Dual Boot... which is the best way...?

SAnd · Post by **SAnd** » Wed Feb 25, 2004 9:43 am

Hi I would like to know which is the best intallation order for my PC:
I have three Hd's (C/D/E). I would like to run WIN 98 sec ed.0 for Internet/Office apps, and XP Pro just for audio apps, with no Firewall, Antivurus and so on.
I partinioned C HD in two, and for now win98 runs on F and XP on C drive... but win98 not properly works... I use D for running audio and E for stand by back up and Libraries...
Any Ideas?
Thanks

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Wed Feb 25, 2004 10:31 am

I would recomend to use Partition Magic, which comes with a reliable app called BootMagic. I have used it for ages and it works very well. Just follow the instructions.

The program itself should be installed into the Win98 side, and from there you’ll be able to manage your double boot. It is quite simple, but make sure you READ EVERYTHING CAREFUL before going on.

Go to:

http://www.powerquest.com/

interloper · Post by **interloper** » Wed Feb 25, 2004 2:54 pm

I'd recommend taking a hard look at the benefits of this. Seems to me this might be extra trouble for little gain.

I run a XP machine where I've got all my apps on C and all audio files, samples, project files on D. I have no problems working on music, then switching to office apps or internet. Sometimes I even surf while playing back 20+ tracks, without any problems. One way to do this is to ensure that you only install apps that you really need and use on your machine. XP can handle this well.

Anyway, food for thought...

SAnd · Post by **SAnd** » Thu Feb 26, 2004 2:20 pm

Thank you all for yours replies

!

I will back after trying the best configuration........ I hope!

Cheerio!

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Thu Feb 26, 2004 2:52 pm

On 2004-02-25 14:54, interloper wrote:
I'd recommend taking a hard look at the benefits of this. Seems to me this might be extra trouble for little gain.

I run a XP machine where I've got all my apps on C and all audio files, samples, project files on D. I have no problems working on music, then switching to office apps or internet. Sometimes I even surf while playing back 20+ tracks, without any problems. One way to do this is to ensure that you only install apps that you really need and use on your machine. XP can handle this well.

Anyway, food for thought...

Sorry, but you're wrong.

Of course you can use your system well, even with many applications goin on, but if you actually tray a double boot system, you'll understand it works much faster, no driver problems, it switches on and off fast lighting, you have more memory for you cos there are many apps that hangs all the time, no internet rubish, and in case of a virus attac or sometyhing like that, you are still sava, cos it is a double boot, among many other benefits.

interloper · Post by **interloper** » Thu Feb 26, 2004 4:04 pm

On 2004-02-26 14:52, Nestor wrote:
Of course you can use your system well, even with many applications goin on, but if you actually tray a double boot system, you'll understand it works much faster, no driver problems, it switches on and off fast lighting, you have more memory for you cos there are many apps that hangs all the time, no internet rubish, and in case of a virus attac or sometyhing like that, you are still sava, cos it is a double boot, among many other benefits.

It's called "hardware profiles" and they can make your system hum. Two profiles, one internent, the other audio.

1. Internet with everything enabled, LAN, USB, Messenger, etc.

2. Audio with all the aforementioned disabled. On XP you also have to turn of the services for the hardware counterpart, but the profile will retain those settings.

So that's how I used to run my system. Now, I just run it on one profile, because my system is fast enough. Dual boot is great for average machines, but for anything near the P4 2.4 Ghz threshold and above, just not necessary. Throw in a Gig of Ram, and you're covered.

My system boots now up fast, and I don't need dual boot. And I don't need to reboot everytime when I need the Internet.

bassdude · Post by **bassdude** » Thu Feb 26, 2004 4:31 pm

It depends how you want to work and how trusting you are of windows security (not very in my case!). Boot magic gives you complete isolation. If you're surfing the net and get wiped out by a particular nasty hack/virus, your audio boot partition is unaffected and you can re-boot into it as if nothing happened.
Hardware profiles and Xp's own dual boot configuration do not offer this level of protection.

With your first disk you would have two boot partitions. One for 98 and one for xp. Both of these will become C: drives. One will always be hidden depending on which one you boot into. Both boot partitions will see your other two drives as d: and e:.

interloper · Post by **interloper** » Thu Feb 26, 2004 4:59 pm

Yeah, most Windows products suck. About virii, I use webmail, and I don't download much stuff from places I don't know. I keep all my apps on C, and have all projects, samples, and audio on D. I think the risk of both disks getting wiped is pretty minimal, at best.

The ideal solution is two PCs. One for Internet and Gaming, the other for Music.

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Thu Feb 26, 2004 5:55 pm

On 2004-02-26 16:31, bassdude wrote:

It depends how you want to work and how trusting you are of windows security (not very in my case!). Boot magic gives you complete isolation. If you're surfing the net and get wiped out by a particular nasty hack/virus, your audio boot partition is unaffected and you can re-boot into it as if nothing happened.
Hardware profiles and Xp's own dual boot configuration do not offer this level of protection.

With your first disk you would have two boot partitions. One for 98 and one for xp. Both of these will become C: drives. One will always be hidden depending on which one you boot into. Both boot partitions will see your other two drives as d: and e:.

I coudn't have said it better myself, this is exactly what I ment.

Interpoler, you have there a right point nevertheles... Not having internet in your studio partition can be a problem... and some times it is for me. This is it's disadvantage. But what I do is to install everything twice, so I can study, mess about, try things, etc., in one side, the Office side of my double boot, and in the other, I only add things that I trust entirely and know are working well, and keep my system as light as posible.

Because I have everything installed in both sides, I can tell the Studio side, whcih I could call it: "the clean save side", runs faster.

