Dual Boot Advice Plz

[psd99]

hiya everyone

as some of u may know
ive recently got a new 320gb hd to replace a 160gb as i was running outa space


ive now added the old 160gb to another computer which already has another 120gb on it with xp operating system.

i have added the 160 as a slave, i want to also set up windows xp on this drive using my windows xp cd which is bootable! this harrdrive is full but i can delete around 10gb for an operating system.

id like to be able to have the option just after bios of windows asking which version of windows i would like to run be it the 120gb v or the 160gb version (which i havent installed)


i dont think ive installed two operating systems on two seperate harddrives before. infact if i remember that if i had both harrdrives plugged in i think ive overwritten over the xp thats already installed. its this which im terrified about!

1. how would i set it up so that i get an option after bios that asks me which version i want to run?

please leave your comments and thoughts to this question. also advice is fully appreciated

many thanks
psd99

 

[psd99]

ummm ne idea guys?

im hoping to set xp up tonite!
otherwise i wont be able to sleep at nite....
lol

 

[floppybootstomp]

Ok, let's go over this.

One computer which has:

1 x 120Gb HDD with XP on it.

1 x 160Gb Disk which is full up but which you can make a 10gb Partition on.

Put a second install of XP on the 10Gb partition of the 160Gb disk.

Is that correct?

Does the 160Gb HDD have an operating system on it or just data?

If there's an OS already there, you'll probably have to format it.

Assuming it's just data with an empty 10Gb partition on, make a note of the drive letter assigned to that partition, boot from XP CD and install to the 10Gb partition.

The dual boot function will set up pretty much automatically, just follow the prompts during the install.

Providing you make sure you select the 10Gb partition during install, there should be no probs.

 

[psd99]

my GREATEST fear would arise if xp gets reinstalled over the 120gb.

okay in order for the dual boot up to work will i definetly need the 120gb connected to the machine whilst im instaling xp on the 160gb?
thanks

Yes.

Also, you'll need the 21Gb partition completely free, XP will format it during the install so you best back up those files somewhere.

21Gb is a much better size for an XP install anyway.

Make a note of the drive letter your current install of XP has assigned the 21Gb partition, you'll need that. It may be an idea to give the partition a distinctive name, just to be on the safe side so you can't mistake which one it is.

XP will also give the size of the partition during install as well, so there's another clue.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Oh bugger, I messed that one up, I pressed the 'edit' button instead of 'quote'

Sorry bout dat

But anyway, there ya go, there's your answer, lol

 

[psd99]

lol thanks

how sure are u that xp will format that 21gb partition?

im sure it wont here.... i woulda thought that i set up the harddrive correctly when first installed?

 

[floppybootstomp]

XP will only install to a partition or drive that it can format, as far as I know.

 

[tjm4fun]

It's been a while, but as I recall, xp will ask if you want to format the partition you are installing to.

One other issue you should consider:
When you install the 2nd xp, it will likely modify the mbr and make itself the controlling bootmanager. This could cause a problem in the future if you remove the 2nd drive, and the machine is looking to boot from there.
This can be corrected after the install with some editing in the advanced tab of the system properties. Not a big issue, but you should be aware of it.
There are numerous articles on how to edit your boot files to do what you want.

 

[psd99]

It's been a while, but as I recall, xp will ask if you want to format the partition you are installing to.

One other issue you should consider:
When you install the 2nd xp, it will likely modify the mbr and make itself the controlling bootmanager. This could cause a problem in the future if you remove the 2nd drive, and the machine is looking to boot from there.
This can be corrected after the install with some editing in the advanced tab of the system properties. Not a big issue, but you should be aware of it.
There are numerous articles on how to edit your boot files to do what you want.

thanks for that

but will this affect the pc if i am going to have a screen just after bios that will ask me for which version of xp im going to use?

i want to have this option
i dont like to edit the boot.ini file it dont look like a good idea.

and u are also sure that xp will have to format the partition in order to install?

i just wnated to get ppl's views before i start the operation

 

[floppybootstomp]

but will this affect the pc if i am going to have a screen just after bios that will ask me for which version of xp im going to use?

i want to have this option

Yes.

and u are also sure that xp will have to format the partition in order to install?

