PC Review


Reply
Thread Tools Rate Thread

Change Boot Drives

 
 
=?Utf-8?B?TUs4MDg=?=
Guest
Posts: n/a
 
      27th Jun 2007
I have XP Pro SP 2 and Outlook 2002 SP 3 on my current C Drive. I want do
Clean install XP Pro SP 2 and Outlook 2003 on a different drive then be able
to boot from either to use the Files and Settings Wizard to import my current
settings to the new installation. Can someone tell me how to do this or
another method to be able to boot from either for a while until I get the new
installation dailed in. I will eventually format the current C and use it
for storage.

Thanks in advance
 
Reply With Quote
 
 
 
 
Timothy Daniels
Guest
Posts: n/a
 
      27th Jun 2007
"MK808" wrote:
>I have XP Pro SP 2 and Outlook 2002 SP 3 on my current C Drive.
> I want do Clean install XP Pro SP 2 and Outlook 2003 on a different
> drive then be able to boot from either to use the Files and Settings
> Wizard to import my current settings to the new installation. Can
> someone tell me how to do this or another method to be able to
> boot from either for a while until I get the new installation dailed in.
> I will eventually format the current C and use it for storage.



The easiest way to do this is to use the BIOS's Hard Drive
Boot Order to make one or the other hard drive control booting.
This keeps each OS on independent hard drives without the
need for multi-booting and without the later need to convert the
multi-boot menu back to mono-booting.

To do this, install the fresh OS on the 2nd hard drive while
the 1st hard drive is unconnected. The OS will be installed as
a mono-boot, completely independent of the 1st OS, and it
will call its own partition "C:" when it runs. While doing the
installation, it doesn't matter how the HD is jumpered or to which
port it's connected - by virtue of it being the only HD connected in
the system, it will automatically be at the head of the BIOS's Hard
Drive Boot Order, and it will get control at startup. Since each
OS will call its own partition "C:", each will refer to the other OS's
partition by some other letter. This will not be a problem as long
as there are no shortcuts that refer to another partition.

To select an HD from which to boot when there are 2 HDs
connected, you must know how the HDs are prioritized in the
BIOS's Hard Drive Boot Order. For PATA (i.e. "IDE") HDs,
the *default* order is:
Primary Master,
Primary Slave,
Secondary Master,
Secondary Slave.

For SATA HDs, the *default* Hard Drive Boot Order just
follows the numbering of the SATA pors, with the lowest port
number first.

The BIOS will usually use the HD manufacturer's model no. of
the HD in its listing of the Hard Drive Boot Order, so it helps if the
HDs have different model numbers. It will also help you in
recognizing which OS has started up if you put a folder on the
Desktop with a name that identifies the OS version, or you can
use different Desktop background images for the 2 OSes. Since
each HD will have a full set of boot files for the OS that resides
on it, when you no longer have a use for the 1st HD, simply
reformat it using the Disk Manager in the 2nd HD's OS.

*TimDaniels*.
 
Reply With Quote
 
=?Utf-8?B?TUs4MDg=?=
Guest
Posts: n/a
 
      30th Jun 2007
Mr. Daniels,

Thank you very much. I couldn't get much done in the BIOS but am able to
boot to one or the other just by disconnecting the one I don't want to boot.
It's a bit of a hassle but I hope I won't be at it for long. I had to find a
few drivers that I didn't have and am still loading software but wanted to
get back to and thank you for your advice.

Mahalo,
MK808



> "MK808" wrote:
> >I have XP Pro SP 2 and Outlook 2002 SP 3 on my current C Drive.
> > I want do Clean install XP Pro SP 2 and Outlook 2003 on a different
> > drive then be able to boot from either to use the Files and Settings
> > Wizard to import my current settings to the new installation. Can
> > someone tell me how to do this or another method to be able to
> > boot from either for a while until I get the new installation dailed in.
> > I will eventually format the current C and use it for storage.

>
>
>"Timothy Daniels" wrote:
> The easiest way to do this is to use the BIOS's Hard Drive
> Boot Order to make one or the other hard drive control booting.
> This keeps each OS on independent hard drives without the
> need for multi-booting and without the later need to convert the
> multi-boot menu back to mono-booting.
>
> To do this, install the fresh OS on the 2nd hard drive while
> the 1st hard drive is unconnected. The OS will be installed as
> a mono-boot, completely independent of the 1st OS, and it
> will call its own partition "C:" when it runs. While doing the
> installation, it doesn't matter how the HD is jumpered or to which
> port it's connected - by virtue of it being the only HD connected in
> the system, it will automatically be at the head of the BIOS's Hard
> Drive Boot Order, and it will get control at startup. Since each
> OS will call its own partition "C:", each will refer to the other OS's
> partition by some other letter. This will not be a problem as long
> as there are no shortcuts that refer to another partition.
>
> To select an HD from which to boot when there are 2 HDs
> connected, you must know how the HDs are prioritized in the
> BIOS's Hard Drive Boot Order. For PATA (i.e. "IDE") HDs,
> the *default* order is:
> Primary Master,
> Primary Slave,
> Secondary Master,
> Secondary Slave.
>
> For SATA HDs, the *default* Hard Drive Boot Order just
> follows the numbering of the SATA pors, with the lowest port
> number first.
>
> The BIOS will usually use the HD manufacturer's model no. of
> the HD in its listing of the Hard Drive Boot Order, so it helps if the
> HDs have different model numbers. It will also help you in
> recognizing which OS has started up if you put a folder on the
> Desktop with a name that identifies the OS version, or you can
> use different Desktop background images for the 2 OSes. Since
> each HD will have a full set of boot files for the OS that resides
> on it, when you no longer have a use for the 1st HD, simply
> reformat it using the Disk Manager in the 2nd HD's OS.
>
> *TimDaniels*.
>

 
Reply With Quote
 
 
 
Reply

Thread Tools
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Multiple hard drives, unrecognized drives, unexpected change of boot priority. Stan Hilliard Windows XP General 5 17th Dec 2008 05:25 AM
Help! Need boot manager able to boot to non-BIOS controller drives. Spammay Blockay Storage Devices 21 16th Sep 2006 07:56 PM
Help! Need boot manager able to boot to non-BIOS controller drives. Spammay Blockay DIY PC 21 16th Sep 2006 07:56 PM
Boot Drives, System Drives - Messy Upgrade Problem! =?Utf-8?B?anVrZWJveA==?= Windows XP Setup 4 26th Mar 2005 07:44 AM
Two Hard Drives-Multi-boot/dual boot Mark Windows XP Hardware 6 5th Oct 2004 03:42 PM


Features
 

Advertising
 

Newsgroups
 


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 02:13 AM.