Solved how to switch between disks without dual boot

[jvuz]

Hi,

I have a pc with 2 disks. One disk has XP 32 bit installed, the other one (installed seperately, so without the other being connected at the time of installing) with W7 64-bit. How can I let the user choose which disk to boot from?

Jvuz

 

[mitchell65]

You need Option 2 of this tutorial
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/8057-dual-boot-installation-windows-7-xp.html

 

[jvuz]

But the systems are already installed. In option 2 they talk about installing xp.

 

[mitchell65]

Go to item No. 7

 

[TanyaC]

With all Due respect to Michell65's excellent advice...

Perhaps, as another alternative, you could simply press the F-key on your computer that lets you pop up a boot menu and you can select from that which disk you want to boot from.

I guess you set up the one you mostly want to boot from as you main boot disk (in BIOS).

On My PC (ASRock Extreme 6), F11 loads the boot menu. On other brands it might be a different F-Key.

This requires no dual booting set up like Grub or others, and might suit as a workaround for you..

Just my 2 cents worth. It's not the most elegant...

 

[jvuz]

That would be the last option, if I wouldn't find another way. Thanks.

 

[whs]

If they are 2 seperate installations you switch by temporarily changing the boot order in the BIOS. And that is the ONLY way it can be done.

 

[jvuz]

I was already afraid of that

 

[DavidE]

If they are 2 seperate installations you switch by temporarily changing the boot order in the BIOS. And that is the ONLY way it can be done.

That's not true.
That's what the one-time boot menu is for, to choose a different boot device for THAT bootup, without making a BIOS change.
Also, using EasyBCD can allow selecting the boot OS for a multi boot PC.

 

[TanyaC]

That's what the one-time boot menu is for, to choose a different boot device for THAT bootup, without making a BIOS change.

That was my point, precisely.

 

[mitchell65]

So are we back to my original idea in post #2?

 

[whs]

If they are 2 seperate installations you switch by temporarily changing the boot order in the BIOS. And that is the ONLY way it can be done.

That's not true.
That's what the one-time boot menu is for, to choose a different boot device for THAT bootup, without making a BIOS change.
Also, using EasyBCD can allow selecting the boot OS for a multi boot PC.

That's what I said - temporarily changing. It helps if you read the postings.

 

[kkaran2010]

Install & update the GRUB.

 

[DavidE]

If they are 2 seperate installations you switch by temporarily changing the boot order in the BIOS. And that is the ONLY way it can be done.

That's not true.
That's what the one-time boot menu is for, to choose a different boot device for THAT bootup, without making a BIOS change.
Also, using EasyBCD can allow selecting the boot OS for a multi boot PC.

That's what I said - temporarily changing. It helps if you read the postings.

I read the posts...
Perhaps we interpret things a bit differently.
You said "temporarily changing the boot order in the BIOS."
To me that sounds like you are saying the OP must go into the BIOS and change the Boot order "temporarily".

Using the one-time boot-menu does not change anything in BIOS - the BIOS Boot order remains the same.
It allows overriding the default BOOT device for THAT session.

 

[Boozad]

I could be wrong here but I don't think you'll be able to boot from the HDD with Windows 7 on at all as it wasn't installed while the HDD was in that particular PC. I'll happily stand corrected if I've got the wrong end of the stick.

 

[jvuz]

No no, the the 2 systems were installed on that pc, just not connected when the other one was installed. But I'll be using (for this pc) F10 where you can (temporarely) change the boot order.

 

[mitchell65]

Brink's tutorial works if you follow it properly. There is no doubt on that. Who here has even seen a Tutorial that Brink has published that doesn't work? Pigs will fly first (IMHO, of course!)

 

[mitchell65]

I could be wrong here but I don't think you'll be able to boot from the HDD with Windows 7 on at all as it wasn't installed while the HDD was in that particular PC. I'll happily stand corrected if I've got the wrong end of the stick.

I've just tried that and the disc that had Win7 installed on another PC does boot up when I connected it to my main PC. The drivers updated too! That's not to say that it wil always work on other machines though! You would need to try! But this is nott the case in the present situation!

 

[Boozad]

I've just tried that and the disc that had Windows 7 installed on another PC does boot up when I connected it to my main PC. The drivers updated too! That's not to say that it wil always work on other machines though! You would need to try! But this is nott the case in the present situation!

That's surprised me that has. Today really is a school day!

 

[madcratebuilder]

Dave nailed it, EasyBCD is the way to go.