Creating dual boot on Raid 0

One of my PCs is running on a Raid 0 configuration on XP32. I have bought
Windows 7 and would like to install it on a separate partition and have a
dual boot system. However when I try to partition the disk nothing happens.
Looking for some advice and instructions to achieve this, assuming this is
posible.
--
Thanks and regards


Joaquin

One of my PCs is running on a Raid 0 configuration on XP32. I have bought
Windows 7 and would like to install it on a separate partition and have a
dual boot system. However when I try to partition the disk nothing
happens.
Looking for some advice and instructions to achieve this, assuming this is
posible.

Is there any problem with using XP-32bit on 1 partition, XP-64bit or
Win7-64bit on the second partition and data on the third partition? Does it
matter how the data is formatted?

Thanks for your prompt reply. The raid setup came with PC when I purchased it
and I have no experience whatsoever on this matter.
I tried using Acronis disk director and Partition magic to create a
partition to install Windows 7 but although neither of these 2 programs
showed any errors during the process, after reboot I couldn't find anything
new partitions. My 2 HDs on the raid are 500Gb each. Grateful for any
explanation or links that could clarify this issue for me.
--
Thanks and regards


Joaquin


"Inter Hagel" wrote:

One of my PCs is running on a Raid 0 configuration on XP32. I have bought
Windows 7 and would like to install it on a separate partition and have a
dual boot system. However when I try to partition the disk nothing
happens.
Looking for some advice and instructions to achieve this, assuming this is
posible.

Is there any problem with using XP-32bit on 1 partition, XP-64bit or
Win7-64bit on the second partition and data on the third partition? Does it
matter how the data is formatted?

.

Go to Administrative Tools/Computer Management/disc management
to see a graphic of your disk(s)
if the partitioning worked it would show there and you just might need to
format the free space to make it usable.

peter

--
If you find a posting or message from me offensive,inappropriate
or disruptive,please ignore it.
If you dont know how to ignore a posting complain
to me and I will be only too happy to demonstrate :-)

"skywreck" wrote in message
...
Thanks for your prompt reply. The raid setup came with PC when I purchased
it
and I have no experience whatsoever on this matter.
I tried using Acronis disk director and Partition magic to create a
partition to install Windows 7 but although neither of these 2 programs
showed any errors during the process, after reboot I couldn't find
anything
new partitions. My 2 HDs on the raid are 500Gb each. Grateful for any
explanation or links that could clarify this issue for me.
--
Thanks and regards


Joaquin


"Inter Hagel" wrote:

One of my PCs is running on a Raid 0 configuration on XP32. I have
bought
Windows 7 and would like to install it on a separate partition and have
a
dual boot system. However when I try to partition the disk nothing
happens.
Looking for some advice and instructions to achieve this, assuming this
is
posible.

Is there any problem with using XP-32bit on 1 partition, XP-64bit or
Win7-64bit on the second partition and data on the third partition? Does
it
matter how the data is formatted?

.

On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:14:38 -0600, "Inter Hagel"
wrote:


Is there any problem with using XP-32bit on 1 partition, XP-64bit or
Win7-64bit on the second partition and data on the third partition? Does it
matter how the data is formatted?


Are you asking whether both a 64-bit version of Windows and a 32-bit
version can access the same data partition?

Yes they can, and they can do so regardless of what file system (NTFS,
FAT32) the data partition uses.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Thanks Peter I will look into this.
--
regards


Joaquin


"peter" wrote:

Go to Administrative Tools/Computer Management/disc management
to see a graphic of your disk(s)
if the partitioning worked it would show there and you just might need to
format the free space to make it usable.

peter

--
If you find a posting or message from me offensive,inappropriate
or disruptive,please ignore it.
If you dont know how to ignore a posting complain
to me and I will be only too happy to demonstrate :-)

"skywreck" wrote in message
...
Thanks for your prompt reply. The raid setup came with PC when I purchased
it
and I have no experience whatsoever on this matter.
I tried using Acronis disk director and Partition magic to create a
partition to install Windows 7 but although neither of these 2 programs
showed any errors during the process, after reboot I couldn't find
anything
new partitions. My 2 HDs on the raid are 500Gb each. Grateful for any
explanation or links that could clarify this issue for me.
--
Thanks and regards


Joaquin


"Inter Hagel" wrote:

One of my PCs is running on a Raid 0 configuration on XP32. I have
bought
Windows 7 and would like to install it on a separate partition and have
a
dual boot system. However when I try to partition the disk nothing
happens.
Looking for some advice and instructions to achieve this, assuming this
is
posible.

