2 XP's on one PC?

[Kenny]

I currently have XP/SP3 on C:, an IDE drive.
Have added, partitioned and formatted a SATA drive, the m/b supports both.
Can I have XP on the SATA drive as well as the IDE?
I don't want to use imaging software, I would like to keep both until I have
got XP on the SATA drive working the way I want then maybe get rid of it on
the IDE drive.
Is this infringing EULA or anything like that?
Will I get better performance from having XP and programs on the SATA drive?
Is it straightforward, are there any pitfalls to watch out for?
I'm assuming that if I do this I will get a choice of XP's at boot time, is
that correct?
Replies and advice appreciated.

Kenny Cargill

 

[R. McCarty]

Your biggest stumbling block with two independent instances of XP
is drive lettering. If you eventually want to use the secondary instance
it will not have ( or use ) C:\, as your original XP has.

Performance wise a PATA will have around 60 Meg per Second
transfer rate while SATA can reach or exceed 100 Meg per Second.

I'd discourage you from creating a 2nd instance of XP. Just use some
type of Imaging to copy your existing XP to the SATA drive. One
issue that will usually happen is that mixing both PATA and SATA the
BIOS tends to map the PATA as the preferred boot disk and it will
get a C:\ drive letter assignment when both PATA/SATA are used
together.

If you do the setup as you describe the Boot.Ini will reside on the
existing PATA (C:\). When you remove it from the system the 2nd
XP instance won't boot until you create & designate the SATA as
the boot device.

 

[db]

it's one license per computer.

however, if your ide hard drive
became "faulty" you would be
allowed to install windows on
the "new" sata drive,

that is if your system can boot
from sata.

--
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[Gordon]

Is this infringing EULA or anything like that?

Yes.

 

[M.I.5¾]

Yes.

No. One licence - One PC. The OP is not going to breach that.

 

[Gordon]

No. One licence - One PC. The OP is not going to breach that.

Err NO. A separate Partition is a separate device. READ THE EULA.

 

[Twayne]

No. One licence - One PC. The OP is not going to breach that.

Nope.
Read the EULA again: It's one INSTANCE per PC. Run two and you need two
licenses.

 

[Bob I]

Err NO. A separate Partition is a separate device. READ THE EULA.

You're recalling the wrong EULA. Correct one is excerpted below and "run
one copy" would be the operative part of the phrase.

Installation and use. You may install, use, access,
display and run one copy of the Product on a single
computer, such as a workstation, terminal or other device
("Workstation Computer").

 

[Gordon]

You're recalling the wrong EULA. Correct one is excerpted below and "run
one copy" would be the operative part of the phrase.

Installation and use. You may install, use, access,
display and run one copy of the Product on a single
computer, such as a workstation, terminal or other device
("Workstation Computer").

Same end, different wording.