Dual-Boot: Both into XP-Pro w/ dedicated HDDs 2

[P220ST]

I'm rising from the ashes of a complete hardware disater. Long story. Starting anew, I desperately need swift navigation to an article or posting on dual-boot configurations where both boot-ups are into Windows XP-Pro.

I'm setting up a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) on a dual purpose computer. Its alter ego is a normal, everyday computer for running MS Office, surfing the net, doing emails, etc. and protecting itself from malware and assorted mischief.

The DAW has a unique outboard soundcard/audio interface, read/writes audio data files from a dedicated HDD, runs a very specific software set that is extremely CPU intensive, and should be isolated from the internet and unburdened from my real-time, 24/7 utilities which otherwise protect it from the internet's evils. Given that my desktop is accessing one of my three HDDs only when booted into its DAW status (that being the har drive housing my project audio data files) are there specific considerations in the initial dual-boot setup? FWIW, I've dismissed RAID arrays, SCSI and partitions from my cognitive process. "Ahh, simplicity" -Nietzsche

My en-route system components are:
Cooler Master Wavemaster (so beautiful)

Thermaltake Toughpower 750W Power
Asus P5N-E SLI Mobo
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (2.4GHz)
3 x 1 250GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10
2 x 1GB Kit Corsair (PC2-5300) DDR2-667 SDRAM
NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT
PreSonus FIREBOX audio interface/sound card

Optimizing Windows XP-Pro: I've read several articles on this but would very much appreciate any and all links to your favorite musing on the subject. It's sort of a subset issue that is woven into the dual-boot thing. Your own opinions on both dual-boot & optimixing XP-Pro, are, of course, the most appreciated.

Thanks for your time. Boy, do I need it.

Take Care,
P220ST

 

[wahnula]

Do folks around here stick their Operating Systems into their own small partitions?

If so, what is the advantage to doing that?

"Folks around here" LOVE IT we're strewn from one corner of the globe to the other. I'm a Texan! YeeHaw!!!

Seriously there are several benefits to keeping your OS on a smaller partition, especially with today's ginormous drives. Since the first partition is (hopefully) on the outer edges of the platter, where the drive spins fastest, your OS' speed is maximized. It also keeps the OS more compact, and doesn't strew file fragments all over a 250 GB drive.

It's also neater to relocate your (My) Documents folder on a separate partition for easy backup. As for boot partition size, that varies from 10-30GB depending on who you ask. It sucks to run out of space, I like 20-25 GB personally.

Firewolfrl, you are hardcore!!! Six drives!!! I bow to your inner geek!!!

Tony

 

[firewolfrl]

OMG....I am rolling laughing.....


6 drives are all that I am using at the present due to the case I bought (two 120MM fans and one 200MM fan) the case is much quieter then the industrial wind tunnel I had before (nine 80MM fans). I do most of my playing around on the computer I keep in the bedroom and the wife complained about the fan noise. lol thank god for external harddrive enclosures. I use one harddrive for security video....lol most of the time I record CATS.....lol

 

[P220ST]

wahnula, thanks for your response. Do you have any experience using Acronis Disk Director? I have a rather complicated setup, but not more complicated that 75% of the folks on this forum.

I want to be able to do a couple things:
1) set up a parallel boot on a separate disk that's blind to the original disk.

2) set up partitions on a given disk (for Windows, My Documents) that are where I want them physically, i.e. like you mentioned so that Windows XP-Pro will be on the outside of the platter.

3) be able to name the drive letters what I want. I have this "thing" about liking my default boot drive to be C: - it's just 15 years of habit.

4) be able to rename the drives, like you can from notepad in boot.ini. If I set up a parallel boot on two separate disks (an absolute must for me) the screen, left to its own devices will come up:
"Windows XP-Pro"
"Windows XP-Pro"
leaving me with a somewhat ambiguaous choice of what I wish to do.

5) and as a corollary to 1) leave partitions available (non-blinded) to one another should I choose so that I don't end up with Windows in its own private Idaho talking to itself.