Is there any problem with using XP-32bit on 1 partition, XP-64bit or
Win7-64bit on the second partition and data on the third partition? Does
it
matter how the data is formatted?

.

.

Ken

I'm running Win XP32 on a Raid0 configuration with 2 HDs each 500Gb.
I would like to be able to install Win7 32 into a separate partition and
have a dual boot system. The problem I am having is that I'm not sure what
would be the correct steps to successfully partition the raid.
Have tried Acronis Disk Director and Partition magic and during the process
it shows the new partition but after rebooting the raid size is the same and
there is no trace of said new partition. I was told to shrink the drive and
then reboot
with the Win7 disk in the drive and that this unpartitioned space (the
shrinked part)
would then be visible and I could proceed to format it and then install win7.
Is this the correct way of doing this? I am worried about this as I cannot
afford
to lose any data on the current partition.


Thanks and regards


Joaquin


"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:

On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:14:38 -0600, "Inter Hagel"
wrote:


Is there any problem with using XP-32bit on 1 partition, XP-64bit or
Win7-64bit on the second partition and data on the third partition? Does it
matter how the data is formatted?


Are you asking whether both a 64-bit version of Windows and a 32-bit
version can access the same data partition?

Yes they can, and they can do so regardless of what file system (NTFS,
FAT32) the data partition uses.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup
.

On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:23:02 -0800, skywreck
wrote:

Ken

I'm running Win XP32 on a Raid0 configuration with 2 HDs each 500Gb.


Your choice, of course, but I'm very much against doing that. In my
experience, any improvement in performance is tiny at best. And it
greatly increases your risk. If one drive crashes, you lose everything
on both. Read he

Why RAID is (usually) a Terrible Idea
http://www.pugetsystems.com/articles?&id=29



I would like to be able to install Win7 32 into a separate partition and
have a dual boot system.


OK, I'm not a big fan of doing that for most people, but I understand
the appeal.


The problem I am having is that I'm not sure what
would be the correct steps to successfully partition the raid.
Have tried Acronis Disk Director and Partition magic and during the process
it shows the new partition but after rebooting the raid size is the same and
there is no trace of said new partition. I was told to shrink the drive and
then reboot
with the Win7 disk in the drive and that this unpartitioned space (the
shrinked part)
would then be visible and I could proceed to format it and then install win7.
Is this the correct way of doing this? I am worried about this as I cannot
afford
to lose any data on the current partition.


Several points he

1. You say "I cannot afford to lose any data on the current
partition." That means you have no backup of that data, and if that's
the case, you are *always* at risk of losing everything on the current
partition to things like hard drive crashes, nearby lightning strikes,
user errors, virus attacks, theft of the computer, etc.

In my view, if you have no external backup of what's important to you,
you are playing with fire.

2. Regarding partitioning, unfortunately, no version of Windows before
Vista provides any way of changing the existing partition structure of
the drive nondestructively. The only way to do what you want is with
third-party software. Partition Magic is the best-known such program,
but there are freeware/shareware alternatives. One such program is
BootIt Next Generation. It's shareware, but comes with a free 30-day
trial, so you should be able to do what you want within that 30 days.
I haven't used it myself (because I've never needed to use *any* such
program), but it comes highly recommended by several other MVPs here.

Whatever software you use, make sure you have a good backup before
beginning. Although there's no reason to expect a problem, things
*can* go wrong when you use such software.

3. How your RAID affects your ability to repartition with such
software I don't know.



"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:

On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:14:38 -0600, "Inter Hagel"
wrote:


Is there any problem with using XP-32bit on 1 partition, XP-64bit or
Win7-64bit on the second partition and data on the third partition? Does it
matter how the data is formatted?


Are you asking whether both a 64-bit version of Windows and a 32-bit
version can access the same data partition?

Yes they can, and they can do so regardless of what file system (NTFS,
FAT32) the data partition uses.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup
.