Stability is no longer an issue with SP, not for me nevertheless, so I have to agree with you there also, that double boot it's not necesary for stability nowadays.

BUT: and this is a big "but", if you are working proffesionaly, and you are composing for some event or TV show, etc., things must be done in a given time, you can't afford building a new computer, nor loosing your information to cope with a problem. YOur double boot can save your head, and this is a serious matter.

Conclusion: Between a double boot and a non double boot system, and despite the fact of not having internet in both sides, I preffer a double boot system. There are too many important advantages. I clearly recomend to use double boot to any proffesional.

interloper · Post by **interloper** » Thu Feb 26, 2004 11:26 pm

I don't disagree with you, Nestor. The only thing that I have some issue with is this fear of data loss. If the PC is configured just right, a dual purpose machine with two profiles can be just as efficient as a dual boot machine. If the hard disk crashes, well, that could happen on any system. But with a Firewall, limited Internet exposure and Web mail, you can really minimize the risk of malicious code frying your work. If it weren't for XP, I would not be proposing this at all.

Just trying to explore both sides of the argument. Everybody should use what they see fit.

Post by **hubird** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 5:49 am

I don't get it, you always can start up streight from the cd with the OS software, is it?
on mac you have to keep the C pressed while starting the computer with the cd in it, I guess this works similar on pc?!
I once repaired the maindisk's architecture structure with the repair software on that cd, so this works.
(Just for my own convenience I have copied my 'system folder' plus repair software to the second harddisk, so the computer will always start up

)
This doesn't saves your life in case of real disk damage while having hot stuff to do, that's right Nestor

astroman · Post by **astroman** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 7:00 am

On 2004-02-27 05:49, hubird wrote:
I don't get it, you always can start up streight from the cd with the OS software, is it?...

naah Hub, not that simple on PCee

before the system can do anything it needs a special file where everything is written in and that thing must be write enabled and properly filled.

As a long time Mac user you won't understand (such a stupid strategy), but with the increasing spread of OSX it may be good to get familiar with 'non-automatic' system setups and strange config files

cheers, Tom

Post by **hubird** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 8:56 am

uhff!

thanks for xpla-nation Astro

interloper · Post by **interloper** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 9:07 am

There is still the capability to restore the last good configuration. XP handles this a lot better than previous operating systems.

There is also a thing called "backup", where you can image a drive on several DVD's. There are options available.

If a drive crashes, it's gonna crash on dual or single boot, so proper back processes are essential.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: interloper on 2004-02-27 13:46 ]</font>

arela · Post by **arela** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 4:33 pm

i will suggest 1 PC for internett and one for Music.
This is writen on my P2 450 (i'll guess you can get one for almost free) with winME (shit) and some oldies (office 97 etc).

All files (i want) is saved on D: or/and on another PC via a router, so if this PC get infected with virus (happend once) ... i just reinstall (back in biz in about an hour)

...and best, no virus near my DAW
This P2 has been online (exept restarts every 14. day and hollidays) for last 3 years.
My DAW is only online for upgrades
(then i let MS and Steinberg have a look at it!)

SAnd · Post by **SAnd** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 6:26 pm

I'm agree... two computers are the best solution!!!
When I will change my Audio Station in to newest one, the older pc will be the internet/office station...

Thanks!

mythalethe · Post by **mythalethe** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 8:58 pm

I had horrible problems with powerquest and 2 boots of XP, I would avoid that company. I have a very stable tri-boot system with 2 versions of XP pro as well as Gentoo Linux. GRUB is a free boot loader that works great.

If you don't want two boxes, and you don't need to use office or photoshop while recording, a dual boot system is just as good, uses half the space, and you don't have to buy new drives, peripherals etc. I have 3 hardrives in my box, 2 ATA and 1 SATA, plus 2 CDrom/burners.

I use the 10,000 RPM SATA drive for recording tracks, and the other partition is my non-music XP OS. The primary ATA drive has two partitions, one for the music OS XP, and one for Gentoo Linux (which hopefully will be the music OS someday

. The third drive is used for backing up recorded material on one partition and for ghost images on the other. It's not hard to set-up and avoids having two boxes, although for all purposes the systems are separate.

BTW this is using an Intel 875 board with onboard non-promise SATA...

good luck!

-myth

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 10:33 pm

On 2004-02-27 20:58, mythalethe wrote:
I had horrible problems with powerquest and 2 boots of XP, I would avoid that company.

-myth

Ups... I think you should take care of what you say... the fact you had a problem, it doesn't mean the company does BAD software. I can understand you don't like it after your bad experience, but there are thousand of peple out there, that, like me, have had no problems with their double boot using BootMagic. I have used it for more than 6 years now, and I can swear by it. & years is a LONG time, long enough to test any software.

The only problems I have had with it, have been cos of my lack of understanding of how this works. From the moment I read the manuals carefully, problems desapeared.

I've used BootMagic since version 1.1... and can certify, by a long experience and using it with different systems and different OSs, that PowerQuest is in fact, a fantastic bunch of programers and their products are of highest quality you can get.

bassdude · Post by **bassdude** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 4:07 am

On 2004-02-27 20:58, mythalethe wrote:
..
GRUB is a free boot loader that works great.
...

-myth

Can you install grub without linux? This would be a good alternative to buying partition magic/boot magic.

SAnd · Post by **SAnd** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 4:31 am

One last thing:
Maybe I don't need anymore to partition my HD, 'cause I' ve got three HD's.
What do you think to install:
WIN98 on C
XP on D
E: free for data/templates
Now C is partitionated in two where on C there's XP and F (new partition frma C) got XP. But I've some problems with Win98, could be this partition the reason of some troubles?