Adding 2nd Bootable Drive & OS To PC ?

[Auld Bint]

Hi,

I have a laptop with Windows 7 Ultimate as the bootable C:\ drive and wish to add a 2nd bootable drive using a caddy holding the 2nd HDD in a modular bay.

If I wish to install Windows XP on the 2nd HDD it will presumably be configured as the D:\ drive and all the programs installed on it will adopt the assignation as being on D:\

Am I correct in assuming that if I swapped this drive into the main laptop drive bay most or none of the programs would work as their configuration would not be set up for a C:\ drive?

I would prefer to get the 2nd bootable OS on the drive in the caddy as it will save constantly having to remove the C:\ drive and swap it with the 2nd drive. I am sure this is a fairly common issue, it's just that I have never set up this type of configuration before.


Rgds
Auld Bint

 

[theog]

Must notebooks only boot to first drive.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/8057-dual-boot-installation-windows-7-xp.html?ltr=D

 

[Auld Bint]

I have an option in the BIOS to boot to the modular drive bay that the caddy resides in. All I need to do is to change the boot priority in the BIOS to boot to the modular drive bay before the main HDD

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Hello Auld Bint.



If this is what you're asking, in my experience whichever OS is booted is C: and the non-active one is another letter.

 

[DeaconFrost]

I would pull the internal drive, and install the second OS to the modular drive as the only drive in the system. Then, once you have it bootable on its own, put the internal drive back in and use the BIOS menu to choose which to boot from.

 

[whs]

I would pull the internal drive, and install the second OS to the modular drive as the only drive in the system. Then, once you have it bootable on its own, put the internal drive back in and use the BIOS menu to choose which to boot from.

That's the way to go. You get 2 independent system and do not mess up your MBR. I use this approach all the time (ondesktops with multiple drives) and it gives you the least problems.

 

[gregrocker]

You are connecting your drives in caddy using SATA or IDE cabling, correct?

You cannot boot Win7 from a USB connected drive.

The BIOS-managed Dual Boot suggested by Deacon and whs is your best route if so. Make sure the other OS is unplugged during install.

 

[Auld Bint]

Thx for all the help.

On the assumption that whichever drive is booted it is assigned as the C:\ drive I will independently install the WinXP OS to the caddy drive without the other drive in the PC. Then I can use the BIOS to select the boot option and always boot to a C:\ drive which is exactly what I require.


Regards
Auld Bint