Removing dual boot setups

[TheNoob]

Hi - thought a new thread for this might be a good idea.

I've already been looking into upgrading from XP to 7 but onto a seperate hard drive (see this thread: http://www.sevenforums.com/installa...g-windows-7-upgrade-secondary-hard-drive.html)


I'm starting to think that a temporary dual boot scenario may be a good option. This tutorial is nice and straightforward: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/8057-dual-boot-installation-windows-7-xp.html?filter[3]=Installation%20and%20Setup

However, it doesn't say how to subsequently get out of the dual boot scenario.


Will simply formatting the drive with the unwanted OS on it work?

 

[Jonathan_King]

Yes, but then you may need to repair the boot loader. Go ahead and format, and we will work from there.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Jonathan:

He doesn't have dual boot and doesn't want it. He wants to avoid ending up with dual boot. Check the first thread he referred to, just below this one.

 

[Jonathan_King]

If you have 2 hard drives, unplug the other one while you are installing. Then, to choose which OS to boot into, manually choose which hard drive to boot from the F12 menu. When you want to get rid of one, just format it, because both HDs have their own boot loaders. Does that make any sense?

 

[TheNoob]

Sorry for the confusion, what I'm thinking of is this:

• Take Windows 7 Pro UPGRADE disc to my computer, which has a 160GB hard drive which has XP (activated) on it, and a new, BLANK 500 GB hard drive
• Install the upgrade onto the blank drive, but finding some way of allowing Win7 to "recognise" the installation on the 160GB drive
• TEMPORARILY keep the XP drive as it is in case anything goes wrong with the new install
• Avoid any workarounds for activation - I'd rather keep it legitimate.

So I'm not necessarily trying to AVOID dual boot. What I'm trying to avoid is
A)Deleting my 160GB drive until I've got Win7 working on the 500GB drive
b)Using any funny workarounds that could cause me problems later re updates etc.

So if i install Win7 UPGRADE DISK onto the blank hdd, with this one PLUGGED IN so that it can recognise the installation, boot up using Win 7, make sure all is well regarding activation, THEN copy over my files from the 160GB and THEN format it - will this cause problems?

If it means I have to "repair the bootloader" - what does that mean and how do I do it?

 

[Jonathan_King]

An upgrade is what it sounds like: upgrading the OS. To install the "upgrade" on its own HD, you will need to do a clean install. Instructions for that can be found here.

 

[TheNoob]

An upgrade is what it sounds like: upgrading the OS. To install the "upgrade" on its own HD, you will need to do a clean install. Instructions for that can be found here.

Thanks Jonathan,

I've already seen those instructions. I will by all means try simply installing the OS on the blank drive without the other one connected, and see if it activates without a fuss. However I'm reluctant to use the dodgy workarounds to avoid activation in case this causes me problems with future updates.

However whether this works or not I'm inevitably going to have a dual boot scanario at some point because I will have to connect both drives at the same time with OS's installed on both at the same time in order to restore my files.



I'm very grateful for everybody's advice, but I feel well out of my depth with this - I'm starting to wonder if just backing everything up on the 500GB and running the upgrade on the 160GB and put up with the marginally slower drive holding my OS will be less of a brainache than trying to get it onto the 500GB.

edit: the reason I want to do this is simply because the 500GB has more cache than the 160gb so will run the OS slightly faster. It's a case of 8MB vs. 16MB. Is this a waste of time+energy for a small performance increase?

 

[Jonathan_King]

You do not need a dual boot setup to migrate data. If you use the method I recommended earlier, it will work fine.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Noob:

If you leave the 160 connected, the Windows 7 install disc may put a few files on the 160, even though you choose the 500 as the install destination.

That can be corrected after the fact, but I am unfamiliar with the method as I have never been faced with any Windows files on the wrong drive.

That's why I suggested disconnecting the XP drive.

Worst case scenario: You install Windows 7 to the 500, try Windows 7 for a while, conclude it is a disaster and a laughing stock. You then disconnect the 500, reconnect the 160, and think about your next move.

The workarounds aren't "dodgy". The Thurott registry workaround is in fact what Windows customer service would tell you to do if you had activation issues.

I would encourage you to go with the 500 gig drive for Windows 7. It is likely faster for more reasons than having twice the cache.

 

[Jonathan_King]

I agree with ignatzatsonic completely. Boot loader problems are some of the easier problems to fix.

