XP drive letter question

[Howard]

I have 2 harddrives (HD1 and HD2) Windows XP 32bit is currently install on
HD1
HD1 is C drive
HD2 is D drive

I want to install windows xp 64bit so that
HD2 is C drive
HD1 is D drive
to the 64bit windows xp

Is this possible? (like the default behavior in Vista)

Howard

 

[Timothy Daniels]

I have 2 harddrives (HD1 and HD2) Windows XP 32bit is
currently install on HD1
HD1 is C drive
HD2 is D drive

I want to install windows xp 64bit so that
HD2 is C drive
HD1 is D drive
to the 64bit windows xp

Is this possible? (like the default behavior in Vista)

Do you intend to keep the 32-bit versions?

BTW, not since DOS did "C:" and "D:" refer to
physical hard drives. Nowadays, those names
are assigned to partitions by the running OS.
Thus, you can have "C:" and "D:" partitions on
the same hard drive, and each can have a
runnable OS.

*TimDaniels*

 

[jwardl]

Disable HD1 (through the BIOS or just pull the cables) before installing
Vista64.
After checking that the install worked and Vista64 boots, re-enable HD1.
That should do it.

Personally, I have a similar setup, but leave my HD2 (with XP) disabled
altogether while running Vista. Just want to be ABSOLUTELY sure it doesn't
mess with my XP install.

 

[**__Mike__**]

From what I've experienced with 32-bit, if you boot from the DVD for the
install you will get what you want by default as long as you choose to
install vista on the second drive; it always "steals" the letter C unless
you run setup from within another operating system.

-Mike

 

[Og]

I have 2 harddrives (HD1 and HD2) Windows XP 32bit is currently install on
HD1
HD1 is C drive
HD2 is D drive

I want to install windows xp 64bit so that
HD2 is C drive
HD1 is D drive
to the 64bit windows xp

Is this possible? (like the default behavior in Vista)

Howard

You would do well to understand how drives are enumerated in the BINARY
world.
In the binary world, counting starts at 0 (zero).
To Windows and to a computer system BIOS, the first physical drive is Disk 0
(zero).
The second physical drive is Disk 1 (one).
If you alter BIOS boot settings or boot.ini configuration based upon the
enumeration you used, you will not obtain the results you are expecting.

 

[Chad Harris]

It's as Mike says always, and if you have to boot from a restart the Bios
will change the drive letters although they could be regedited back. When
you're on the XP boot, though, you will see them as before.

Some systems, since build 5472 have given a false new IDE controller message
required to run Vista setup, and that you restart to run Vista setup and
won't setup Vista from XP. My advice is to try to setup from XP desktop
first, and if it won't, then restart and it should.

CH

 

[John Barnes]

If you are installing Windows XP 64-bit you are in the wrong group. You
need microsoft.public.windows.64bit.general
What you need to do is different between Vista and XP 64-bit

To have XP-64 enumerate as C it must be on the first active primary
partition on the first drive in boot priority the FIRST time you BOOT into
the newly installed system.

 

[John Barnes]

I should add you have to have the second drive installed and also a primary
partition to have it enumerate as D, otherwise D will be your CD drive.