2 hard drives 2 Windows XP

[Guest matrixmainframe]

I plan to add a second hard drive to my computer (not yet decided on internal

or external) to back up all my music and other files from my primary drive.

 

All licensing issues aside (I've read the threads) can I install Windows XP

on the secondary drive so that if the primary drive failed I could boot from

the secondary drive without, as I suspect may be the case, having to open the

computer and changing the jumpers so that the surviving secondary drive can

be made the primary and vice versa.

 

Also, having never had a drive fail on me this may be a stupid question but,

if the primary drive failed and I got the secondary drive up and running as

the primary, would I still be able to see all folders and files on the failed

drive?

[Guest Avi Greenbury]

Re: 2 hard drives 2 Windows XP

 

On Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:36:02 -0700, matrixmainframe wrote:

> I plan to add a second hard drive to my computer (not yet decided on

> internal or external) to back up all my music and other files from my

> primary drive.

>

> All licensing issues aside (I've read the threads) can I install Windows

> XP on the secondary drive so that if the primary drive failed I could

> boot from the secondary drive without, as I suspect may be the case,

> having to open the computer and changing the jumpers so that the

> surviving secondary drive can be made the primary and vice versa.

>

> Also, having never had a drive fail on me this may be a stupid question

> but, if the primary drive failed and I got the secondary drive up and

> running as the primary, would I still be able to see all folders and

> files on the failed drive?

 

If the primary drive fails, it's likely to take the boot sector with it,

which makes it less simple to switch between them.

If you just installed 'as normal' on both, then as and when the primary

fails, you could use the boot menu in your bios to go with the secondary

one.

I'd suggest just waiting the day or two it takes to get a new hard drive,

myself.

[Guest Bob I]

Re: 2 hard drives 2 Windows XP

 

 

 

matrixmainframe wrote:

> I plan to add a second hard drive to my computer (not yet decided on internal

> or external) to back up all my music and other files from my primary drive.

>

Good idea.

 

> All licensing issues aside (I've read the threads) can I install Windows XP

> on the secondary drive so that if the primary drive failed I could boot from

> the secondary drive without, as I suspect may be the case, having to open the

> computer and changing the jumpers so that the surviving secondary drive can

> be made the primary and vice versa.

>

No it won't work the way you envision.

> Also, having never had a drive fail on me this may be a stupid question but,

> if the primary drive failed and I got the secondary drive up and running as

> the primary, would I still be able to see all folders and files on the failed

> drive?

 

Not if the drive actually failed.

[Guest Jim]

Re: 2 hard drives 2 Windows XP

 

 

"matrixmainframe" <matrixmainframe@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in

message news:1C618A8B-B291-4C14-BC79-C158F6D4C034@microsoft.com...

>I plan to add a second hard drive to my computer (not yet decided on

>internal

> or external) to back up all my music and other files from my primary

> drive.

>

> All licensing issues aside (I've read the threads) can I install Windows

> XP

> on the secondary drive so that if the primary drive failed I could boot

> from

> the secondary drive without, as I suspect may be the case, having to open

> the

> computer and changing the jumpers so that the surviving secondary drive

> can

> be made the primary and vice versa.

>

> Also, having never had a drive fail on me this may be a stupid question

> but,

> if the primary drive failed and I got the secondary drive up and running

> as

> the primary, would I still be able to see all folders and files on the

> failed

> drive?

If your system uses "cable select", then the answer to your first question

is "highly likely". There is no licensing issue involved.

The answer to your second question is "Very unlikely".

It is time for you to make a backup of all of your files.

Jim

[Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Re: 2 hard drives 2 Windows XP

 

 

"matrixmainframe" <matrixmainframe@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in

message news:1C618A8B-B291-4C14-BC79-C158F6D4C034@microsoft.com...

>I plan to add a second hard drive to my computer (not yet decided on

>internal

> or external) to back up all my music and other files from my primary

> drive.

>

> All licensing issues aside (I've read the threads) can I install Windows

> XP

> on the secondary drive so that if the primary drive failed I could boot

> from

> the secondary drive without, as I suspect may be the case, having to open

> the

> computer and changing the jumpers so that the surviving secondary drive

> can

> be made the primary and vice versa.

>

> Also, having never had a drive fail on me this may be a stupid question

> but,

> if the primary drive failed and I got the secondary drive up and running

> as

> the primary, would I still be able to see all folders and files on the

> failed

> drive?

 

If your aim is to back up your data files then using an internal

drive is a pointless exercise. Here is a better approach:

- Get an external USB drive.

- Backup your data to that drive. Do it often!

- Buy a copy of an imaging program, e.g. Acronis TrueImage.

- Create an image file of drive C: and store it on the external disk.

- Update this image once or twice each year.

- Keep the external disk well away from your PC for most

of the time.

- Create a "Rescue CD" with your imaging program.

