Dual booting Windows XP queries

[daveoliver]

I'd like to set up two WinXP environments; one clean and stable for work and one which I can update with the latest drivers etc. for gaming.

Have searched this forum for info on this topic and have found quite a bit of useful info which has saved me asking some questions I otherwise would have, but I just wanted to check a few things.

Can I use one WinXP license twice on the same computer, on the same or different hard disks?

Will the boot loader menu be configured for me automatically if I install the two installations on
a) two separate paritions on the same physical disk,
b) two separate physical disks?

Can the boot loader menu be displayed for every restart? (So that a choice of OS has to be made.)

Is there a certain order in which I have to perform the two installations?

Many thanks.

 

[skyking]

My suggestion is to create a clean install on one disk, get it working and activated. Ghost it to a second drive. Disable the IDE channel in the BIOS for the drive you are not using, if that is somehow possible.
It is a pain with burners and CD-roms, but you can find a cheap promise card for those.
I'd do that so that the two installations are truly seperate. I.E., the one installation is not virus scanning the other, etc. It takes care of the license thing along with many others.
I'd then do the switching in the BIOS. It takes about a minute longer than a bootloader.
The downside is documents and files.

 

[daveoliver]

Thanks skyking, but I'd need access to both drives at the same time for backing up.

 

[Navid]

Originally posted by: daveoliver
I'd like to set up two WinXP environments; one clean and stable for work and one which I can update with the latest drivers etc. for gaming.

Have searched this forum for info on this topic and have found quite a bit of useful info which has saved me asking some questions I otherwise would have, but I just wanted to check a few things.

Can I use one WinXP license twice on the same computer, on the same or different hard disks?

I think you meant this as a legal question. I am not sure. But, I believe the answer is yes since you will never be able to use both installations at the same time. At any point in time, you will be using one installation. I think that is in agreement woth the license agreement.

Will the boot loader menu be configured for me automatically if I install the two installations on
a) two separate paritions on the same physical disk,

Yes

b) two separate physical disks?

Yes

Can the boot loader menu be displayed for every restart? (So that a choice of OS has to be made.)

Yes, that will be the default as long as you make the second installation with the first one intact and connected and active.

Is there a certain order in which I have to perform the two installations?

The first installation will be on the active primary partitioin. The second installation will be on a non-active partition, on the same physical drive or not.

There are other alternatives. But, they will not have a boot menu automatically generated by XP.

 

[daveoliver]

Thanks very much for taking the time to answer those queries Navid. Much appreciated.

 

[Navid]

I am surprised that there are not many more replies!
Just to add some options:

You can always hide one of the two operating system partitions. This is what I do in fact. I use one for work and the other for gaming and everyday use. I only occasionally work from home. So, most of the time I use only my gaming OS. Then, I do not need a selection menu. If I need to change the OS, I run Drive image and change the active partition, which in turn hides the other partition. Then, I reboot and it will boot to the other OS.

The advantage of this approach is that neither OS can modify the other OS, and both are on drive C. So, I make the installation only once.
The disadvantage is that I do not get a boot menu each time I restart.

Another approach is to install each OS on a different physical drive.
Then, when you want to boot to the other OS, all you have to do is to change the master hard drive and nothing else.
The advantages of this approach are that both will be on drive C and you don't have to install twice, and you will not need a third party utility like Drive Image for changing the active partition.
The disadvantage is that every time you want to change the OS, you need to go to the BIOS to change the master drive.

 

[daveoliver]

Originally posted by: Navid
Another approach is to install each OS on a different physical drive.
Then, when you want to boot to the other OS, all you have to do is to change the master hard drive and nothing else.
The advantages of this approach are that both will be on drive C and you don't have to install twice, and you will not need a third party utility like Drive Image for changing the active partition.
The disadvantage is that every time you want to change the OS, you need to go to the BIOS to change the master drive.

I see. And with this option the other hard drive would still be available in Windows I presume?

 

[Navid]

Originally posted by: daveoliver

Originally posted by: Navid
Another approach is to install each OS on a different physical drive.
Then, when you want to boot to the other OS, all you have to do is to change the master hard drive and nothing else.
The advantages of this approach are that both will be on drive C and you don't have to install twice, and you will not need a third party utility like Drive Image for changing the active partition.
The disadvantage is that every time you want to change the OS, you need to go to the BIOS to change the master drive.

I see. And with this option the other hard drive would still be available in Windows I presume?

I have to confess that I have not experimented with this approach personally.
I believe that the other OS will be available in Windows on a different drive letter.
The trick is to install only once. Then, make an image. Then, restore the image to the other hard drive and make it bootable when you make the other drive master.
But, the other OS will be available for sure.