 

[TheNoob]

You do not need a dual boot setup to migrate data. If you use the method I recommended earlier, it will work fine.

Thanks, but I'm not simply trying to migrate data.

I'm trying to install the upgrade on a different drive to the one I have XP on now, because that drive has more cache, and therefore will (hopefully) run the OS slightly faster.

However, it's starting to look very complicated. I'm tempted just to copy the data I want to keep onto the 500GB drive, and then run the upgrade on the 160gb in the normal way.

Is it worth me trying to find a way of getting it onto the 500gig drive for the sake of an extra 8mb of cache?

 

[Jonathan_King]

Yes. Don't worry, you will have no problems doing a clean install with an upgrade copy. 99% guaranteed!

 

[TheNoob]

Noob:
The workarounds aren't "dodgy". The Thurott registry workaround is in fact what Windows customer service would tell you to do if you had activation issues.

In that case I'll try your method. Thanks.

Yes. Don't worry, you will have no problems doing a clean install with an upgrade copy. 99% guaranteed!

Top banana.

 

[gregrocker]

We are helping dozens of users bail out of dual boots here, each case is involved but doable. You are ahead of the pack by putting 7 on a separate HDD, since it gets complicated when wanting to delete a legacy first partition and move the 7 over onto that space.

Essentially, you want to mark the Win7 drive active in Disk Management, pull the cable on the XP drive and plug it into the 7 drive (or change BIOS boot order to boot 7 first), then boot into the Win7 installer/repair disk Repair console and run Startup repair 3 times, as there are multiple issues to fix/reconstruct.

Afterward you can plug the XP drive back in and format it as you wish. You can even leave in plugged in and use a 3rd party partition manager like Partition Wizard to delete it, mark the 7 drive active, set it to boot first in BIOS, then boot into 7 installer and run startup repair which rewrites the boot to the 7 drive.

 

[TheNoob]

We are helping dozens of users bail out of dual boots here, each case is involved but doable. You are ahead of the pack by putting 7 on a separate HDD, since it gets complicated when wanting to delete a legacy first partition and move the 7 over onto that space.

Essentially, you want to mark the Win7 drive active in Disk Management, pull the cable on the XP drive and plug it into the 7 drive (or change BIOS boot order to boot 7 first), then boot into the Win7 installer/repair disk Repair console and run Startup repair 3 times, as there are multiple issues to fix/reconstruct.

Afterward you can plug the XP drive back in and format it as you wish. You can even leave in plugged in and use a 3rd party partition manager like Partition Wizard to delete it, mark the 7 drive active, set it to boot first in BIOS, then boot into 7 installer and run startup repair which rewrites the boot to the 7 drive.

What if I just try a clean install on the 500 gig without the other one even connected, then when its all done, plug the 160gb into the next sata port with a different cable, boot up in windows 7, take the stuff i want, then format the drive?

Edit

My head is starting to ache again

If previous posters are right, there isn't really any need to connect the two drives simultaneously at all.

Why not wipe my ipod (120GB - big enough to back stuff up that I want) and put all the data i want on there as a portable hdd, unplug my 160gig drive and shove it in a drawer somewhere safe in case everything goes horribly wrong, install windows 7 on the new drive using the clean install method for the upgrade edition, and get my stuff back off the ipod in win7 after installing itunes?

Surely that's so much easier than mucking about with dual boot?

 

[Jonathan_King]

Sounds like it will work. Go for it!
Actually, that seems like the best solution. That way you will not have to deal with boot loaders.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Noob:

You could do that thing with the IPOD if it will ease your mind.

But I seriously doubt you will have any issues with disconnecting the 160 before you install Win 7 onto the 500 and then reconnecting it when done.

Windows 7 will be the active partition and you should first set the 500 GB drive to be the first choice to boot from in your BIOS after Windows 7 is up and running and before you reconnect the 160.

Sooner or later you are going to have to reconnect the 160 if you intend to reuse it. Even if you only want to throw it away, you'd want to reconnect it long enough to wipe it clean before it goes to a landfill. You'd want to do that even if your data is also on the IPOD.

When in Windows 7 after you are operating OK, just go to Disk Management and have your way with the 160 GB drive.

 

[gregrocker]

Sure if you install Win7 on a separate HDD while the Xp one is unplugged, then you could add the XP drive back in later and boot to it by setting it to boot first in the BIOS.

That way, either drive can come and go as it pleases, without any dual boot concerns.

Simple.