 

To restore data, copy it back from the external disk.

If you need to restore Windows, boot the machine with

the Rescue CD and restore Windows from the image

file.

 

P.S. When backing up your data, remember to back

up your EMail files. Many people overlook this little

detail, sometimes with catastrophic consequences.

[Guest Anna]

Re: 2 hard drives 2 Windows XP

 

 

"matrixmainframe" <matrixmainframe@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in

message news:1C618A8B-B291-4C14-BC79-C158F6D4C034@microsoft.com...

>I plan to add a second hard drive to my computer (not yet decided on

>internal

> or external) to back up all my music and other files from my primary

> drive.

>

> All licensing issues aside (I've read the threads) can I install Windows

> XP

> on the secondary drive so that if the primary drive failed I could boot

> from

> the secondary drive without, as I suspect may be the case, having to open

> the

> computer and changing the jumpers so that the surviving secondary drive

> can

> be made the primary and vice versa.

>

> Also, having never had a drive fail on me this may be a stupid question

> but,

> if the primary drive failed and I got the secondary drive up and running

> as

> the primary, would I still be able to see all folders and files on the

> failed

> drive?

 

 

matrix...

May I suggest that you really should be considering a comprehensive backup

system that you could employ on a routine basis? So that from time-to-time

depending upon how you use your PC you could systematically backup your

system in such a way as to have, in effect, a copy of your day-to-day

working HDD. A copy that would include your operating system (OS), all your

programs & applications, and all your user-created data. In short,

*everything* that's on your "source" HDD. So that in the event of a failure

of your HDD or the OS becoming so corrupt that it's unbootable you could use

the cloned HDD to restore your system to a functional state with a minimum

of effort.

 

You could accomplish this through the use of a disk-to-disk cloning (or disk

imaging) program by using another HDD (either internal or external) to be

the recipient of the clone (or disk image). If you used an internal HDD as

the recipient of the clone that drive would be bootable without the need of

opening your computer case, changing jumpers, & the like. There would be no

need to do so.

 

On the other hand, should you use an external HDD - say a USB external HDD -

as the recipient of the clone that HDD would not ordinarily be bootable

however, you could clone back the contents of that external HDD to a

non-defective internal HDD resulting in a bootable, functioning system once

again. The process is relatively simple & straightforward.

 

The advantage of using an external HDD is that it gives you somewhat more

security than another internal HDD since the external drive will ordinarily

be disconnected from the system when not in use.

Anna

[Guest John]

Re: 2 hard drives 2 Windows XP

 

It sounds like you want storage redundancy. Here are a couple choices:

 

1) Disk mirroring (RAID1) - needs a RAID controller card + 2 HDs

2) Disk cloning (Ghost, Acronis etc)

 

"matrixmainframe" <matrixmainframe@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in

message news:1C618A8B-B291-4C14-BC79-C158F6D4C034@microsoft.com...

> Also, having never had a drive fail on me this may be a stupid question

> but,

> if the primary drive failed and I got the secondary drive up and running

> as

> the primary, would I still be able to see all folders and files on the

> failed

> drive?

 

Depends. What kind of failure is it? Normally you can't read anything off of

a failed HD without the help of recovery software such as EasyRecovery.

[Guest PD43]

Re: 2 hard drives 2 Windows XP

 

"Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I.can@fly.com.oz> wrote:

>- Create an image file of drive C: and store it on the external disk.

>- Update this image once or twice each year.

 

Or be obsessive like me and update it every night.

 

And install a THIRD drive - this one internal - and clone your main

drive to it weekly. If you set the BIOS to boot to that drive AFTER

the system drive, if the system drive fails, it will boot to the

cloned drive.

 

Acronis TI does both simply.

[Guest smlunatick]

Re: 2 hard drives 2 Windows XP

 

On Mar 17, 11:39 am, "John" <a> wrote:

> It sounds like you want storage redundancy. Here are a couple choices:

>

> 1) Disk mirroring (RAID1) - needs a RAID controller card + 2 HDs

> 2) Disk cloning (Ghost, Acronis etc)

>

> "matrixmainframe" <matrixmainfr...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in

> messagenews:1C618A8B-B291-4C14-BC79-C158F6D4C034@microsoft.com...

>

> > Also, having never had a drive fail on me this may be a stupid question

> > but,

> > if the primary drive failed and I got the secondary drive up and running

> > as

> > the primary, would I still be able to see all folders and files on the

> > failed

> > drive?

>

> Depends. What kind of failure is it? Normally you can't read anything off of

> a failed HD without the help of recovery software such as EasyRecovery.

 

RAID 1 can be done with software, although it will slow down.

 

Also, several "modern" (after 2006) come with RAID ports built-in.

These can do RAID 1.

