Windows 7 Forums Search
Welcome to Windows 7 Forums. Our forum is dedicated to helping you find solutions with any problems, errors or issues you are experiencing with Windows 7. The Windows 7 forum also covers news and updates and has an extensive Windows 7 tutorial section that covers a wide range of tips and tricks.


Windows 7 - 2 Hard Drives, 2 Operating system, Separate boot

 
01-27-2012   #11


 


Quote   Quote: Originally Posted by whs View Post
Greg, in disk management you see every partition - with or without letter. Right? Then it is easy to give this partition a letter - et voila.

I think it would help if the OP told us the reason why is so adamant to hide the other drive.
Yes, I was referring to how to remove the partition from the booted OS's Explorer seeing it's files which is what OP's have wanted in the past. I'm pretty sure this is how to do it but I'm also running on fumes after reimaging a laptop to a desktop overnight.

Remember that this is to hide the other OS's drive letter in Disk Management. You cannot remove or change the booted OS's drive letter or it will ruin it.

My System SpecsSystem Spec
01-27-2012   #12
whs


Vista and Windows7, sometimes Ubuntu and Fedora
 
 


OK, Explorer is another story. I was not sure to what level he wanted to go with the secrecy.
My System SpecsSystem Spec
01-27-2012   #13


 


Probably to keep the boss out of his personal life.
My System SpecsSystem Spec
.


01-27-2012   #14
whs


Vista and Windows7, sometimes Ubuntu and Fedora
 
 


That's a good reason.
My System SpecsSystem Spec
01-28-2012   #15


Windows 7 Pro x32bit
 
 


Idea is that I travel a lot, and I have a working laptop that I should always keep after me. For simplifying things, I have just taken the HDD of my home laptop, reinstall the windows with the job laptop drivers, and use it like this.
The Windows installed from work have some sort of tracing software, and registers everything that is inserted (USB, CDs, Other HDDs, etc) and than reports via internet. I have no idea if it has also a type of autorun that launches the same software when I'm inserting the HDD in another computer, as slave hard disk. This is why I need the HDDs to function independently, and not to be seen by each other.

To my question at the IT guy: and if I use a Live Boot CD with Linux, or anything, to use the computer without booting and using the work HDD, and use an external HDD, the answer was fast: I wouldn't try!

So, this is why I asked, how can I set from bios/dos the HDDs to be hidden of each other under windows. If it's possible.
I can enter and change each time the boot sequence. Is easier than using a screwdriver each day and night.


If both win partitions ar set as Primary and Active, would I have a chance to don't see the other operating system partition?
My System SpecsSystem Spec
01-28-2012   #16


XP, Win7 Pro, Ubuntu LL
 
 


EDIT: Never mind, didn't read "laptop" in OP.

Last edited by traderpats; 01-28-2012 at 01:40 AM.. Reason: Formating
My System SpecsSystem Spec
01-28-2012   #17
whs


Vista and Windows7, sometimes Ubuntu and Fedora
 
 


I think your IT guy gave you a wrong answer. If the Office OS is not active (because you use a live CD or because you use your private OS), I do not see how anything can be sent upstream. There is just no program there to do it.
My System SpecsSystem Spec
01-28-2012   #18


Windows 7® Home Premium 32bit & Windows XP® Professional SP2 32bit
 
 


I can tell u some reasons why one would want this sepparte boot solution to be easier. I do the same thing by manually powering down and swapping the power cable of the drive in question and then pluging it into the other os drive just like this above mentioned simular laptop method, but i do it on my desktop like this.

It is a bit troublesome and after some time i would see some of the plugs wearing out by this method.

The point is ">>>" We dont like to daul boot! We dont want the other os drive detected while in windows!

1.Many games, large applications , some crucial updates dont work once u dualboot.{fact} even if u do it properly!

2.If u dont use anti virus software , there is not a chance one drive could affect the other.

3.When u use somebody els's drive without their consent they won't know...nor ever be able to know, or unknowingly affect the integrety*boottime, game peformance* of either drive {this happens alot if u are a gamer and dont want to double check security stuff or settings all the time}

END of story " we want to set the drive we want powered up in the bios, or some other easy* way! ~~~{so that the hardware doesnt wear out so fast} in my case><"

PS ...when i assemble my new rig i will get a PSU with a on/off switch <<< that will atleast save my main power cable plug wearing out... still dont know what to do about the harddrives thou?
suppose one could get some electric dude to make a switch for that on the sata or ide power cables...!how much would that cost if even possible?

any other ideas?

Last edited by iTRiP; 01-28-2012 at 02:26 PM..
My System SpecsSystem Spec
01-28-2012   #19


 


Dual booting by swapping the cables is so far out there I've never even heard of it here after helping with thousands of Dual Boots..

We occasionally have Users enter BIOS setup to manually change the HD booted first, but then we remind them that nearly every computer and mobo make have a one-time BIOS Boot Menu key that can be used to override the boot order.

They are right up above in this thread, but I'll post them again for you:
Asus - F8
HP/Compaq - Esc
Sony - F2
Acer - F12
Gateway - F10
eMachnes - F10
Toshiba - F12
Dell - F12
IBM/Lenovo - the blue Thinkvantage button

I have heard of no issues between the OS's when they are on separate HD's booted via the BIOS.
My System SpecsSystem Spec
01-29-2012   #20


Windows 7 Home Premium
 
 


Alternatively, Windows (As far as I know) only recognizes the FAT and NTFS filesystems. I have a second HDD in my computer with Linux Mint on it, formatted EXT4, and my Windows 7 install doesn't see the drive at all. When running the Linux install, though, all the installed hardware is visible, but I can choose whether it's mounted at boot or not.

Windows is able to interact with EXT* filesystems (among others), but only after installing third-party software such as explore2fs. How you would go about installing Windows, converting the filesystem to EXT*, and then installing the needed emulator and getting it to run at the correct time in the boot sequence would be entirely up to you.

As far as keeping either drive hidden from the BIOS boot menu, that would be quite impossible unless you can install a switch in-line to deactivate the device (power switch?) you didn't want to use at the time. It's that, or physically swap the devices whenever you want to switch. Or learn to code and write your own BIOS. Or stop using your work computer for activities that you know your employer would not approve of.
My System SpecsSystem Spec
Reply

 2 Hard Drives, 2 Operating system, Separate boot problems?



Thread Tools



Similar Threads for: 2 Hard Drives, 2 Operating system, Separate boot
Thread Forum
A Virtual Hard Drive? Two separate hard drives now run Win 7 x64 Backup and Restore
Reformat External Hard Drive with Operating System Hardware & Devices
Dual boot Window7 and XP, both installed on separate drives Installation & Setup
Remove XP and Win 7 Dual boot on separate drives Installation & Setup
separate hard drives dual boot options Installation & Setup


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:04 AM.



Windows 7 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized,
sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation.
"Windows 7" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.
© Designer Media Ltd
  

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30