Solved Dual boot in Win 8 using 2 Hard drives ?

alanwilma

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3
Is it possible to have two hard drives in the computer and to be able to choose which one to start with ?

I have in mind that one hard drive has all my normal programs and the other is used for Flight simulation program.

Both hard drives would have win 8 installed. I appreciate that I could use one hard drive and partition it so the flight sim is on a separate partition. However, for two reasons I wouldn't want this as the flight sim with scenery requires a lot of Gigs. and secondly I believe that it would run faster on its own hard drive.

So. Is it possible to set up the computer to decide which Drive I wish to start ? and if so can someone tell me how to set it up ?

Alanwilma
Thanks.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    PC Specialist
    CPU
    3.20
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    10232mb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA gtx480
If you have 2 old o/s you don't mind giving up - you can get the £25 upgrade deal.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Thanks for comments but they are not really helpful. I have two hard drives- so money doesn't come into it. I also have a spare Win 8 upgrade which I haven't used yet pending advise on the dual boot.

Can anyone now tell me how I go about doing it ? Thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    PC Specialist
    CPU
    3.20
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    10232mb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA gtx480
When I was testing one of the Win8 betas I would load it on its own HDD, with my primary HDD (with Win7 at the time) disconnected. Then, when I started the computer I would go into the BIOS and select which HDD to boot to. Technically it's not dual-booting, and it's a little clunky, but it works.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    PhenomIIX4 955 BE
    Motherboard
    MSI AM3
    Memory
    8GB 1333
    Graphics Card(s)
    nvidia 460
    Sound Card
    On-board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer H233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1080
    Hard Drives
    Plextor 128GB SSD
    Samsung 1TB HDD
    PSU
    Antec 500W
    Case
    Antec Sonata III
    Cooling
    Corsair H80
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech
That is dual booting too.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    PhenomIIX4 955 BE
    Motherboard
    MSI AM3
    Memory
    8GB 1333
    Graphics Card(s)
    nvidia 460
    Sound Card
    On-board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer H233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1080
    Hard Drives
    Plextor 128GB SSD
    Samsung 1TB HDD
    PSU
    Antec 500W
    Case
    Antec Sonata III
    Cooling
    Corsair H80
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech
I guess I should have said that's dual booting to me too.:D Maybe some would object to what you call the clunkiness.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner
When I was testing one of the Win8 betas I would load it on its own HDD, with my primary HDD (with Win7 at the time) disconnected. Then, when I started the computer I would go into the BIOS and select which HDD to boot to. Technically it's not dual-booting, and it's a little clunky, but it works.

NO need to enter BIOS, you can use the one time boot menu.

Windows 8 Downgrade-005 SB.PNG

I personally use cable change to boot four OS's on my test rig.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4

and

I would go into the BIOS and select which HDD to boot to. Technically it's not dual-booting, and it's a little clunky, but it works.

NO need to enter BIOS, you can use the one time boot menu.

View attachment 12948

I personally use cable change to boot four OS's on my test rig.


Wondering? I think I remember seeing at least one dual boot thread/post that dealt with the issue of one (Win8) or the other (Win7 or XP) of the boots having a very slow boot time. I can't remember what the explanation was. I am wondering if disconnecting drives (i.e., cable changing) when installing such a dual boot will get around this issue--assuming, of course, that I am remembering the existence of a slow boot issue correctly in the first place.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner
If you dual boot Windows XP/Vista/7/8 & Windows 8.
If you install Windows 8 last, to boot in to the other OS the PC will reboot to that OS.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
Oh, I see. You are saying there will be an extra boot if Win8 is installed second. That is, if Win8 is installed second, then the dual boot must start to Win8 before going to the other system. So, would cable changing on installation prevent this situation? And, I see that the "problem" will exist whether dual booting Win8/Win7, Win8/Vista, etc. What happens if Win8 is installed first? Can it be? What about with cable changing?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner
Oh, I see. You are saying there will be an extra boot if Win8 is installed second. That is, if Win8 is installed second, then the dual boot must start to Win8 before going to the other system. So, would cable changing on installation prevent this situation? And, I see that the "problem" will exist whether dual booting Win8/Win7, Win8/Vista, etc. What happens if Win8 is installed first? Can it be? What about with cable changing?

Cable changing my case, Win XP HD Drive, Vista HD Drive, Windows 7 Hd Drive, & Windodws 8 HD Drive.

Which makes four Hd Drives & one Sata cable.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
In order to keep from wearing out your cable and hard drive plugs I would install GRUB on a third drive to be able to select a boot drive without changing the boot part on the win drives. This would happen after POST but before boot.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7/8 Mint
    System Manufacturer/Model
    lenovo W530
    CPU
    intell i7
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16gb
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    512 gb ssd
    Other Info
    Around 13 million employes
Linux. :mad:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
Cable changing my case, Win XP HD Drive, Vista HD Drive, Windows 7 Hd Drive, & Windodws 8 HD Drive.

Which makes four Hd Drives & one Sata cable.
Without cable changing, what happens if one tries to install Win8 first?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner
what happens if one tries to install Windows 8 first?
Than install what OS?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
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