Dual boot of two Windows 7's on the same PC

madtownidiot · 17 Aug 2010

letsdoamazing said:

madtownidiot said:

There's nothing anywhere in the EULA that says you can't install it twice on the same computer so long as both copies aren't running simultaneously

That can't be right. So I could have one computer at my vacation home with one copy of 7 on it, and then I have another computer at my other house with the same copy installed. So, as long as I turned one of the machines off I could run that one copy? I don't think so.

That's NOT what I said....I said both on the SAME COMPUTER.
Regardless of which OS install is running it's the same PKEY attached to the same UUID, which as far as I'm concerned is perfectly okay

Zepher · 17 Aug 2010

I setup my friends machine for triple boot:
XP for Protools since his hardware version only works in XP
7 Ultimate for Graphics and most things
7 Professional for Premiere only

They are all on different drives and he just goes into the BIOS and selects which drive is number 1 in the boot order and boots the OS from that drive.

letsdoamazing · 17 Aug 2010

Dixon Butz said:

letsdoamazing said:

madtownidiot said:

There's nothing anywhere in the EULA that says you can't install it twice on the same computer so long as both copies aren't running simultaneously

That can't be right. So I could have one computer at my vacation home with one copy of 7 on it, and then I have another computer at my other house with the same copy installed. So, as long as I turned one of the machines off I could run that one copy? I don't think so.

As long as the hardware is the same it would work.

That makes sense, It just seems like each partition would require a key, just like any partition would. How would the key know its on only one machine, if the key is entered twice, its entered twice. Trying to wrap my head around this.

madtownidiot · 17 Aug 2010

Every computer has a unique hardware identifier number (UUID) that's flashed into bios, which Microsoft can read during the activation process. You might be able to install from the same retail disk to more than one computer, but you can't activate the second installation with the same key, even if you have two identical computers that rolled off the assembly line sequentially.

Dixon Butz · 17 Aug 2010

UUID comes from hardware. Thats why when you change parts, it requires reactivation. It is not flashed into the bios.

linnemeyerhere · 17 Aug 2010

Yeah don't tell anyone but it does work, shusssssssss be very quite now!

Tews · 17 Aug 2010

Mums the word!

Bare Foot Kid · 17 Aug 2010

Every install of Windows gets a unique "Producr ID" number (not the same as activation key) at install correct, this one from one of my VirtualBox installs, every one different.

click to enlarge; I've removed some of it

Dual boot of two Windows 7's on the same PC-untitled.png

Dixon Butz · 17 Aug 2010

Bare Foot Kid said:

Every install of Windows gets a unique "Producr ID" number (not the same as activation key) at install correct, this one from one of my VirtualBox installs, every one different.

The PID is from the hardware ID and the product key. Should be the same with the same hardware and key.

gregrocker · 17 Aug 2010

The hardware is not identical - the HD's are different and thus will not match the hardware profile of the activated Win7 in MS activation servers.

As suggested, booting via BIOS is a cleaner method than configuring a Win7 Dual Boot since the HD's can come and go as you please, whereas Windows Dual boot interlocks them and makes them harder to remove.

Unplug the Win7 HD when you install the second Win7, setting it as first HD to boot in BIOS setup after DVD drive. Then after install when you plug back in the original Win7, boot it instead by tapping F8 on Asus for one-time BIOS Boot menu key.