--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

I am very much obliged for your detail answersand suggestions.
Warnings will surely be heeded.
--
Thanks and regards


Joaquin


"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:

On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:23:02 -0800, skywreck
wrote:

Ken

I'm running Win XP32 on a Raid0 configuration with 2 HDs each 500Gb.


Your choice, of course, but I'm very much against doing that. In my
experience, any improvement in performance is tiny at best. And it
greatly increases your risk. If one drive crashes, you lose everything
on both. Read he

Why RAID is (usually) a Terrible Idea
http://www.pugetsystems.com/articles?&id=29



I would like to be able to install Win7 32 into a separate partition and
have a dual boot system.


OK, I'm not a big fan of doing that for most people, but I understand
the appeal.


The problem I am having is that I'm not sure what
would be the correct steps to successfully partition the raid.
Have tried Acronis Disk Director and Partition magic and during the process
it shows the new partition but after rebooting the raid size is the same and
there is no trace of said new partition. I was told to shrink the drive and
then reboot
with the Win7 disk in the drive and that this unpartitioned space (the
shrinked part)
would then be visible and I could proceed to format it and then install win7.
Is this the correct way of doing this? I am worried about this as I cannot
afford
to lose any data on the current partition.


Several points he

1. You say "I cannot afford to lose any data on the current
partition." That means you have no backup of that data, and if that's
the case, you are *always* at risk of losing everything on the current
partition to things like hard drive crashes, nearby lightning strikes,
user errors, virus attacks, theft of the computer, etc.

In my view, if you have no external backup of what's important to you,
you are playing with fire.

2. Regarding partitioning, unfortunately, no version of Windows before
Vista provides any way of changing the existing partition structure of
the drive nondestructively. The only way to do what you want is with
third-party software. Partition Magic is the best-known such program,
but there are freeware/shareware alternatives. One such program is
BootIt Next Generation. It's shareware, but comes with a free 30-day
trial, so you should be able to do what you want within that 30 days.
I haven't used it myself (because I've never needed to use *any* such
program), but it comes highly recommended by several other MVPs here.

Whatever software you use, make sure you have a good backup before
beginning. Although there's no reason to expect a problem, things
*can* go wrong when you use such software.

3. How your RAID affects your ability to repartition with such
software I don't know.



"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:

On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:14:38 -0600, "Inter Hagel"
wrote:


Is there any problem with using XP-32bit on 1 partition, XP-64bit or
Win7-64bit on the second partition and data on the third partition? Does it
matter how the data is formatted?


Are you asking whether both a 64-bit version of Windows and a 32-bit
version can access the same data partition?

Yes they can, and they can do so regardless of what file system (NTFS,
FAT32) the data partition uses.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup
.


--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup
.

On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:49:02 -0800, skywreck
wrote:

I am very much obliged for your detail answersand suggestions.
Warnings will surely be heeded.
--
Thanks and regards


You're welcome. Glad to help.


"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:

On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:23:02 -0800, skywreck
wrote:

Ken

I'm running Win XP32 on a Raid0 configuration with 2 HDs each 500Gb.


Your choice, of course, but I'm very much against doing that. In my
experience, any improvement in performance is tiny at best. And it
greatly increases your risk. If one drive crashes, you lose everything
on both. Read he

Why RAID is (usually) a Terrible Idea
http://www.pugetsystems.com/articles?&id=29



I would like to be able to install Win7 32 into a separate partition and
have a dual boot system.


OK, I'm not a big fan of doing that for most people, but I understand
the appeal.


The problem I am having is that I'm not sure what
would be the correct steps to successfully partition the raid.
Have tried Acronis Disk Director and Partition magic and during the process
it shows the new partition but after rebooting the raid size is the same and
there is no trace of said new partition. I was told to shrink the drive and
then reboot
with the Win7 disk in the drive and that this unpartitioned space (the
shrinked part)
would then be visible and I could proceed to format it and then install win7.
Is this the correct way of doing this? I am worried about this as I cannot
afford
to lose any data on the current partition.


Several points he

1. You say "I cannot afford to lose any data on the current
partition." That means you have no backup of that data, and if that's
the case, you are *always* at risk of losing everything on the current
partition to things like hard drive crashes, nearby lightning strikes,
user errors, virus attacks, theft of the computer, etc.

In my view, if you have no external backup of what's important to you,
you are playing with fire.

