XP on two drives on same computer

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bill D
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Bill D

I realize that the activation process collects some system
information so that a drive cannot be taken from one
system and installed on another.
What about creating a bootable drive on a second drive for
the same system (I have a Program, Migrate Easy, for this)?
The idea is if drive 1 crashes, I can simply change the
BIOS and boot from the second drive.
This seems simpler than backups and restores.
Thanks
 
You're probably better off making a copy on a removable drive, and keeping
it somewhere other than inside the computer. I've seen computers where every
drive inside got fried by a power glitch, and if the backup is in the same
computer and that happens, you haven't saved anything. Or you could run into
a virus that infests both drives. Or something else that affects the whole
system.

Best bet is to do the copy when everything is running well, and set that
aside. Make sure it boots, then put it away where it's safe.

Then just make backups of the data that you don't want to lose. On CDs is a
good idea. And if you want to save copies of driver updates, hotfixes, or
whatever, you can save those as well. Or update your copy once in a while so
that it's always somewhat current. But don't do what many people like to
do -- wait until the system is buggy, them make a backup, wipe the drive,
and restore the buggy backup.

How you do backups is somewhat dependant on what disaster you're guarding
against. Personally, all I really care about is my data. I can reload my OS
and my programs, and if my drive crashes, I'll probably want a newer, bigger
one anyway. If the issue is that your computer is mission-critical and you
can't afford the downtime it takes to reload the OS and programs, then a
copy of the hard drive when it's running well is a good option.

I've never been a big fan of any program that does backups and restores,
because you're stuck having to use that program to get things functioning
again. A straight copy lets me access the data without worrying about
whether the backup program is compatible with my hardware or software when I
finally need it. Having a second bootable drive isn't a bad idea, but
keeping it inside the same computer isn't the best idea. Although it's
probably better than doing nothing at all.
 
Thanks for your reply and you make some good points.
However, the point of my question was not whether it was a
good or a bad idea, but whether XP activation would allow
me to do it.
Perhaps I did not make my question clear enough.
I have 2 hard drives. C drive has XP and my programs on it.
I want to also put everything (XP and programs)onto D
drive in case C crashes.
I have software (MigrateEasy) that will make D a bootable
drive that looks exactly like the C drive. It will do this
without me having to install XP or any programs
individually on D drive. I can then, via the BIOS, specify
which drive will boot on startup.
The basic question is will XP allow me to do this?
Can I have two drives on the same computer with XP on it?
or will the activation feature cause problems?
Thanks
 
Bill Dickason said:
Thanks for your reply and you make some good points.
However, the point of my question was not whether it was a
good or a bad idea, but whether XP activation would allow
me to do it.
Click to expand...

It's got to be possible because enough people have done it accidentally.
Perhaps I did not make my question clear enough.
I have 2 hard drives. C drive has XP and my programs on it.
I want to also put everything (XP and programs)onto D
drive in case C crashes.
I have software (MigrateEasy) that will make D a bootable
drive that looks exactly like the C drive. It will do this
without me having to install XP or any programs
individually on D drive. I can then, via the BIOS, specify
which drive will boot on startup.
The basic question is will XP allow me to do this?
Click to expand...

Yep. Whether it violates the licensing is a matter of some debate, but
essentially, you've only changed one component, so the activation shouldn't
be an issue.
Can I have two drives on the same computer with XP on it?
Yup.

or will the activation feature cause problems?
Click to expand...

Actually, since you're not dual-booting, but instead you're making a backup,
the activation wouldn't come into play until you put that drive into
service. At that point, there are 3 possibilities. Either it would already
be activated and it wouldn't detect any differences (this is most likely),
so it would stay activated, no problem. Or it would think things are
different enough that you would have to re-activate (which would happen if
you changed out other parts in the meantime), which you would do on the
internet or by phone. Or it would think it was never activated, and you'd do
it over the internet or by phone.

Re-activating it wouldn't be a problem, even if you had to call, as you are
allowed to change parts to repair your computer.
 
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