bad) or you won't be able to log on (which is worse).

> >>>>>>>Having a second PC that is networked to the test PC would essential

> >>>>>>>for the subsequent repair/recovery process.

>

> >>>>>>>Create another post and ask about multi-booting!- Hide quoted text -

>

> >>>>- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

>

> >>- Show quoted text -

Guest John John (MVP)
Posted

Re: 2 Harddisk with the same drive letters

 

Another twist in the plot, where did the drive letters Y & Z come from?

Do you have a pile of network (mapped) drives? Have you exhausted all

the available letters in the alphabet?

 

You can reassign the XP disk/drive letters while you are in Windows

2000, the drive letter change will only apply when you are using the

Windows 2000 installation, the letters assigned by Windows XP will be

maintained when you boot to XP. Use the Disk Management tool and see

what is going on there. You will/should not be able to reassign the

current "System Partition" drive letter, the current System Partition is

the one that holds ntldr, boot.ini & NTDETECT and that was used to boot

Windows, based on the information in your post that would be the "C:"

drive on the "XP side", it will be identified as "System" by the Disk

Management tool.

 

Note: The reason that you can reassign drive letters while not

affecting how the other operating system assigns drive letters lies in

the fact that Windows 2000/XP holds the drive letter assignment in the

registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices. The Mount

Manager's drive letter assignments are persistent, when Windows is

booted the MountedDevices key is read and the previously assigned drives

letters are maintained and reassigned to the same drives. Each

installation has its own registry and each operating system will read

its own MountedDevices key when it boots, it will assign the drive

letters as read from the information in its own registry. In the boot

process, up to the point where the MountedDevices key is read, the

partitions have no drive letters, they are only device objects like

"\Device\Harddisk0\Partition0".

 

John

 

flahmeshess wrote:

> OK. I manage to edit boot.ini on the XP side and boot up both 2k and

> XP but:

>

> - in XP, I have all the XP drive letters correct. 2K drive letters

> are reassigned

>

> - when I'm back in 2k, the 2k drive letters (C/D/E/Y) are correct but

> the XP C/D/Z drives are not assigned any drive letters while the E

> drive is assigned to F.

>

> I cannot access the files in XP drives while I'm boot up as 2K. Is it

> safe to assign a drive letter to the XP drives ?

>

> Thanks very much.... very much appreciated.

>

> On Jul 23, 7:30 pm, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

>

>>Yes, no, maybe... It depends on how the disk's active partition is

>>enumerated when the installation is done.

>>

>>How Windows 2000 Assigns, Reserves, and Stores Drive Lettershttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/234048

>>

>>Overview of PNP enumeration and hard disk drive letter assignments in

>>Windows Server 2003 and Windows XPhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/825668/en-us

>>

>>John

>>

>>flahmeshess wrote:

>>

>>>Yes yes... already installed. I'm just wondering if I could have left

>>>the Win2K HDD plug in while I install WinXP. Would I still be able to

>>>install WinXP to the 2nd HDD but still install to C drive.

>>

>>>On Jul 23, 10:31 am, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

>>

>>>>I don't quite follow here. I thought that the operating systems were

>>>>already installed and that they were installed independently of one another?

>>

>>>>John

>>

>>>>flahmeshess wrote:

>>

>>>>>oh... one thought came to my mind...

>>

>>>>>is that case, should I have unplug my Win2K before I install my

>>>>>WinXP ? Would I still be able to get the proper drive letter for

>>>>>WinXP even thought the C, D, E drives are already assigned to Win2K ?

>>

>>>>>On Jul 23, 12:24 am, flahmeshess <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>>

>>>>>>Thanks very much John ... and thanks Pegasus....

>>

>>>>>>On Jul 22, 11:44 pm, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

>>

>>>>>>>You can toggle the drives in the BIOS (without unplugging them) and the

>>>>>>>installations will maintain their respective drive letter assignment

>>>>>>>when they are booted, the Mount Manager's drive letter assignment is

>>>>>>>persistent and it will be respected.

>>

>>>>>>>You can also boot the Windows 2000 installation from the Windows XP boot

>>>>>>>menu, you just need to add a line to the Windows 2000 installation in

>>>>>>>the boot.ini file (the one on the XP drive) and it will allow you to

>>>>>>>dual boot with the Ntldr boot loader. There again, the Mount Manager's

>>>>>>>drive letter assignment will still be respected and the booted

>>>>>>>installation will retain its assigned drive letter. You can also boot

>>>>>>>the Windows XP installation from the Windows 2000 boot menu, but to do

>>>>>>>so you will have to replace the Windows 2000 version of the shared files

>>>>>>>ntldr & NTDETECT.COM, the Windows 2000 version of these files cannot

>>>>>>>boot the newer Windows XP, the XP version of the files can boot the

>>>>>>>older Windows 2000.

>>

>>>>>>>John

>>

>>>>>>>flahmeshess wrote:

>>

>>>>>>>>Ok. Thanks for your help. I'll think about using the SOXL or stick

>>>>>>>>to my plug unplug method. Once my migration to WinXP is complete, I

>>>>>>>>won't need my Win2K.

>>

>>>>>>>>On Jul 22, 7:44 pm, "Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I....@fly.com.oz> wrote:

>>

>>>>>>>>>"flahmeshess" <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

>>

>>>>>>>>>news:11664415-778d-4bf5-91fa-fd7203923340@t54g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...

>>>>>>>>>Hi ! Wow...thanks very much for the detail explanation. But if I

>>>>>>>>>decided to just plug in 2 harddisk and just use the BIOS to select

>>>>>>>>>which one to boot up, it will work, right ? When I select Win2K

>>>>>>>>>harddisk, all the drive letters on that HDD will be correctly assigned

>>>>>>>>>and the driver letter on the WinXP will be changed by Win2K. When I

>>>>>>>>>use BIOS to select the WinXP, all the drive letters on the WinXP HDD

>>>>>>>>>will be correctly assigned while the drive letter on the Win2K HDD

>>>>>>>>>will be changed by WinXP.... so did I understand your post correctly ?

>>

>>>>>>>>>=================

>>

>>>>>>>>>I have never used the BIOS method myself - I only read about it

>>>>>>>>>in reports from other posters. You would have to try it for yourself

>>>>>>>>>or create another thread to get more details. Whatever you do, you

>>>>>>>>>must ensure that the current drive letters remain as they are. Since

>>>>>>>>>both installations use C: as the system drive, they must retain C:. If

>>>>>>>>>you attempt to launch Windows off D:, for example, then you will

>>>>>>>>>either have a system that uses some files on D: and others on C:

>>>>>>>>>(which is bad) or you won't be able to log on (which is worse).

>>>>>>>>>Having a second PC that is networked to the test PC would essential

>>>>>>>>>for the subsequent repair/recovery process.

>>

>>>>>>>>>Create another post and ask about multi-booting!- Hide quoted text -

>>

>>>>>>- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

>>

>>>>- Show quoted text -

>

>

Guest flahmeshess
Posted

Re: 2 Harddisk with the same drive letters

 

OK. Now I understand better now. I can just assign the letters in

Win2k and use it.

Sorry for the twist in the plot. The Y & Z drive letters.... I didn't

think it was impt then.. I just create extra partitions which I name

it Y (or X... was change to Y due to the 2k->XP migration) and Z.

 

I normally put all my "temp" stuff in an X drive so that it does not

cause so much defragmentation in my data drive, when I delete the temp

stuff.

 

I also put a partition somewhere between my OS and Program partition

(which is C and D) and my data partition (which is E) and call it Z.

I then put the swapper in Z drive.

 

I also put the Firefox, Internet Explorer cache in the X or Z drive

(currently in X but I'm going to migrate to Z cause I'm going make use

of the user switch in XP).

 

Thank you John for all the help.

 

On Jul 24, 1:48 am, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

> Another twist in the plot, where did the drive letters Y & Z come from?

> Do you have a pile of network (mapped) drives? Have you exhausted all

> the available letters in the alphabet?

>

> You can reassign the XP disk/drive letters while you are in Windows

> 2000, the drive letter change will only apply when you are using the

> Windows 2000 installation, the letters assigned by Windows XP will be

> maintained when you boot to XP. Use the Disk Management tool and see

> what is going on there. You will/should not be able to reassign the

> current "System Partition" drive letter, the current System Partition is

> the one that holds ntldr, boot.ini & NTDETECT and that was used to boot

> Windows, based on the information in your post that would be the "C:"

> drive on the "XP side", it will be identified as "System" by the Disk

> Management tool.

>

> Note: The reason that you can reassign drive letters while not

> affecting how the other operating system assigns drive letters lies in

> the fact that Windows 2000/XP holds the drive letter assignment in the

> registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices. The Mount

> Manager's drive letter assignments are persistent, when Windows is

> booted the MountedDevices key is read and the previously assigned drives

> letters are maintained and reassigned to the same drives. Each

> installation has its own registry and each operating system will read

> its own MountedDevices key when it boots, it will assign the drive

> letters as read from the information in its own registry. In the boot

> process, up to the point where the MountedDevices key is read, the

> partitions have no drive letters, they are only device objects like

> "\Device\Harddisk0\Partition0".

>

> John

>

> flahmeshess wrote:

> > OK. I manage to edit boot.ini on the XP side and boot up both 2k and

> > XP but:

>

> > - in XP, I have all the XP drive letters correct. 2K drive letters

> > are reassigned

>

> > - when I'm back in 2k, the 2k drive letters (C/D/E/Y) are correct but

> > the XP C/D/Z drives are not assigned any drive letters while the E

> > drive is assigned to F.

>

> > I cannot access the files in XP drives while I'm boot up as 2K. Is it

> > safe to assign a drive letter to the XP drives ?

>

> > Thanks very much.... very much appreciated.

>

> > On Jul 23, 7:30 pm, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

>

> >>Yes, no, maybe... It depends on how the disk's active partition is

> >>enumerated when the installation is done.

>

> >>How Windows 2000 Assigns, Reserves, and Stores Drive Lettershttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/234048

>

> >>Overview of PNP enumeration and hard disk drive letter assignments in

> >>Windows Server 2003 and Windows XPhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/825668/en-us

>

> >>John

>

> >>flahmeshess wrote:

>

> >>>Yes yes... already installed. I'm just wondering if I could have left

> >>>the Win2K HDD plug in while I install WinXP. Would I still be able to

> >>>install WinXP to the 2nd HDD but still install to C drive.

>

> >>>On Jul 23, 10:31 am, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

>

> >>>>I don't quite follow here. I thought that the operating systems were

> >>>>already installed and that they were installed independently of one another?

>

> >>>>John

>

> >>>>flahmeshess wrote:

>

> >>>>>oh... one thought came to my mind...

>

> >>>>>is that case, should I have unplug my Win2K before I install my

> >>>>>WinXP ? Would I still be able to get the proper drive letter for

> >>>>>WinXP even thought the C, D, E drives are already assigned to Win2K ?

>

> >>>>>On Jul 23, 12:24 am, flahmeshess <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>

> >>>>>>Thanks very much John ... and thanks Pegasus....

>

> >>>>>>On Jul 22, 11:44 pm, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

>

> >>>>>>>You can toggle the drives in the BIOS (without unplugging them) and the

> >>>>>>>installations will maintain their respective drive letter assignment

> >>>>>>>when they are booted, the Mount Manager's drive letter assignment is

> >>>>>>>persistent and it will be respected.

>

> >>>>>>>You can also boot the Windows 2000 installation from the Windows XP boot

> >>>>>>>menu, you just need to add a line to the Windows 2000 installation in

> >>>>>>>the boot.ini file (the one on the XP drive) and it will allow you to

> >>>>>>>dual boot with the Ntldr boot loader. There again, the Mount Manager's

> >>>>>>>drive letter assignment will still be respected and the booted

> >>>>>>>installation will retain its assigned drive letter. You can also boot

> >>>>>>>the Windows XP installation from the Windows 2000 boot menu, but to do

> >>>>>>>so you will have to replace the Windows 2000 version of the shared files

> >>>>>>>ntldr & NTDETECT.COM, the Windows 2000 version of these files cannot

> >>>>>>>boot the newer Windows XP, the XP version of the files can boot the

> >>>>>>>older Windows 2000.

>

> >>>>>>>John

>

> >>>>>>>flahmeshess wrote:

>

> >>>>>>>>Ok. Thanks for your help. I'll think about using the SOXL or stick

> >>>>>>>>to my plug unplug method. Once my migration to WinXP is complete, I

> >>>>>>>>won't need my Win2K.

>

> >>>>>>>>On Jul 22, 7:44 pm, "Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I....@fly.com.oz> wrote:

>

> >>>>>>>>>"flahmeshess" <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

>

> >>>>>>>>>news:11664415-778d-4bf5-91fa-fd7203923340@t54g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...

> >>>>>>>>>Hi ! Wow...thanks very much for the detail explanation. But if I

> >>>>>>>>>decided to just plug in 2 harddisk and just use the BIOS to select

> >>>>>>>>>which one to boot up, it will work, right ? When I select Win2K

> >>>>>>>>>harddisk, all the drive letters on that HDD will be correctly assigned

> >>>>>>>>>and the driver letter on the WinXP will be changed by Win2K. When I

> >>>>>>>>>use BIOS to select the WinXP, all the drive letters on the WinXP HDD

> >>>>>>>>>will be correctly assigned while the drive letter on the Win2K HDD

> >>>>>>>>>will be changed by WinXP.... so did I understand your post correctly ?

>

> >>>>>>>>>=================

>

> >>>>>>>>>I have never used the BIOS method myself - I only read about it

> >>>>>>>>>in reports from other posters. You would have to try it for yourself

> >>>>>>>>>or create another thread to get more details. Whatever you do, you

> >>>>>>>>>must ensure that the current drive letters remain as they are. Since

> >>>>>>>>>both installations use C: as the system drive, they must retain C:. If

> >>>>>>>>>you attempt to launch Windows off D:, for example, then you will

> >>>>>>>>>either have a system that uses some files on D: and others on C:

> >>>>>>>>>(which is bad) or you won't be able to log on (which is worse).

> >>>>>>>>>Having a second PC that is networked to the test PC would essential

> >>>>>>>>>for the subsequent repair/recovery process.

>

> >>>>>>>>>Create another post and ask about multi-booting!- Hide quoted text -

>

> >>>>>>- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

>

> >>>>- Show quoted text -

Guest John John (MVP)
Posted

Re: 2 Harddisk with the same drive letters

 

You're welcome.

 

John

 

flahmeshess wrote:

> OK. Now I understand better now. I can just assign the letters in

> Win2k and use it.

> Sorry for the twist in the plot. The Y & Z drive letters.... I didn't

> think it was impt then.. I just create extra partitions which I name

> it Y (or X... was change to Y due to the 2k->XP migration) and Z.

>

> I normally put all my "temp" stuff in an X drive so that it does not

> cause so much defragmentation in my data drive, when I delete the temp

> stuff.

>

> I also put a partition somewhere between my OS and Program partition

> (which is C and D) and my data partition (which is E) and call it Z.

> I then put the swapper in Z drive.

>

> I also put the Firefox, Internet Explorer cache in the X or Z drive

> (currently in X but I'm going to migrate to Z cause I'm going make use

> of the user switch in XP).

>

> Thank you John for all the help.

>

> On Jul 24, 1:48 am, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

>

>>Another twist in the plot, where did the drive letters Y & Z come from?

>> Do you have a pile of network (mapped) drives? Have you exhausted all

>>the available letters in the alphabet?

>>

>>You can reassign the XP disk/drive letters while you are in Windows

>>2000, the drive letter change will only apply when you are using the

>>Windows 2000 installation, the letters assigned by Windows XP will be

>>maintained when you boot to XP. Use the Disk Management tool and see

>>what is going on there. You will/should not be able to reassign the

>>current "System Partition" drive letter, the current System Partition is

>>the one that holds ntldr, boot.ini & NTDETECT and that was used to boot

>>Windows, based on the information in your post that would be the "C:"

>>drive on the "XP side", it will be identified as "System" by the Disk

>>Management tool.

>>

>>Note: The reason that you can reassign drive letters while not

>>affecting how the other operating system assigns drive letters lies in

>>the fact that Windows 2000/XP holds the drive letter assignment in the

>>registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices. The Mount

>>Manager's drive letter assignments are persistent, when Windows is

>>booted the MountedDevices key is read and the previously assigned drives

>>letters are maintained and reassigned to the same drives. Each

>>installation has its own registry and each operating system will read

>>its own MountedDevices key when it boots, it will assign the drive

>>letters as read from the information in its own registry. In the boot

>>process, up to the point where the MountedDevices key is read, the

>>partitions have no drive letters, they are only device objects like

>>"\Device\Harddisk0\Partition0".

>>

>>John

>>

>>flahmeshess wrote:

>>

>>>OK. I manage to edit boot.ini on the XP side and boot up both 2k and

>>>XP but:

>>

>>>- in XP, I have all the XP drive letters correct. 2K drive letters

>>>are reassigned

>>

>>>- when I'm back in 2k, the 2k drive letters (C/D/E/Y) are correct but

>>>the XP C/D/Z drives are not assigned any drive letters while the E

>>>drive is assigned to F.

>>

>>>I cannot access the files in XP drives while I'm boot up as 2K. Is it

>>>safe to assign a drive letter to the XP drives ?

>>

>>>Thanks very much.... very much appreciated.

>>

>>>On Jul 23, 7:30 pm, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

>>

>>>>Yes, no, maybe... It depends on how the disk's active partition is

>>>>enumerated when the installation is done.

>>

>>>>How Windows 2000 Assigns, Reserves, and Stores Drive Lettershttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/234048

>>

>>>>Overview of PNP enumeration and hard disk drive letter assignments in

>>>>Windows Server 2003 and Windows XPhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/825668/en-us

>>

>>>>John

>>

>>>>flahmeshess wrote:

>>

>>>>>Yes yes... already installed. I'm just wondering if I could have left

>>>>>the Win2K HDD plug in while I install WinXP. Would I still be able to

>>>>>install WinXP to the 2nd HDD but still install to C drive.

>>

>>>>>On Jul 23, 10:31 am, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

>>

>>>>>>I don't quite follow here. I thought that the operating systems were

>>>>>>already installed and that they were installed independently of one another?

>>

>>>>>>John

>>

>>>>>>flahmeshess wrote:

>>

>>>>>>>oh... one thought came to my mind...

>>

>>>>>>>is that case, should I have unplug my Win2K before I install my

>>>>>>>WinXP ? Would I still be able to get the proper drive letter for

>>>>>>>WinXP even thought the C, D, E drives are already assigned to Win2K ?

>>

>>>>>>>On Jul 23, 12:24 am, flahmeshess <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>>

>>>>>>>>Thanks very much John ... and thanks Pegasus....

>>

>>>>>>>>On Jul 22, 11:44 pm, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

>>

>>>>>>>>>You can toggle the drives in the BIOS (without unplugging them) and the

>>>>>>>>>installations will maintain their respective drive letter assignment

>>>>>>>>>when they are booted, the Mount Manager's drive letter assignment is

>>>>>>>>>persistent and it will be respected.

>>

>>>>>>>>>You can also boot the Windows 2000 installation from the Windows XP boot

>>>>>>>>>menu, you just need to add a line to the Windows 2000 installation in

>>>>>>>>>the boot.ini file (the one on the XP drive) and it will allow you to

>>>>>>>>>dual boot with the Ntldr boot loader. There again, the Mount Manager's

>>>>>>>>>drive letter assignment will still be respected and the booted

>>>>>>>>>installation will retain its assigned drive letter. You can also boot

>>>>>>>>>the Windows XP installation from the Windows 2000 boot menu, but to do

>>>>>>>>>so you will have to replace the Windows 2000 version of the shared files

>>>>>>>>>ntldr & NTDETECT.COM, the Windows 2000 version of these files cannot

>>>>>>>>>boot the newer Windows XP, the XP version of the files can boot the

>>>>>>>>>older Windows 2000.

>>

>>>>>>>>>John

>>

>>>>>>>>>flahmeshess wrote:

>>

>>>>>>>>>>Ok. Thanks for your help. I'll think about using the SOXL or stick

>>>>>>>>>>to my plug unplug method. Once my migration to WinXP is complete, I

>>>>>>>>>>won't need my Win2K.

>>

>>>>>>>>>>On Jul 22, 7:44 pm, "Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I....@fly.com.oz> wrote:

>>

>>>>>>>>>>>"flahmeshess" <dingdongdingd...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

>>

>>>>>>>>>>>news:11664415-778d-4bf5-91fa-fd7203923340@t54g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...

>>>>>>>>>>>Hi ! Wow...thanks very much for the detail explanation. But if I

>>>>>>>>>>>decided to just plug in 2 harddisk and just use the BIOS to select

>>>>>>>>>>>which one to boot up, it will work, right ? When I select Win2K

>>>>>>>>>>>harddisk, all the drive letters on that HDD will be correctly assigned

>>>>>>>>>>>and the driver letter on the WinXP will be changed by Win2K. When I

>>>>>>>>>>>use BIOS to select the WinXP, all the drive letters on the WinXP HDD

>>>>>>>>>>>will be correctly assigned while the drive letter on the Win2K HDD

>>>>>>>>>>>will be changed by WinXP.... so did I understand your post correctly ?

>>

>>>>>>>>>>>=================

>>

>>>>>>>>>>>I have never used the BIOS method myself - I only read about it

>>>>>>>>>>>in reports from other posters. You would have to try it for yourself

>>>>>>>>>>>or create another thread to get more details. Whatever you do, you

>>>>>>>>>>>must ensure that the current drive letters remain as they are. Since

>>>>>>>>>>>both installations use C: as the system drive, they must retain C:. If

>>>>>>>>>>>you attempt to launch Windows off D:, for example, then you will

>>>>>>>>>>>either have a system that uses some files on D: and others on C:

>>>>>>>>>>>(which is bad) or you won't be able to log on (which is worse).

>>>>>>>>>>>Having a second PC that is networked to the test PC would essential

>>>>>>>>>>>for the subsequent repair/recovery process.

>>

>>>>>>>>>>>Create another post and ask about multi-booting!- Hide quoted text -

>>

>>>>>>>>- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

>>

>>>>>>- Show quoted text -

>

>


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