2. Regarding partitioning, unfortunately, no version of Windows before
Vista provides any way of changing the existing partition structure of
the drive nondestructively. The only way to do what you want is with
third-party software. Partition Magic is the best-known such program,
but there are freeware/shareware alternatives. One such program is
BootIt Next Generation. It's shareware, but comes with a free 30-day
trial, so you should be able to do what you want within that 30 days.
I haven't used it myself (because I've never needed to use *any* such
program), but it comes highly recommended by several other MVPs here.

Whatever software you use, make sure you have a good backup before
beginning. Although there's no reason to expect a problem, things
*can* go wrong when you use such software.

3. How your RAID affects your ability to repartition with such
software I don't know.



"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:

On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:14:38 -0600, "Inter Hagel"
wrote:


Is there any problem with using XP-32bit on 1 partition, XP-64bit or
Win7-64bit on the second partition and data on the third partition? Does it
matter how the data is formatted?


Are you asking whether both a 64-bit version of Windows and a 32-bit
version can access the same data partition?

Yes they can, and they can do so regardless of what file system (NTFS,
FAT32) the data partition uses.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup
.


--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup
.


--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Is there any problem with using XP-32bit on 1 partition, XP-64bit or
Win7-64bit on the second partition and data on the third partition? Does
it
matter how the data is formatted?

Are you asking whether both a 64-bit version of Windows and a 32-bit
version can access the same data partition. Yes they can, and they can do
so regardless of what file system (NTFS, FAT32) the data partition uses.

When I format using a 64bit operating system (XP, Vista or Win7), do I have
the same options as I have now (Fat,Fat32, NTFS) or are there also 64bit
versions of those as well? Or do these things have nothing to do with each
other?

I'm running Win XP32 on a Raid0 configuration with 2 HDs each 500Gb.

Why not use a small, higher performance (10,000 rpm) drive (or drives) for
your OS instead of partitioning? That seems to be the most cost effective
way these days. Pick a 74gb or 80gb Velociraptor (not a Raptor), maybe 2
for Raid 0, get a good bootable backup system in place, and you're off.
Keep your data (and as many programs as you can) off C drive (partition for
C and D) so when Windows gives up the ghost (or one of your drives fails
which is highly unlikely if its a newer one) you're up and running right
away. If its Windows fault you can reinstall and not have to reinstall your
programs that were on D (the ones that don't scatter remnants all over your
computer like in Documents and Settings, etc). As for a backup system, some
people use 2 drives. One is updated throughout the day and the other is
stored offsite and updated less frequently. That's good for corrupted data
as your backup can be corrupted if backed up too recently. Anyway, once the
OS is screaming well on your Raid 0 setup, use any huge, 7200 rpm for your
data (and backup). Use Esata, not USB or firewire of course, unless you
don't value your time.

On Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:11:53 -0600, "Inter Hagel"
wrote:


Keep your data (and as many programs as you can) off C drive (partition for
C and D) so when Windows gives up the ghost (or one of your drives fails
which is highly unlikely if its a newer one) you're up and running right
away. If its Windows fault you can reinstall and not have to reinstall your
programs that were on D (the ones that don't scatter remnants all over your
computer like in Documents and Settings, etc).



Sorry, that's not correct. Except for a very occasional very small
program, all programs have entries and references within the registry
and elsewhere in \windows. It can't be run under Windows unless it was
installed in that copy of Windows. You will have to reinstall your
programs from the original media after you reinstall Windows.

It's usually best to have installed programs in the same partition as
Windows.

Regarding keeping data on D: instead of C:, I'm not strongly against
doing that, but I do want to point out that many people do it for the
wrong reason entirely. They do it so they don't lose their data if
they have to reinstall Windows. The problem with that kind of thinking
is that it tends to make people not realize that they *need* to have
backups of all data important to them, and that having it in a
separate partition provides next to no security for it.


--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Keep your data (and as many programs as you can) off C drive (partition
for
C and D) so when Windows gives up the ghost (or one of your drives fails
which is highly unlikely if its a newer one) you're up and running right
away. If its Windows fault you can reinstall and not have to reinstall
your
programs that were on D (the ones that don't scatter remnants all over
your
computer like in Documents and Settings, etc).

