Dual Boot question (I will also post in XP Help and Support)

[Guest ScottNOFX]

I have a computer with two hard drives.

Can I use ghost to create an image of ny C: Drive, then install that image

to the other drive (J: Drive)

Then boot to J: Drive?

 

Will this cause any issues? It seems like it might.

 

I want to streamline the J: Drive for games only, I do not want them on my

C: Drive don't want to load anymore programs than I need for business.

 

If this is okay and will not cause any issues, how do I boot to the other

Drive?

 

Thanks in advance

 

I will also post in XP Help and Support

[Guest GHalleck]

Re: Dual Boot question (I will also post in XP Help and Support)

 

 

ScottNOFX wrote:

> I have a computer with two hard drives.

> Can I use ghost to create an image of ny C: Drive, then install that image

> to the other drive (J: Drive)

> Then boot to J: Drive?

>

> Will this cause any issues? It seems like it might.

>

> I want to streamline the J: Drive for games only, I do not want them on my

> C: Drive don't want to load anymore programs than I need for business.

>

> If this is okay and will not cause any issues, how do I boot to the other

> Drive?

>

> Thanks in advance

>

> I will also post in XP Help and Support

>

>

 

It will not work out this way. The ideal solution would be to use a

hard drive caddy that allows the switching of the [bootable] hard

drives, one for business and the other for games. One way of creating

this is to install a base Windows XP system and then clone it to both

hard drives. Afterwards, install the business applications in one;

swap it out for the other and install the games.

 

But the really clean way is to have two computers, to forestall any

potential legal issues with the Windows XP EULA.

[Guest Ron Badour]

Re: Dual Boot question (I will also post in XP Help and Support)

 

Yes it can be done; however, to preclude problems, I recommend you invest in

a third party boot manager such as: BootIt Next Generation is available

from: http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html and it does

partitioning, makes a compressed image, does many other partitioning chores

and is a boot manager. It is not quite as easy to use as Partition Magic

but it is half the cost and has more features. Unlike the crippled PMagic

demo, BING is a *full function* demo you can try for FREE for 30 days. The

web site has a lot of support articles.

 

One of the features of this boot manager is that you can hide the systems

from one another and this is what will preclude problems. I used BING and

had four systems--two on each hard drive as I recall--and there was never a

problem.

 

 

--

Regards

 

Ron Badour

MS MVP

Windows Desktop Experience

 

 

"ScottNOFX" <scottnofx@saebuilders.com> wrote in message

news:%23MjMoYZ9IHA.4608@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...

>I have a computer with two hard drives.

> Can I use ghost to create an image of ny C: Drive, then install that image

> to the other drive (J: Drive)

> Then boot to J: Drive?

>

> Will this cause any issues? It seems like it might.

>

> I want to streamline the J: Drive for games only, I do not want them on my

> C: Drive don't want to load anymore programs than I need for business.

>

> If this is okay and will not cause any issues, how do I boot to the other

> Drive?

>

> Thanks in advance

>

> I will also post in XP Help and Support

>

[Guest Timothy Daniels]

Re: Dual Boot question (I will also post in XP Help and Support)

 

"ScottNOFX" wrote:

>I have a computer with two hard drives.

> Can I use ghost to create an image of ny C: Drive,

> then install that image to the other drive (J: Drive)

> Then boot to J: Drive?

>

> Will this cause any issues? It seems like it might.

>

> I want to streamline the J: Drive for games only,

> I do not want them on my C: Drive don't want

> to load anymore programs than I need for business.

>

> If this is okay and will not cause any issues, how

> do I boot to the other Drive?

 

 

This is an easy multi-boot scenario since the 2 OSes

will be on separate hard drives. You can either install

XP twice, once on each hard drive while the other hard

drive is disconnected - this will give you 2 XPs, each of

which will call its own partition (while its running) "C:" -

or you can clone one installation to the other hard drive,

again giving you 2 XPs which will call its own partition

"C:". If you install the 2nd XP on the 2nd hard drive

while the 1st hard drive is connected, the 2nd XP will

call its own partition "D:". Either way will not result in

a problem in partition naming as long as there are no

shortcuts which refer to other partitions.

 

With XPs on 2 separate hard drives, you can select

which hard drive boots by either using software or BIOS

dual-booting. If the 1st hard drive is connected during

installation of the 2nd XP, you can tell the installer to set

up a dual-boot menu to include the other Windows OSes

that it sees in the system, or you can go to the BOOT.INI

tab in the msconfig dialog box and tell it to scan for other

Windows installation, and that will automatically set up

the boot.ini file for dual-booting. Be sure that the XP that

does that is the one on the hard drive that has boot priority

(set in the BIOS) so that its dual-boot menu will be displayed

at startup.

