Solved 2 Windows installations. One for Internet usage.

[amoretam]

Hi people. I need ideas here. My main Windows installation is for a very sophisticated Digital Audio Workstation. I really dont want any internet because I dont want it to mess things around. You know viruses and stuff.
On another hdd I had Osx Lion installed. That there I use it for Internet and everything else.
My Osx side is kind of not wanting to boot. So. Instead of troubleshotting, I decided I want another Windows installation for internet and such.
Please do not tell me to use antivirus on my DAW side.
Let me know if this 2 OS's approach is effective and if any proscedure is rrequired beyond simply installing it..

Thanks a lot

 

[amoretam]

oh man, Now i am having trouble..I erased my OSX side voluntarily, I mean I formatted that Hdd. Now when I try to boot i get the dreaded:
Loading OS
Operating System is missing..
Damn,
I should have waited for some responses ...but I need to work and that is why I went ahead.

I inserted the WinOs cd in order to fix startup problems but it says: this version is not copatible or something..

Please I nee to work..
What should I do fast...

Thanks a lot

 

[amoretam]

I had to open another thread;
http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/354651-missing-operatin-system.html#post2954808

 

[Kaktussoft]

Solved I assume?

 

[amoretam]

Solved I assume?

Yes it is solved but need to know if my idea is any good and will be safe?

 

[Kaktussoft]

Of course a virus can jump from disk to disk.... even without a drive letter.

 

[Bill Bos]

Amoretam:

It looks like you have been having problems with your computer for
a long time. When you get the basic hardware and installation problems
solved, you should have no problems dual booting your operating
systems.

I have been doing it for years. I am currently dual booting two
installations of Windows 7 on one hard drive. I have the operating
systems along with their associated programs installed in separate
dedicated partitions. I use a separate dedicated partition for data.

With this arrangement, I am making one operating system the backup for
the other. If a problem occurs, I can just reboot to the inactive
operating system and go on with my business. I can then come back to
the other installation later and fix the problem.

A few years back, on a different computer, I had a similar setup but
with two dedicated hard drives, like you have. In this installation,
I stored data in dedicated partitions on the two hard drives. The
hard drives were mounted in removable racks.

In my case, I have been dual booting to obtain the redundancy of two
identical operating systems. In your case, you are dual booting to
protect your most complex operating system installation. If you went
to a multi boot scheme you could have redundancy as well as enhanced
protection. If you go to removable racks you can protect your system
even better. Nothing is going to happen to hard drive after it is
removed and is setting on the shelf.

Good Luck
Bill Bos

 

[amoretam]

Amoretam:

It looks like you have been having problems with your computer for
a long time. When you get the basic hardware and installation problems
solved, you should have no problems dual booting your operating
systems.

I have been doing it for years. I am currently dual booting two
installations of Windows 7 on one hard drive. I have the operating
systems along with their associated programs installed in separate
dedicated partitions. I use a separate dedicated partition for data.

With this arrangement, I am making one operating system the backup for
the other. If a problem occurs, I can just reboot to the inactive
operating system and go on with my business. I can then come back to
the other installation later and fix the problem.

A few years back, on a different computer, I had a similar setup but
with two dedicated hard drives, like you have. In this installation,
I stored data in dedicated partitions on the two hard drives. The
hard drives were mounted in removable racks.

In my case, I have been dual booting to obtain the redundancy of two
identical operating systems. In your case, you are dual booting to
protect your most complex operating system installation. If you went
to a multi boot scheme you could have redundancy as well as enhanced
protection. If you go to removable racks you can protect your system
even better. Nothing is going to happen to hard drive after it is
removed and is setting on the shelf.

Good Luck
Bill Bos

Thanks a lot for these awesome tips. One question: Do you think that using True Image to place a copy of my first windows installation would work? I mean, if one drive dies, will the other one still boot independently? If not. How can I make them independent?
Thanks

 

[whs]

If you want to install 2 Windows, you need 2 different license keys. And in Windows you are never safe from malware.