Sorry, that's not correct. Except for a very occasional very small
program, all programs have entries and references within the registry
and elsewhere in \windows. It can't be run under Windows unless it was
installed in that copy of Windows. You will have to reinstall your
programs from the original media after you reinstall Windows.

I've found almost all my smaller programs seem to install perfectly fine
outside of C drive. But I wonder how I could check if there are files
scattered on C after the install? Would a Search bring them all up I wonder?
I have experimented after a new install and copied and pasted a program from
another hard drive and most of the time it works perfectly. I think that
proves that there are no other files anywhere else. I think all Microsoft
programs have to be installed in Program Files on C though. But almost all
other programs can be installed in grouped folders in C:\Program Files so
there is a semblance of organization. I've found this a great help,
especially with programs you rarely use. Also its nice to realize that if
one program doesn't do the job, you can go back to its folder in Program
Files and pick another program. Why Microsoft and Apple don't organize
programs in groups is beyond logic. For instance C:\Program Files\Players
might contain Win Media Player, VLC, Real Audio, Quicktime, SM Player, etc.
When you install in your own specified folder make sure your installing in
its own folder (C:\Program Files\Players\VLC instead of C:\Program
Files\Players) otherwise you'll have a mass of files and you won't know
which are associated with what.

It's usually best to have installed programs in the same partition as
Windows.

So when Windows goes down and needs to be installed you have to do a lot
more work. Right.
My way - just copy and paste and you're up and running in seconds.

Regarding keeping data on D: instead of C:, I'm not strongly against
doing that, but I do want to point out that many people do it for the
wrong reason entirely. They do it so they don't lose their data if
they have to reinstall Windows. The problem with that kind of thinking
is that it tends to make people not realize that they *need* to have
backups of all data important to them, and that having it in a
separate partition provides next to no security for it.

We all know we have to have good backups. To think otherwise is ludicrous.
Good bootable backups if you value your productivity.

On Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:26:50 -0600, "Inter Hagel"
wrote:

Keep your data (and as many programs as you can) off C drive (partition
for
C and D) so when Windows gives up the ghost (or one of your drives fails
which is highly unlikely if its a newer one) you're up and running right
away. If its Windows fault you can reinstall and not have to reinstall
your
programs that were on D (the ones that don't scatter remnants all over
your
computer like in Documents and Settings, etc).

Sorry, that's not correct. Except for a very occasional very small
program, all programs have entries and references within the registry
and elsewhere in \windows. It can't be run under Windows unless it was
installed in that copy of Windows. You will have to reinstall your
programs from the original media after you reinstall Windows.

I've found almost all my smaller programs seem to install perfectly fine
outside of C drive.


Yes, small or large, almost all programs can install on other drives
than C:. But that's not the issue. The issue is primarily registry
entries (with occasional references to the program elsewhere within
\Windows).


But I wonder how I could check if there are files
scattered on C after the install?


They are not "scattered on C:," they are within Windows. And again,
most of this is entries on the registry.


Would a Search bring them all up I wonder?
I have experimented after a new install and copied and pasted a program from
another hard drive and most of the time it works perfectly.


Then you have been extremely lucky. As I said, with most programs,
except for an occasional small simple one, you can not do this.



It's usually best to have installed programs in the same partition as
Windows.

So when Windows goes down and needs to be installed you have to do a lot
more work. Right.


Yes, right!


My way - just copy and paste and you're up and running in seconds.


Yes, your way would be a better way, if it worked. But it works with a
small minority of programs, and should never be relied on.




Regarding keeping data on D: instead of C:, I'm not strongly against
doing that, but I do want to point out that many people do it for the
wrong reason entirely. They do it so they don't lose their data if
they have to reinstall Windows. The problem with that kind of thinking
is that it tends to make people not realize that they *need* to have
backups of all data important to them, and that having it in a
separate partition provides next to no security for it.

We all know we have to have good backups. To think otherwise is ludicrous.
Good bootable backups if you value your productivity.


Yes, to think otherwise is ludicrous. Nevertheless, *many* computer
users don't realize it, and for most such people, telling them to have
their data on a partition different from the one Windows gives them
the very poor idea that that's an adequate substitute for backup.

You may believe what I say or not; it's your choice. But I can tell
you that I've seen *many* examples of people to whom this suggestion
gave the wrong idea.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup