Dual Boot with two boot.ini's

[[email protected]]

Here is our problem. My business wants to have 2 hard drives in a
computer that can boot without depending on the other hard drive.
Right now, in my understanding, when you have 1 installation of XP and
you go to install a 2nd installation of XP on a second hard drive, XP
setup edits the boot.ini on the 1st installation and doesn't make all
of the boot files on the 2nd hard drive.. What I want to happen is,
instead of editing the boot.ini on the 1st installation, I want XP
setup to make a 2nd boot.ini on the 2nd harddive and create all the
boot files. Than I will be able to go into the bios and choose my
boot device. (this is possible with SATA drives as there is no
Slave/Master). Anyone know how to do this?

[WTC]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Here is our problem. My business wants to have 2 hard drives in a
> computer that can boot without depending on the other hard drive.
> Right now, in my understanding, when you have 1 installation of XP and
> you go to install a 2nd installation of XP on a second hard drive, XP
> setup edits the boot.ini on the 1st installation and doesn't make all
> of the boot files on the 2nd hard drive.. What I want to happen is,
> instead of editing the boot.ini on the 1st installation, I want XP
> setup to make a 2nd boot.ini on the 2nd harddive and create all the
> boot files. Than I will be able to go into the bios and choose my
> boot device. (this is possible with SATA drives as there is no
> Slave/Master). Anyone know how to do this?
>


Well if you are able to change the boot device to another hard drive then
change the boot sequence and then install Windows XP. Then all the boot
files and Windows XP will be on the hard drive that you booted from. The
problem I see is will Windows see the drive as C? If I were I would
disconnect the other drive and any external drives before installing Windows
so you are guaranteed the drive letter is C. Then reattached all drives and
use your boot device sequence in the BIOS to choose what Windows XP install
you wish to use.

--
William Crawford
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

[AJR]

>> Here is our problem. My business wants to have 2 hard drives in a
>> computer that can boot without depending on the other hard drive.
>> Right now, in my understanding, when you have 1 installation of XP and
>> you go to install a 2nd installation of XP on a second hard drive, XP
>> setup edits the boot.ini on the 1st installation and doesn't make all
>> of the boot files on the 2nd hard drive.. What I want to happen is,
>> instead of editing the boot.ini on the 1st installation, I want XP
>> setup to make a 2nd boot.ini on the 2nd harddive and create all the
>> boot files. Than I will be able to go into the bios and choose my
>> boot device. (this is possible with SATA drives as there is no
>> Slave/Master). Anyone know how to do this?

I am a little confused - regarding "Than I will be able to go into the bios
and choose my
>> boot device." what is the advantage of going to the BIOS to select the
>> OS - if the intention is to only use one OS why dual boot setup? Why not
>> just make the desired OS the default in boot.ini and for instant boot set
>> the time in boot.ini to "0".
Also setting IDE to "cable select" eliminates master/slave settings.

[[email protected]]

wrote:
> Here is our problem. My business wants to have 2 hard drives in a
> computer that can boot without depending on the other hard drive.
> Right now, in my understanding, when you have 1 installation of XP and
> you go to install a 2nd installation of XP on a second hard drive, XP
> setup edits the boot.ini on the 1st installation and doesn't make all
> of the boot files on the 2nd hard drive.. What I want to happen is,
> instead of editing the boot.ini on the 1st installation, I want XP
> setup to make a 2nd boot.ini on the 2nd harddive and create all the
> boot files. Than I will be able to go into the bios and choose my
> boot device. (this is possible with SATA drives as there is no
> Slave/Master). Anyone know how to do this?

easy. With IDE or SATA. Because even on IDE, you can usually boot off
a slave drive. Check the BIOS. THe boot order shoudl let you choose
which hard drive to boot from.
if it doesn't you can get aroudn that. Tell the BIOS not to autodetect
the drives. Choose the drive you want to recognise.


Install XP on hard drive 1.
Take out Hard drive 1
Install XP on hard drive 2
Each drive will have Win XP on an active partition.

Now put both drives in. And tlel the BIOS which to boot from.


Infact, it wouldn't suprise me if what you want to do is even easier
than that. It might work that you could install Win XP on each drive.
You'll get a menu. The drive you're booting, its boot.ini will have the
menu. Delete the menu off the boot.ini file . Adn then they're not
'dependent' you can boot off either one. Note, you could probably boot
off either one anyway from the BIOS. with or without a menu! But since
you're usign the BIos, may as well do it without the menu.

[Timothy Daniels]

"AJR" wrote:
> I am a little confused - regarding "Than I will be able to go into
> the bios and choose my boot device." what is the advantage
> of going to the BIOS to select the OS - if the intention is to only
> use one OS why dual boot setup? Why not just make the
> desired OS the default in boot.ini and for instant boot set
> the time in boot.ini to "0".


Each OS may have different software installed so that they
don't interfere with each other. Or one OS is for developing
software that could screw up other files. Or one OS could be
kept as a backup in case the other hard drive crashes. Etc.


> Also setting IDE to "cable select" eliminates master/slave settings.


Cable Select just lets the controller assign Master/Slave settings.
It doesn't remove the need to differentiate between 2 hard drives
on the same cable (i.e. on the same controller port) - which is all
that the Master/Slave settings are for.

*TimDaniels*