A better idea is to install a Linux OS in a virtual partition. In Linux malware is quasi an unknown. I recommend Mint Mate because it looks very similar to Windows - only nicer. Here is how you install it.

And here is how it looks like - but that is a version running from a USB3 flash drive. It looks the same though as it would look in a virtual partition.

 

[AddRAM]

Amoretam:

It looks like you have been having problems with your computer for
a long time. When you get the basic hardware and installation problems
solved, you should have no problems dual booting your operating
systems.

I have been doing it for years. I am currently dual booting two
installations of Windows 7 on one hard drive. I have the operating
systems along with their associated programs installed in separate
dedicated partitions. I use a separate dedicated partition for data.

With this arrangement, I am making one operating system the backup for
the other. If a problem occurs, I can just reboot to the inactive
operating system and go on with my business. I can then come back to
the other installation later and fix the problem.

A few years back, on a different computer, I had a similar setup but
with two dedicated hard drives, like you have. In this installation,
I stored data in dedicated partitions on the two hard drives. The
hard drives were mounted in removable racks.

In my case, I have been dual booting to obtain the redundancy of two
identical operating systems. In your case, you are dual booting to
protect your most complex operating system installation. If you went
to a multi boot scheme you could have redundancy as well as enhanced
protection. If you go to removable racks you can protect your system
even better. Nothing is going to happen to hard drive after it is
removed and is setting on the shelf.

Good Luck
Bill Bos

Thanks a lot for these awesome tips. One question: Do you think that using True Image to place a copy of my first windows installation would work? I mean, if one drive dies, will the other one still boot independently? If not. How can I make them independent?
Thanks

You make them independent by unplugging one of the drives and doing a clean install on the target drive. You then use the bios to choose which OS you want to use. There are tons of threads on it, just use the search feature above.

Why would you want to put a copy of your other OS on it ????

You have to have AV on your other drive, not having it is just ridiculous.

 

[amoretam]

If you want to install 2 Windows, you need 2 different license keys. And in Windows you are never safe from malware.

A better idea is to install a Linux OS in a virtual partition. In Linux malware is quasi an unknown. I recommend Mint Mate because it looks very similar to Windows - only nicer. Here is how you install it.

And here is how it looks like - but that is a version running from a USB3 flash drive. It looks the same though as it would look in a virtual partition.

this sounds very interesting, ... are you saying I could have internet in my most sophisticated system and be free from malware and stuff, ..? or maybe a lot safer?
thanks a lot

 

[whs]

First of all, with Linux you never get any malware. Linux users don't even bother to install an AV program. There have been some noises recently about malware attacking corporate servers. But malware for individual installations is quasi unheard of.

A second advantage of a Virtual installation - under VMware Player, the whole virtual system is just a folder. You copy that folder to some safe place, it's like an image - I do that every time there is some major update of my virtual system. Should something happen to the virtual machine, you just scrap it and roll in the backup folder.

The third advantage is that you can flip between your host system and the virtual system with 1 click. You can even have several virtual systems running at the same time. Figure that each virtual Linux system needs 1GB of RAM and 1 core.

Here is a demo I once made running several virtual systems at the same time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1a7x-_uhnc

 

[amoretam]

First of all, with Linux you never get any malware. Linux users don't even bother to install an AV program. There have been some noises recently about malware attacking corporate servers. But malware for individual installations is quasi unheard of.

A second advantage of a Virtual installation - under VMware Player, the whole virtual system is just a folder. You copy that folder to some safe place, it's like an image - I do that every time there is some major update of my virtual system. Should something happen to the virtual machine, you just scrap it and roll in the backup folder.

The third advantage is that you can flip between your host system and the virtual system with 1 click. You can even have several virtual systems running at the same time. Figure that each virtual Linux system needs 1GB of RAM and 1 core.

Here is a demo I once made running several virtual systems at the same time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1a7x-_uhnc

Awesome!! Wow this is kind of a secret! Could I even watch porn and no virus? Upss
Thanks a lot

 

[whs]

Yeah, porn without trichinosis too.