Fresh install of windows 7 on two ssds

[mcbgun]

Hi all.
I started a thread regarding having to dual boot win 7 and 10 using f8 key to choose hard drive to boot.

It seems the pc doesnt like this and keeps asking to check disks on start up whichever OS I choose.

I now have decided I want to get rid of 10 and set up two users. ..on separate ssd drives to both hand windows 7.

My game plan is back up stuff on my third drive....format both ssds and install win 7.

Anyone see any glaring issues that might arise?

 

[Megahertz07]

You want to have one SSD with win 7 for one user and a second SSD with win 7 for another user? Why?

Install Win 7 on one SSD, install the drivers and updates then clone the SSD to the second SSD.
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MS releases SP2 for Windows 7 - Windows 7 Help Forums

 

[mrjimphelps]

If you do two separate installs of Windows 7 on the same computer, you are needlessly complicating your life:

• You'll need two Windows 7 licenses. If your computer came with Windows 7 installed, you can use that license for one of them; but you'll need another license for the other one.
• You will need to regularly reboot into each one and run Windows updates.
• You'll need anti-virus on each one.
• You'll need to install all software on each one (which may mean that you'll need multiple software licenses).
• You'll need to do regular backups on each one.

Rather than do two installs, why not do one install, and then set up two separate user accounts in the one install?
You could use drive #2 for your data, and drive #3 for backups. This would greatly simplify backups: backup your data drive regularly (say, once per week), and backup your Windows drive occasionally (say, once every couple of months).

Also, if you take your computer in for service, you could remove drives #2 and #3, thereby keeping your data from possibly being stolen (if that is a concern to you).

 

[AddRAM]

You need to set the default system you want to use as boot option #1 in the Bios, and disable any/all other drives.

Then set the other system as boot option #1 when you want to use it.

And keep both systems from seeing each other by removing it`s letter.

I don`t have any issues like you describe.

I have 7 and 10 on my X299, and that`s how I have it set up.

A shot of Disk Management from Windows 7, notice how I removed Disk 1`s letter. And also a shot of Explorer.

 

[mcbgun]

Interesting responses everyone...

I wanted to have my partner have a drive to herself and me my own one as she uses it for work and I mainly use it for gaming therefore I need the bigger hard drive.

In terms of cloning.....does that mean I can set up myself on one SSD then clone it to second hard drive and then edit the user account to show my partners details?

 

[Megahertz07]

In terms of cloning.....does that mean I can set up myself on one SSD then clone it to second hard drive and then edit the user account to show my partners details?

Yes. If you don't want a user to see the other drive, do what Brien suggested(post #4). Set the other drive with no letter so it doesn't show on Explorer.

 

[mrjimphelps]

I wanted to have my partner have a drive to herself and me my own one as she uses it for work and I mainly use it for gaming therefore I need the bigger hard drive.

You could have two data drives, in addition to your Windows drive -- one for you and one for her. But I would never recommend having two separate Windows installs on the same computer, because you are needlessly complicating your life by setting things up this way.

If your data drive is big enough, then there's no reason the one data drive couldn't be shared by both of you.

In terms of cloning.....does that mean I can set up myself on one SSD then clone it to second hard drive and then edit the user account to show my partners details?

If you are needing a big Windows drive for what you do, then get one big Windows drive which is shared by both of you. Cloning would be for making a backup copy of Windows, not for setting up your working copy of Windows.

 

[Snick]

Why mess with having to enter boot options to choose the boot drive, I dual boot a couple of my machines, with default set to one and the other as option in Windows Boot Manager. Easy BCD is simple to set this up. FYI: if you dual boot Windows and Linux, I would recommend placing the grub boot loader and Linux on the same partition, then use Easy BCD to format Windows Boot manager. If you have issues, i.e. win update changes boot menu, it's an easier fix. If you install Linux to a system with windows on it, grub boot manager overwrites windows boot manager & you will most likely run into issues with windows updates.

 

[mcbgun]

Many thanks for all suggestions which I will take on board when setting up.