Dual Boot, Dual HDD Installation Question

A

aaron1948

New Member
I have Vista Home Premium x32 on HDD0 and am installing Windows 7 x64 on HDD1-- to end up with a Dual Boot configuration.

In my research I've found that some advise to disconnect HDD0 while installing Windows 7 on HDD1, and then reconnecting.

I have 2 questions:

1. What are the benefits of disconnecting vs not disconnecting first HDD while installing on second HDD? Which strategy is safest?

2. If a disconnect install is the best way to go, when I reconnect HDD0, will Drive C be re-assigned to the Windows 7 installation on HDD1? If so, will that impact the Vista installation finding files formally mapped to C drive.

Note: On my HDD0, I have 3 partitions: C: Vista installation; D: Special documents; E: main Documents directory, Contacts, Favorites, Music, Videos

Thanks
 

My Computer

System One

Hello aaron1948 and welcome to the forum :party:

May I ask why you are dual booting those two? Usually people dual boot Windows with Linux. Windows 7 is the better OS of the two you want to dual boot, so I am wondering what makes you want to keep Vista

How big is your hard drive? It would be much easier to partition your hard drive and install an OS on each partition. This is far easier to configure and I would highly recommend doing this - if you have the disk space

This tutorial covers both options (same hard drive and different hard drives) and is written by our very own Brink:

Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and Vista - Windows 7 Forums

Tom
 

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System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
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    Intel Core i7 3770K @4.4GHz
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    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Radeon HD 7850 (2GB GDDR5)
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    Integrated on motherboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" LG LCD/LED IPS
    Screen Resolution
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    Hard Drives
    Samsung EVO 128GB SSD
    Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200rpm
    2x500GB Seagate FreeAgent 5400rpm
    PSU
    Corsair TX650W V2 (80+ Bronze)
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 410
    Cooling
    Corsair H100 Water Cooler, 1x140mm and 1x120mm stock fans
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Desktop 2000 Wireless Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Desktop 2000 Wireless Mouse
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Thanks for your response and suggestions.

The dual booting will only be temporary. I have over 100 programs installed in Vista, so I need to keep my Vista installation to avoid a work interruption while I re-install all programs in Windows 7, transfer settings & website files, and get Windows 7 working smoothly. Then, I can do away with Vista FOREVER! Keeping Vista is insurance against any glitches getting Windows 7 fully functional.

RE: 2 partitions vs 2 HDDs:
Why do say 2 partitions on one drive vs two separate drives "... is far easier to configure..."?

As a result of hard drives going bad in the past, I feel safer splitting the two operating systems into 2 different HDDs, rather than on same drive. BUT, I am open to considering your recommendation, whereby I could move my Documents from the two C drive partitions, and then clean and reformat these partitions and install Windows 7 on one of them.


My HDD sizes:
Two internal HDDs:
HDD0: 250 GB
- Partition C: 124 GB for Vista & Websites
- Partition E: 54 GB for Documents
- Partition D: 54 GB for additional Documents, Drupal files, Client files
HDD1: 250 MG. Now clean, awaiting Windows 7, and additional partitions

My External HDDs are"
1) 250 GB with 2 partitions (L & M drives) for C, D, E backups
2) 120 GB (F drive) for backups, downloaded programs; and file archives
3) 700 GB (J drive) for F backups, archives and additional files
 

My Computer

System One

aaron1948 said:
Thanks for your response and suggestions.

The dual booting will only be temporary. I have over 100 programs installed in Vista, so I need to keep my Vista installation to avoid a work interruption while I re-install all programs in Windows 7, transfer settings & website files, and get Windows 7 working smoothly. Then, I can do away with Vista FOREVER! Keeping Vista is insurance against any glitches getting Windows 7 fully functional.

RE: 2 partitions vs 2 HDDs:
Why do say 2 partitions on one drive vs two separate drives "... is far easier to configure..."?

As a result of hard drives going bad in the past, I feel safer splitting the two operating systems into 2 different HDDs, rather than on same drive. BUT, I am open to considering your recommendation, whereby I could move my Documents from the two C drive partitions, and then clean and reformat these partitions and install Windows 7 on one of them.


My HDD sizes:
Two internal HDDs:
HDD0: 250 GB
- Partition C: 124 GB for Vista & Websites
- Partition E: 54 GB for Documents
- Partition D: 54 GB for additional Documents, Drupal files, Client files
HDD1: 250 MG. Now clean, awaiting Windows 7, and additional partitions

My External HDDs are"
1) 250 GB with 2 partitions (L & M drives) for C, D, E backups
2) 120 GB (F drive) for backups, downloaded programs; and file archives
3) 700 GB (J drive) for F backups, archives and additional files
Click to expand...

Sorry, I made a mistake :o I got confused because people usually ask about dual booting Windows with Linux and that's easier to do on 2 partitions due to them not using the same bootloader.

If you are dual booting Vista and Windows 7 then it would be better to do it on 2 separate drives :)

Tom
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Build #1
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 3770K @4.4GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8Z77-V PRO
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB DDR3 1600MHz Low Profile (White)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Radeon HD 7850 (2GB GDDR5)
    Sound Card
    Integrated on motherboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" LG LCD/LED IPS
    Screen Resolution
    1920*1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung EVO 128GB SSD
    Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200rpm
    2x500GB Seagate FreeAgent 5400rpm
    PSU
    Corsair TX650W V2 (80+ Bronze)
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 410
    Cooling
    Corsair H100 Water Cooler, 1x140mm and 1x120mm stock fans
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Desktop 2000 Wireless Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Desktop 2000 Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    95 Mb/s Download 70 Mb/s Upload
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