Xp Pro and Vista non traditional dual boot

Jeff · External Since: Feb 05, 2007 Posts: 8

Hello,
How do I set up my computer with xp pro on C: drive and vista on D:
drive but I don't won't a traditional dual boot. I want to load vista on the
second drive just as if I only had one drive then be able to pick which one
I want with all the file systems intack on there respective drives .........
I want this because I've heard that vista loads some system files onto the
first drive and that it is hard to get xp pro back to nomoral if you delete
vista.
Also when I boot Xp Pro on C: drive I do not want to see the D: drive and
visa versa when I boot Vista D: drive I don't want to see the C: drive

side note: my two drives are sata drives

Regards,
JPBach
jp.bach RemoveThis @comcast.net

Richard Urban · External Since: Mar 03, 2006 Posts: 3019

Use a third party boot manager that allows you to hide the system that is
not being used.

Install each operating system onto a primary partition.

When booted into either system, it will show up as drive C:

The other operating system will not be seen

Any logical partitions will be seen as the same letter for both operating
systems (after a few adjustments by you)

--

Regards,

Richard Urban MVP
Microsoft Windows Shell/User

"Jeff" <jpbach RemoveThis @comcast.net> wrote in message
news:%23b4h7fUbHHA.3584@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Hello,
> How do I set up my computer with xp pro on C: drive and vista on
> D: drive but I don't won't a traditional dual boot. I want to load vista
> on the second drive just as if I only had one drive then be able to pick
> which one I want with all the file systems intack on there respective
> drives .........
> I want this because I've heard that vista loads some system files onto the
> first drive and that it is hard to get xp pro back to nomoral if you
> delete vista.
> Also when I boot Xp Pro on C: drive I do not want to see the D: drive and
> visa versa when I boot Vista D: drive I don't want to see the C: drive
>
>
> side note: my two drives are sata drives
>
> Regards,
> JPBach
> jp.bach RemoveThis @comcast.net
>

Michal Kawecki · External Since: Dec 19, 2006 Posts: 101

"Jeff" <jpbach.RemoveThis@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:%23b4h7fUbHHA.3584@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Hello,
> How do I set up my computer with xp pro on C: drive and vista
> on D: drive but I don't won't a traditional dual boot. I want to load
> vista on the second drive just as if I only had one drive then be able
> to pick which one I want with all the file systems intack on there
> respective drives .........
> I want this because I've heard that vista loads some system files onto
> the first drive and that it is hard to get xp pro back to nomoral if
> you delete vista.

It's simply not true. Boot into Recovery Console from XP install CD and
run fixboot command. That's all.

> Also when I boot Xp Pro on C: drive I do not want to see the D: drive
> and visa versa when I boot Vista D: drive I don't want to see the C:
> drive

So you have two possibility:
- install any bootmanager and hide those partitions (I recommend
BootItNG http://www.terabyteunlimited.com ),
- remove letters from unnecessary partitions in both systems using
diskmgmt.msc or mountvol.exe.
--
M. [Windows - Shell/User MVP]
/before private reply change px with pl in my e-mail address/

Jeff · External Since: Feb 05, 2007 Posts: 8

Hello, I don't want the drives interacting with each others sytem files,
temp files or whatever so when using a boot manager and hiding the other
system will it stop it from doing this .

Richard Urban · External Since: Mar 03, 2006 Posts: 3019

I believe that is what I said!

Install each operating system onto a primary partition.

When booted into either system, it will show up as drive C:

The other operating system will not be seen

If it can't be seen, it can not interact.

--

Regards,

Richard Urban MVP
Microsoft Windows Shell/User

"Jeff" <jpbach RemoveThis @comcast.net> wrote in message
news:uLmKeJWbHHA.1244@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Hello, I don't want the drives interacting with each others sytem files,
> temp files or whatever so when using a boot manager and hiding the other
> system will it stop it from doing this .
>

Michal Kawecki · External Since: Dec 19, 2006 Posts: 101

Yes, but only if it can do it correctly. Like BootIt. In its
"Unlimited Partitions" operating mode it simply remove unnecessary
partitions from partition table, so those are nearly perfectly
protected.

"Jeff" <jpbach.RemoveThis@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:uLmKeJWbHHA.1244@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Hello, I don't want the drives interacting with each others sytem
> files, temp files or whatever so when using a boot manager and hiding
> the other system will it stop it from doing this .
>

"cquirke · External Since: Feb 11, 2007 Posts: 560

On Fri, 23 Mar 2007 12:15:08 -0400, "Richard Urban"

>Install each operating system onto a primary partition.
>
>When booted into either system, it will show up as drive C:
>
>The other operating system will not be seen

>If it can't be seen, it can not interact.

