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From: Anna on 15 Apr 2010 13:39

>> "Cyborg-HAF" <Cyborg_HAF(a)hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:gbudnW3taLv2dFnWnZ2dnUVZ_vGdnZ2d(a)giganews.com...
>>> I am sill using WindowsXP SP3 and just toying with the idea of trying
>>> Windows7 at some point in the future. I downloaded the Update Advisor
>>> and ran it. It flagged some stuff that I could find new replacement
>>> drivers for but it also shot down my Adaptec 2330CU SCSI PCI card that I
>>> still want to retain ( it has a SCSI CD-Rom that I want to keep in
>>> service ). If I get Windows7 I plan to get new Hard-Drive to partition
>>> and install Windows7 on the first partition and all my programs. I would
>>> leave the present boot drive in the system with it's WindowsXP
>>> installation. Would it be possible to make dual boot with the two
>>> Windows in two different hard-drives or do the two OS' have to be on the
>>> same drive but different partitions. My only experience with a
>>> dual-boot was back when I got WindowsXP on it's original release date
>>> and lost the use of my scanner for lack of a driver and had to setup
>>> Windows98SE2 to use the scanner. Both back then were on the same
>>> multi-partition drive and the boot menu came each time I booted. I
>>> don't know how accurate Update Advisor is at spotting incompatibilities
>>> in the numerous Shareware programs that have accumulated including a
>>> valued old program that hasn't been updated since early on in XP and has
>>> no good equivalent modern program. It would require a lot of extra work
>>> to have to do fresh install of both Windows7 and WindowsXP on the new
>>> hard-drive in case something of use stops working in 7.
>>> Herb


> "Anna" <myname(a)myisp.net> wrote in message
> news:O8BKAW%232KHA.3568(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> Herb:
>> Coincidentally I just responded to an inquiry in the MS windowsxp.general
>> newsgroup from a poster who was seeking advice on installing multiple OSs
>> in her desktop PC system. I'm obviously unsure whether the following
>> would have any applicability re your system/setup, but in case it does...
>>
>> 1. Since you're working with a desktop and further assuming your current
>> PC case has an available vacant 5 1/4" bay.
>>
>> 2. Consider equipping your PC with a removable hard drive (HDD). If
>> you're not familiar with that type of device and without going into too
>> many details at this point just let me say that a "mobile rack" (designed
>> to house a removable tray or caddy which contains the HDD) is affixed to
>> a 5 1/4" bay on the computer case. The installation of such is quite
>> simple - not any more complicated than installing a CD/DVD optical drive
>> in one's system.
>>
>> The cost of these mobile racks is quite modest.
>>
>> 3. The beauty of this type of hardware configuration is that you can work
>> with multiple HDDs, each effectively isolated from each other (when
>> desired) containing different operating systems. Through a simple turn of
>> a keylock on the mobile rack, you can thus boot to this drive or that
>> drive without the need for any "bootloader" or any other multi-booting
>> software, as well as no need in most cases to access the motherboard's
>> BIOS to change the boot priority order in order to boot to this or that
>> particular HDD.
>>
>> We've been working with removable hard drives for about 15 years and
>> probably have installed or help install more than a thousand of these
>> devices over those years. By & large we've found this desktop PC hardware
>> configuration a most desirable one for the great majority of desktop PC
>> users. And we've found that the only regret virtually every desktop PC
>> user of these devices has had is that they didn't install them sooner!
>>
>> If you're interested, so indicate and I'll provide more detailed info
>> about this kind of system.
>> Anna


"Cyborg-HAF" <Cyborg_HAF(a)hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:5OOdnQI07cGVXlvWnZ2dnUVZ_gqdnZ2d(a)giganews.com...
> Thanks for the replies. I am only looking at this only if I would run
> into hardware or software incompatibilities when doing a clean install of
> a non-upgrade copy of Windows7. If everything works OK in Windows7 I'd
> just end up wiping out the old WindowsXP installation that I'm using now
> once I've adjusted to using Windows7 instead. Back with WindowsXP and
> Windows98 SE2 I had definite hardware incompatabity that forced my hand.
> I'd read webpage of instructions for setting up dual-boot that showed how
> to make it work and it served for 3 months it took to get the needed
> driver.
> Herb



Herb:
Not to belabor the issue but just a few extra thoughts for your
consideration (as well as others who might be contemplating installing a
removable HDD in their desktop PC)...

The advantages of installing one (or even two where feasible) removable HDDs
in a desktop PC environment go considerably beyond the obvious one where the
user is working with multiple OSs. The enormous flexibility (and even
peace-of-mind) one gains from this hardware configuration cannot be
overemphasized.

With a removable HDD a user now has an *unlimited* number of HDDs at his/her
disposal. Each HDD will reside in a removable tray/caddy and simply inserted
in the mobile rack whenever needed and simply removed when unneeded. Thus
the user could designate one HDD as a backup drive and clone the contents of
his/her source HDD to the designated backup HDD and thereby maintain an
up-to-date comprehensive backup of their system.

Another HDD could be utilized with a different OS as previously mentioned.

And so on & so on...

Obviously with one or more removable HDDs there's no need to get inside
one's desktop case so consequently no need to engage in any complicated or
awkward install/uninstall - connect/disconnect procedures involving a HDD.
Nothing more complicated than opening or closing a small (perhaps 4 1/2"
wide) drawer or turning the mobile rack's keylock switch to the on or off
position. And all this from the comfort of one's computer chair.

And obviously a simple matter to replace a HDD should it become defective or
a different HDD is required for any reason.

How many times does a user desire to install a program but is reluctant to
do so because from past experience he/she knows that there's always the
chance that should the program prove unsatisfactory for the user's needs and
even should the program be subsequently uninstalled from the system, there's
still a real possibility that "debris" (or even worse!) will be left behind
causing a performance hit to the user's system? And, as many of us have
experienced over the years, even worse results can negatively affect a
system following the installation of a mischievous and/or poor designed
program.

These negative implications can be avoided through the use of removable
HDDs. Now the user can simply designate one (or more if desired) removable
HDD as the "sacrificial lamb" so to speak and test out this or that program
or this or that configuration on that designated HDD so as to determine
whether the program/configuration should be installed on their day-to-day
working HDD.

And another level of near-absolute security is available to the user as well
since the HDD residing in its removable tray can be instantly uninstalled
and/or simply physically removed from the system.
Anna


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