Guest zulu Posted August 31, 2007 Posted August 31, 2007 I have a one year old Dell Dimension 9150 running (Dell OEM) Windows XP Pro. It has 2 identical 26GB hard drives (C & D) an 1 GB of RAM I really want to start over, but to make it as easy as possible (I have VERY poor eyesight) I would like to reformat the second drive (D) and install a new (yet to be purchased) Windows XP Pro (non OEM!) and have the choice when I boot up of either. When I have the new version running to my satisfaction I would then like to reformat the *C* drive. I would then have a "new" computer _without_ all the Dell crap and without all the crap that I have introduced/ Is this possible? I assume that this would be legal as I would own both copies of XP Pro... TIA R.
Guest Timothy Daniels Posted August 31, 2007 Posted August 31, 2007 Re: Can I run 2 copies of XP Pro on the same computer? "zulu" wrote: >I have a one year old Dell Dimension 9150 running (Dell OEM) > Windows XP Pro. > > It has 2 identical 26GB hard drives (C & D) an 1 GB of RAM > > I really want to start over, but to make it as easy as possible > (I have VERY poor eyesight) I would like to reformat the > second drive (D) and install a new (yet to be purchased) > Windows XP Pro (non OEM!) and have the choice when I boot up of either. When I > have the new version running to > my satisfaction I would then like to reformat the *C* drive. > > I would then have a "new" computer _without_ all the Dell > crap and without all the crap that I have introduced/ > > Is this possible? > > I assume that this would be legal as I would own both copies > of XP Pro... That is legal and easily possible. Since you plan to eventually get rid of the OEM WinXP, it would be easier on your psyche if the 2nd OS also called its partition "C:" and not "D:" (although "D:" works just as well as "C:"). That is done by disconnecting the 1st HD before doing the installation on the 2nd HD. That will give you a 2nd OS that will mono-boot itself when in isolation. Then re-connect the 1st HD. Assuming that the HDs are SATA drives, the HD on the 1st SATA port will boot - probably the original HD. To make the 2nd HD boot at startup, go into the BIOS at startup by pressing DEL, and adjust the Hard Drive Boot Order so that the other HD is at the top of the list of HDs. (This is *not* the Device Boot Order which prioritizes the device *types*.) The Hard Drive Boot Order is called different things, depending on the BIOS, but it will be recognizable as a list of HD model nos. which identifiy the HDs. For this reason, it is best if the model nos. differ by having the HDs of different makes or of different capacities or of different model lines. Once the Hard Drive Boot Order is re-set, exit the BIOS with the re-start option, and the subsequent bootup will be controlled by the MBR and boot files of the HD at the head of the Hard Drive Boot Order list. If the HDs are PATA ("IDE" HDs), jumpering does not matter as long as the 2 HDs are jumpered differently. The 1st HD is probably Master on IDE ch. 0 (although it doesn't have to be), and in the default mode (before the Hard Drive Boot Order is changed) it will get control at startup. When it is disconnected, the 2nd HD in the Hard Drive Boot Order will get control - the default being the Slave on IDE ch. 0 unless the Hard Drive Boot Order has been changed. The BIOS settings persist in ROM, so that unless the Hard Drive Boot Order is changed, the same HD will control booting at each startup. Each OS, when it is the running OS, will call its own partition "C:" and it will call other partitions in the system by other names. This is OK as long as you don't have any shortcuts which involve other than the one that it's on. You can use this BIOS adjustment to change which OS boots until such time as you get rid of the 1st WinXP on the 1st HD. You can then move the 2nd HD to the current position of the 1st HD, or you can just leave it where it is. Another method involves software dual-booting. If the 1st HD is connected when the OS installation is done for the 2nd HD, the installer will see the 1st installed OS, and if you let the installer do it, it will set up a dual-boot menu for you that will allow you to choose at startup which OS to boot. This form of dual-boot will be a little simpler procedurally, but even after you eventually reformat the 1st HD, the 2nd OS will persist in calling its own partition "D:", and you will have to change the boot menu to re- establish a mono-boot procedure. This is simple to do, but you *will* be back here asking us how to do it. :-) *TimDaniels*
Guest zulu Posted August 31, 2007 Posted August 31, 2007 Re: Can I run 2 copies of XP Pro on the same computer? Thank you muchly for a very comprehensive reply Timothy! I will have to get local help to do it, but I now know it is possible (and also legal... <g>) I quite expect to be back again........:-) "Timothy Daniels" <SpamBucket@NoSpamPlease.biz> wrote in message news:46d84334$0$15408$4c368faf@roadrunner.com... > "zulu" wrote: >>I have a one year old Dell Dimension 9150 running (Dell OEM) >> Windows XP Pro. >> >> It has 2 identical 26GB hard drives (C & D) an 1 GB of RAM >> >> I really want to start over, but to make it as easy as possible >> (I have VERY poor eyesight) I would like to reformat the >> second drive (D) and install a new (yet to be purchased) >> Windows XP Pro (non OEM!) and have the choice when I boot up of either. >> When I have the new version running to >> my satisfaction I would then like to reformat the *C* drive. >> >> I would then have a "new" computer _without_ all the Dell >> crap and without all the crap that I have introduced/ >> >> Is this possible? >> >> I assume that this would be legal as I would own both copies >> of XP Pro... > > > That is legal and easily possible. Since you plan to eventually > get rid of the OEM WinXP, it would be easier on your psyche > if the 2nd OS also called its partition "C:" and not "D:" (although > "D:" works just as well as "C:"). That is done by disconnecting > the 1st HD before doing the installation on the 2nd HD. That > will give you a 2nd OS that will mono-boot itself when in > isolation. Then re-connect the 1st HD. Assuming that the > HDs are SATA drives, the HD on the 1st SATA port will boot - > probably the original HD. To make the 2nd HD boot at startup, > go into the BIOS at startup by pressing DEL, and adjust the > Hard Drive Boot Order so that the other HD is at the top of > the list of HDs. (This is *not* the Device Boot Order which > prioritizes the device *types*.) The Hard Drive Boot Order > is called different things, depending on the BIOS, but it will be > recognizable as a list of HD model nos. which identifiy the HDs. > For this reason, it is best if the model nos. differ by having the > HDs of different makes or of different capacities or of different > model lines. Once the Hard Drive Boot Order is re-set, exit > the BIOS with the re-start option, and the subsequent bootup > will be controlled by the MBR and boot files of the HD at the > head of the Hard Drive Boot Order list. > > If the HDs are PATA ("IDE" HDs), jumpering does not matter > as long as the 2 HDs are jumpered differently. The 1st HD is > probably Master on IDE ch. 0 (although it doesn't have to be), > and in the default mode (before the Hard Drive Boot Order is > changed) it will get control at startup. When it is disconnected, > the 2nd HD in the Hard Drive Boot Order will get control - > the default being the Slave on IDE ch. 0 unless the Hard Drive > Boot Order has been changed. > > The BIOS settings persist in ROM, so that unless the Hard Drive > Boot Order is changed, the same HD will control booting at > each startup. Each OS, when it is the running OS, will call its > own partition "C:" and it will call other partitions in the system by > other names. This is OK as long as you don't have any shortcuts > which involve other than the one that it's on. > > You can use this BIOS adjustment to change which OS boots > until such time as you get rid of the 1st WinXP on the 1st HD. > You can then move the 2nd HD to the current position of the > 1st HD, or you can just leave it where it is. > > Another method involves software dual-booting. If the 1st HD > is connected when the OS installation is done for the 2nd HD, > the installer will see the 1st installed OS, and if you let the > installer > do it, it will set up a dual-boot menu for you that will allow you > to choose at startup which OS to boot. This form of dual-boot > will be a little simpler procedurally, but even after you eventually > reformat the 1st HD, the 2nd OS will persist in calling its own > partition "D:", and you will have to change the boot menu to re- > establish a mono-boot procedure. This is simple to do, but you > *will* be back here asking us how to do it. :-) > > *TimDaniels* > > >
Guest dobey Posted September 1, 2007 Posted September 1, 2007 Re: Can I run 2 copies of XP Pro on the same computer? "zulu" <nothere@ntlworld.com> wrote in message news:eQna$Q$6HHA.536@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl... > Thank you muchly for a very comprehensive reply Timothy! > I will have to get local help to do it, but I now know it is possible (and > also legal... <g>) > > I quite expect to be back again........:-) > <snip> If I were you I would create a disk image of the original OEM install, then you can put it back on the HDD if you sell the computer in the future, and take your retail version to your next PC if you so desire.
Guest zulu Posted September 1, 2007 Posted September 1, 2007 Re: Can I run 2 copies of XP Pro on the same computer? Good advise, but I have no idea _how_to do this. What do I need? "dobey" <a@v.nox> wrote in message news:eONpKDI7HHA.980@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl... > > "zulu" <nothere@ntlworld.com> wrote in message > news:eQna$Q$6HHA.536@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl... >> Thank you muchly for a very comprehensive reply Timothy! >> I will have to get local help to do it, but I now know it is possible >> (and also legal... <g>) >> >> I quite expect to be back again........:-) >> > <snip> > > If I were you I would create a disk image of the original OEM install, > then you can put it back on the HDD if you sell the computer in the > future, and take your retail version to your next PC if you so desire. > >
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