 

Also, Microsoft has never designed, or patched, Windows XP to ever

work on an external USB / Firewire hard drive. Any hard drive based

on eSATA might be able to run XP since by it definition eSATA is seen

as an "internal" hard drive (same thing is possible with SCSI but only

to cost of the hard drive may prohibit the purchase (way more

expensive that reqular SATA / IDE drives.)

[Guest John]

Re: 2 hard drives 2 Windows XP

 

 

"smlunatick" <yveslec@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:1f6d50a5-9213-44d2-a876-b172c3f205ed@a23g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...

> RAID 1 can be done with software, although it will slow down.

 

eeewww...

> Also, several "modern" (after 2006) come with RAID ports built-in.

> These can do RAID 1.

 

Yup. A few of them come with SATA RAID controller on the mobo.

[Guest Ken Blake, MVP]

Re: 2 hard drives 2 Windows XP

 

On Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:36:02 -0700, matrixmainframe

<matrixmainframe@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> I plan to add a second hard drive to my computer (not yet decided on internal

> or external) to back up all my music and other files from my primary drive.

 

 

 

If you're planning on an internal drive, I urge you to reconsider that

backup plan.

 

I don't recommend backup to a second non-removable hard drive because

it leaves you susceptible to simultaneous loss of the original and

backup to many of the most common dangers: severe power glitches,

nearby lightning strikes, virus attacks, even theft of the computer.

 

In my view, secure backup needs to be on removable media, and not kept

in the computer. For really secure backup (needed, for example, if the

life of your business depends on your data) you should have multiple

generations of backup, and at least one of those generations should be

stored off-site.

 

You can read my general advice on backup in this article I recently

wrote: http://www.computorcompanion.com/LPMArticle.asp?ID=314

 

 

> All licensing issues aside (I've read the threads) can I install Windows XP

> on the secondary drive so that if the primary drive failed I could boot from

> the secondary drive without, as I suspect may be the case, having to open the

> computer and changing the jumpers so that the surviving secondary drive can

> be made the primary and vice versa.

>

> Also, having never had a drive fail on me this may be a stupid question but,

> if the primary drive failed and I got the secondary drive up and running as

> the primary, would I still be able to see all folders and files on the failed

> drive?

 

--

Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

Please Reply to the Newsgroup

[Guest PD43]

Re: 2 hard drives 2 Windows XP

 

"Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote:

>You can read my general advice on backup in this article I recently

>wrote: http://www.computorcompanion.com/LPMArticle.asp?ID=314

 

Good article.

 

I quote this line:

 

"I also use a pair of 1GB thumb drives (also alternating between them)

for making more frequent backups of my most critical data (like

financial information). For that I just copy and paste using ordinary

Windows techniques."

 

I use a program called Second Copy to do that.

 

http://www.centered.com/

 

1) It keeps my cloned drive regularly updated between clones.

2) It backs up the same data to an external drive

3) It backs up the same data to a flash drive so I can keep my

notebook updated with the same info

 

All either manually or on a schedule.

[Guest sgopus]

RE: 2 hard drives 2 Windows XP

 

as an aside, depending on the age of your puter, ie reference to either USB

or SATA external drive, if you have USB 2.0 a clone of your system would go

much faster than USB1 I have an older pc and it took 36 hours to make a

clone, course it was a dual boot xp and W2k, in comparision to an external

SATA and only one OS, took me less than 30 minutes.

 

SO hopefully your pc supports SATA and or USB 2.0.

 

I always recommend making a clone and stashing it somewhere safe, and also

scheduling periodic backups of important data, on either CD or DVD RW.

 

and of course updating your clone often.

 

 

 

 

"matrixmainframe" wrote:

> I plan to add a second hard drive to my computer (not yet decided on internal

> or external) to back up all my music and other files from my primary drive.

>

> All licensing issues aside (I've read the threads) can I install Windows XP

> on the secondary drive so that if the primary drive failed I could boot from

> the secondary drive without, as I suspect may be the case, having to open the

> computer and changing the jumpers so that the surviving secondary drive can

> be made the primary and vice versa.

>

> Also, having never had a drive fail on me this may be a stupid question but,

> if the primary drive failed and I got the secondary drive up and running as

> the primary, would I still be able to see all folders and files on the failed

> drive?

[Guest Ken Blake, MVP]

Re: 2 hard drives 2 Windows XP

 

On Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:02:08 -0500, PD43 <pauld1943@comcast.net>

wrote:

> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote:

>

> >You can read my general advice on backup in this article I recently

> >wrote: http://www.computorcompanion.com/LPMArticle.asp?ID=314

>

> Good article.

 

 

Thanks very much.

 

 

> I quote this line:

>

> "I also use a pair of 1GB thumb drives (also alternating between them)

> for making more frequent backups of my most critical data (like

> financial information). For that I just copy and paste using ordinary

> Windows techniques."

>

> I use a program called Second Copy to do that.

 

 

Sure, there's more than one way to do it.

 

--

Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

Please Reply to the Newsgroup