HD cloning advice please

Preparing to clean install Win 7 upgrade. Will be cloning my existing XP Pro installation ( C: ) to my empty D: drive.

My question is if the clone goes successfully...will I be able to boot to either drive's XP Pro installation depending on the first boot drive set up in my bios ?

Is a properly cloned drive basically a perfectly performing copy/clone of the original...?...meaning you could disconnect the original C: drive that was cloned...and them boot to the newly created D: drive that is now C:

Do I have this right...?

Thanks, Tim

Do you have software that will basically move the XP install to another partition?

Hard drives are cheap now, could you get another one and install Win 7 on it?

I like to keep my systems on independent drives, so if I decide to remove one, it is not that hard to redo the boot menu.

If you decide to get another drive, post back.

trinaz said:

My question is if the clone goes successfully...will I be able to boot to either drive's XP Pro installation depending on the first boot drive set up in my bios ?


Thanks, Tim

Hi Tim. Yes, on separate HD's the dual boot is achieved much easier booting from BIOS, setting the preferred HD to boot first in BIOS boot order, then using the BIOS Boot Menu shortcut key to choose the other HD during bootup. The drives are independent and can come and go as you please.

If it's XP you should be OK . It doesn't rely on the Disk signature in the boot process.

Thanks guys...just to be clear...a good clone copy on a second HDD of my now C: drive will boot and run successfully...all apps..files..etc, intact as the only drive in the system...same box...only difference would be the HDD that was used to clone to ?

Then if I reattached the original C: drive ( had original HP installation...) I can put my new Win 7 Pro on this drive...and be able to boot to either OS through bios settings ?

Tim

Just be sure to unplug the XP drive when installing Win7 so it doesnt configure a dual boot with XP as it normally does when last installed OS.

Why would you want to "be able to boot to either drive's XP Pro installation depending on the first boot drive set up in my bios ?"

Don't you want to clone XP to the other HD (it will remain D) so you can install Win7 on current XP drive, then boot to either independently through the BIOS?

Be sure to format the old XP drive first using the booted Win7 DVD Custom Drive Options.

Thanks...guess this isn't clear as I reread it:

Why would you want to "be able to boot to either drive's XP Pro installation depending on the first boot drive set up in my bios ?"

What I meant was before installing 7 I wanted to boot to each drive separately to be sure both installs ( 2 separate HDD's ) are running fine ?

Thanks again....Tim