I'd like to be able to do all this stuff from one software platform, not five if I can avoid it. So you know, my drives are 4 identical 320GB Seagate SATA Barracuda 7200.10 w/ 16MB cache (I think I said 3 250GB above). I switched out mobos for an Intel D975XBX2KR due to an audio interface/sound card incompatability deal w/ the nForce chipset (long, boring story). My drive setup as I mentioned before, will be:

HDD#1 = Drive C: = Regular workstation (OS/Apps/Data) for paying bills, using MS Office, doing emails, surfing the net, playing the occasional round of Quake

HDD#2 = Drive D: = DAW (OS/Apps) no data, no internet strictly DAW applications/drivers

HDD#3 = Drive E: = Audio Library (Data) Audio data files - samples and working tracks only. No OS, just NTFS formatting.

HDD#4 = Drive F: = Video Library (Data) Video data files - working tracks only. No OS, just NTFS formatting.

Thanks to you guys for writing. It helps immensely. Get back to me on the disk management business if anyone has the time.

Take Care,
-P220ST

 

[P220ST]

Everyone - y'all have been so helpfull - I truly appreciate it!

I seem to have drifted off topic, morphing this dialogue into XP-Pro partitioning (versus its original query re twin HDD dual-booting). I opened up this topic in the seemingly more appropriate Desktop Software>Microsoft: XP-Pro forum under the misguided notion that I could close up this ol' chat. That didn't work.

Before I get flogged by a throng of Moderators in the Walk of Shame for double-posting, please accept my apology. Won't happen again.

-P220ST

 

[firewolfrl]

this is how I would set up for the 2 xp's using what you have currently...I am guessing what size you would need for the xp.

drive 1:

Partition 1(primary): Windows XP 100 gig *** Partition 2(Logical): Data (My Documents folder. any data that needs to be shared beween the XP's)***
This is Optional and depends on the the bootmanager...I am basing on XOSL.... Partition 3(primary) 57 meg: Bootable DOS (

http://www.bootdisk.com/

) and XOSL folder with install files I also toss a few dos partition programs like partition magic (DOS)

Disk 2:
Partition 1(primary): Windows XP 100 gig +/- (setup for the speciallized software)AW (Apps) no data, no internet strictly DAW applications/drivers*** Partition 2(logical): program files (DAW)

the rest of the disks stay the same

You have to install xp with only one drive in the system at a time to avoid the drive letter issues (that includes built in USB controllers...you have to unplug them)

and if you are using windows now and it refers to D:\ then you can't change that because the registry refers to D:\ in the DAW OS and if you change it at this point to C:\ it may make the OS unbootable

you would have to have a boot manager in place and start fresh

and the you will have to edit the boot.ini file for the
"Windows XP-Pro"
"Windows XP-Pro"
issue you are having....I am going to let the other techs explain that to you


the XOSL or any another boot manager will work great for you...but you do need to research.... I have sent some of my clients to the local college and had some of the computer geek students tackle their speciallized issues...(it takes a load off me)....that might be an Idea for you

 

[P220ST]

firewolfrl, thanks for the help. One question: why so much space for the OS' partition?

 

[vacunita]

For what you want, then firewolfrl's method is the way to go.
My method will always make every OS aware of the others, and will put each OS into tis own letter. That is the currently installed one would be C:, and the next one would be D: and so on and so forth.

Second with this technique to accomplish what you want, each OS will now be oblivious to the other and as such have its own Boot.ini. You can edit it and rename each OS what you want, but you'll have to do it while booted into each, form their own boot.ini

And of course you'll need a third party boot manager to get the boot menus and all that stuff, since windows setup will not know of the existence of a previous setup, and as such will not create a boot loader. Or just change the boot order from the BIOS which seems a little clunky to me.

I've never personally tried to do it that way with a third party boot loader, but i would think its not to difficult to accomplish, if you take it one step at a time.

----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[firewolfrl]

I was sorta winging it on OS partition size....though the smallest I like to go on an OS size is between 30 to 50 gig and I don't go over 100


Thanks vacunita