 

To use the BIOS to dual-boot, enter the BIOS during

startup and set which hard drive has boot priority. That

hard drive will take control during bootup and its "active"

partition will get subsequent control of loading XP according

to the entries in its boot.ini file. As far as the software on

each hard drive is concerned, it will be a single-boot scenario.

 

If you want to set up the boot.ini file manually (at /boot.in)

to implement software dual-booting, just duplicate the single

entry after the line "[operating systems]" and change its

"rdisk(0)" parameter to "rdisk(1)" to indicate the 2nd hard drive,

and change the contents of the character string (which is

between the pair of double quotes) to whatever you choose

that differentiates the 2 OSes in your mind. This character

string will appear in the dual-boot menu at bootup to help

you to select the OS to load. Remember that it will be the

partition that is marked "active". You can also set the value

of "timeout" in boot.ini that will be the time in seconds that

you will have to select which XP to load. Beyond that span

of time, the XP designated in the "default" line will be loaded.

 

If you choose the cloning method to make the 2nd installation

of XP, be sure that you disconnect the 1st hard drive (containing

the "parent" XP) before you startup the clone for the *first time*.

That will prevent the clone from confusing its own files with those

of its "parent", and it will establish its own "identity". Thereafter,

the clone may be started at anytime with its "parent" in view of it.

OTOH, the "parent" can be started up even before the clone

has had its first startup, and there will be no problem if the "parent"

sees its new clone.

 

*TimDaniels*

[Guest ScottNOFX]

Re: Dual Boot question (I will also post in XP Help and Support)

 

Thanks everyone. As always this group very helpful.

 

Scott

 

 

"Timothy Daniels" <NoSpam@SpamMeNot.com> wrote in message

news:eJMPzka9IHA.1196@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

> "ScottNOFX" wrote:

>>I have a computer with two hard drives.

>> Can I use ghost to create an image of ny C: Drive,

>> then install that image to the other drive (J: Drive)

>> Then boot to J: Drive?

>>

>> Will this cause any issues? It seems like it might.

>>

>> I want to streamline the J: Drive for games only,

>> I do not want them on my C: Drive don't want

>> to load anymore programs than I need for business.

>>

>> If this is okay and will not cause any issues, how

>> do I boot to the other Drive?

>

>

> This is an easy multi-boot scenario since the 2 OSes

> will be on separate hard drives. You can either install

> XP twice, once on each hard drive while the other hard

> drive is disconnected - this will give you 2 XPs, each of

> which will call its own partition (while its running) "C:" -

> or you can clone one installation to the other hard drive,

> again giving you 2 XPs which will call its own partition

> "C:". If you install the 2nd XP on the 2nd hard drive

> while the 1st hard drive is connected, the 2nd XP will

> call its own partition "D:". Either way will not result in

> a problem in partition naming as long as there are no

> shortcuts which refer to other partitions.

>

> With XPs on 2 separate hard drives, you can select

> which hard drive boots by either using software or BIOS

> dual-booting. If the 1st hard drive is connected during

> installation of the 2nd XP, you can tell the installer to set

> up a dual-boot menu to include the other Windows OSes

> that it sees in the system, or you can go to the BOOT.INI

> tab in the msconfig dialog box and tell it to scan for other

> Windows installation, and that will automatically set up

> the boot.ini file for dual-booting. Be sure that the XP that

> does that is the one on the hard drive that has boot priority

> (set in the BIOS) so that its dual-boot menu will be displayed

> at startup.

>

> To use the BIOS to dual-boot, enter the BIOS during

> startup and set which hard drive has boot priority. That

> hard drive will take control during bootup and its "active"

> partition will get subsequent control of loading XP according

> to the entries in its boot.ini file. As far as the software on

> each hard drive is concerned, it will be a single-boot scenario.

>

> If you want to set up the boot.ini file manually (at /boot.in)

> to implement software dual-booting, just duplicate the single

> entry after the line "[operating systems]" and change its

> "rdisk(0)" parameter to "rdisk(1)" to indicate the 2nd hard drive,

> and change the contents of the character string (which is

> between the pair of double quotes) to whatever you choose

> that differentiates the 2 OSes in your mind. This character

> string will appear in the dual-boot menu at bootup to help

> you to select the OS to load. Remember that it will be the

> partition that is marked "active". You can also set the value

> of "timeout" in boot.ini that will be the time in seconds that

> you will have to select which XP to load. Beyond that span

> of time, the XP designated in the "default" line will be loaded.

>

> If you choose the cloning method to make the 2nd installation

> of XP, be sure that you disconnect the 1st hard drive (containing

> the "parent" XP) before you startup the clone for the *first time*.

> That will prevent the clone from confusing its own files with those

> of its "parent", and it will establish its own "identity". Thereafter,

> the clone may be started at anytime with its "parent" in view of it.

> OTOH, the "parent" can be started up even before the clone

> has had its first startup, and there will be no problem if the "parent"

> sees its new clone.

>

> *TimDaniels*

>

>