Yes.

 

[Rasterhead]

What advantage would you have for 2 instances of XP on the same machine?

 

[Rasterhead]

pardon the dual post, I forgot to ask...
Should you do a defrag and then use a third party utility to create a separate partition (for XP) thus avoiding a format of the entire disk by XP? Hate to see you lose it all... I've never done that very often.

 

[floppybootstomp]

What advantage would you have for 2 instances of XP on the same machine?

I didn't choose to ask that, although the same thing crossed my mind

I've seen instances of people doing that though, one for work and one for games, for instance.

And he won't actually lose the whole hard disk, just the 21Gb parition.

Options are to either back up all data in that partition to CD/DVD/another hard disk or use a software program such as Partition Manager 8 to make two partitions from the one, 10Gb & 11Gb. Though 10Gb is cutting it fine for an XP installation, in my opinion.

 

[psd99]

What advantage would you have for 2 instances of XP on the same machine?

well if u have understood what im going to do

the 120gb xp version i installed maybe 3 -4 years back
(i think its been that long)
and this version is v slow, when i start up it takes ages.....
generally its slow its an xp2200 and 256mb memory
all my mates tell me to resintall xp over this, but then i cant be asked with all the programe files and all my shortcuts thats just too long.

so as i got another harddrive which is full of my music id like to add another version of xp to this machine.
im really worried incase i get it wrong and mess things up

hope that clears it up.

psd99

 

[psd99]

Options are to either back up all data in that partition to CD/DVD/another hard disk or use a software program such as Partition Manager 8 to make two partitions from the one, 10Gb & 11Gb. Though 10Gb is cutting it fine for an XP installation, in my opinion.

well i was thinking of installing just xp with 8 gb

do u think thas enough for the actual operating system?
JUST THE OPERATING system on its own ntohign else.

if xp has to format the whole of 21gb then i will do what u have suggested in partioning it further
thanks for that.

 

[floppybootstomp]

psd99, yes, 8Gb is enough for just the OS.

But, I have to say, you're going about solving your problem in a really odd manner.

Ever wondered why your OS is running so slow?

Before installing a second OS, why not:

1) Defrag.
2) Install Adaware SE V1.06. Run it.
3) Install a-squared. Run it.
4) Use crap cleaner (I've never used this myself but I hear it's good)
5) Use registry cleaner or similar, clean out unwanted entries.
6) Tidy up your folders and delete EVERYTHING you don't need.
7) Apply all latest XP updates.
8) Install a good Anti Virus program (not Nortons, that'll slow you down for sure) such as Avast; Antivir or AVG (all free). Run it.

Now, if that little lot doesn't help, I'd be surprised.

I'm sure some of the other guys can chip in with software suggestions to clean your system up as well.

All the above can be found by googling, if you can't find them ask me and I'll provide links.

 

[Raje]

I like the list Floppy... I use adaware all the time... but I also have and use SpyBot Search and Destroy(use with caution !!) and Microsoft's Antispyware. The Microsift one may not be a good idea for a slower system... it does have a agent running in the background.

Though I am curious about a-squared and crap cleaner.

 

[psd99]

Flopps,

thanks for taking the time to write all that out for me

prehaps it is an odd manner and also that im being lazy which i feel i am in life at the minute

i will definetly be doing what u suggested and see if it helps
many thanks once again.

what is a -squared?

 

[psd99]

also im using McAfee right now

ive always used norton which turned out to really slow down the system.

it feels weird using McAfee, but i think tis a bit faster than Norton.

u mentioned some free AV which will mean i won need to fork out again
are they really good or what?
and which do u recommend as ive always used norton!

 

[floppybootstomp]

psd99:

I use Antvir and update it almost daily. A lot of the guys here are fond of Avast though.

Antivir does work, it often blocks malware from some sites, a window pops up giving me options, default is 'Deny access'.

A-Squared is a malware/trojan detector and remover, it's updated on a fairly regular basis. It does take a long time to scan, but it works.

You may still have some detritus from Nortons clogging your system. Have a good search and delete anything Nortons/Symantec related.

All the software I've listed is free, btw.