True, but there's some dirty detail there.

An OS *should* ignore any partition that has a type byte that does not
match that OS, i.e. spoofing the type byte should be enough to hide a
partition from an OS.

But recent MS OSs are badly behaved - they WILL find type-spoofed
partitions, and can indeed stuff around with them.

So you're forced to use stronger (and more brittle) methods to hide
partitions from recent Windows, such as using a non-standard partition
table structure that is alien to Windows.

That's what BING does with the "extended" partition table. The risk
is that if BING gets barfed, access to your partitions may be lost,
and things that assume standard MBR may trash your real contents.

>--------------- ---- --- -- - - - -
Saws are too hard to use.
Be easier to use!
>--------------- ---- --- -- - - - -

Richard Urban · External Since: Mar 03, 2006 Posts: 3019

I guess that Vcom's System Commander does something similar to Bing.

If I go into Disk Management the only option available to me is "delete".
The partitions do not have a letter designation and can not be touched from
the Command Prompt that I have found.

Other than that, the DOS and Windows XP partitions are untouchable. I have
not yet found a generally used program that will even see these partitions,
except for the ones that are designed to - such as Acronis TrueImage (yes, I
can image a partition I am not booted into) and Acronis Disk Director.

--

Regards,

Richard Urban MVP
Microsoft Windows Shell/User

"cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)" <cquirkenews.DeleteThis@nospam.mvps.org> wrote in
message news:np8a03135thvf6g1b3s9fkhs6f4te81pmb@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 23 Mar 2007 12:15:08 -0400, "Richard Urban"
>
>>Install each operating system onto a primary partition.
>>
>>When booted into either system, it will show up as drive C:
>>
>>The other operating system will not be seen
>
>>If it can't be seen, it can not interact.
>
> True, but there's some dirty detail there.
>
> An OS *should* ignore any partition that has a type byte that does not
> match that OS, i.e. spoofing the type byte should be enough to hide a
> partition from an OS.
>
> But recent MS OSs are badly behaved - they WILL find type-spoofed
> partitions, and can indeed stuff around with them.
>
> So you're forced to use stronger (and more brittle) methods to hide
> partitions from recent Windows, such as using a non-standard partition
> table structure that is alien to Windows.
>
> That's what BING does with the "extended" partition table. The risk
> is that if BING gets barfed, access to your partitions may be lost,
> and things that assume standard MBR may trash your real contents.
>
>
>
>>--------------- ---- --- -- - - - -
> Saws are too hard to use.
> Be easier to use!
>>--------------- ---- --- -- - - - -

Michal Kawecki · External Since: Dec 19, 2006 Posts: 101

Exactly that was why I would recommended hiding those partitions with
BING.

BING is very reliable tool, but if we choose using it's extended
partition table, we must remember to avoid any other partitioning
program which can alter MBR content. We can also save our original MBR
to file with BING and restore it after we notice any problem with
partition access.

Anyway, even if we are somehow losing access to our partitions, then we
can simply rebuild our original partition table using information from
partition bootsectors leaved on the disk. BING has a built-in function
to do it (button Undelete).
--
M. [Windows - Shell/User MVP]
/before private reply change px with pl in my e-mail address/

"cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)" <cquirkenews.DeleteThis@nospam.mvps.org> wrote
in message news:np8a03135thvf6g1b3s9fkhs6f4te81pmb@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 23 Mar 2007 12:15:08 -0400, "Richard Urban"
>
>>Install each operating system onto a primary partition.
>>
>>When booted into either system, it will show up as drive C:
>>
>>The other operating system will not be seen
>
>>If it can't be seen, it can not interact.
>
> True, but there's some dirty detail there.
>
> An OS *should* ignore any partition that has a type byte that does not
> match that OS, i.e. spoofing the type byte should be enough to hide a
> partition from an OS.
>
> But recent MS OSs are badly behaved - they WILL find type-spoofed
> partitions, and can indeed stuff around with them.
>
> So you're forced to use stronger (and more brittle) methods to hide
> partitions from recent Windows, such as using a non-standard partition
> table structure that is alien to Windows.
>
> That's what BING does with the "extended" partition table. The risk
> is that if BING gets barfed, access to your partitions may be lost,
> and things that assume standard MBR may trash your real contents.
>
>
>
>>--------------- ---- --- -- - - - -
> Saws are too hard to use.
> Be easier to use!
>>--------------- ---- --- -- - - - -

Jawade · External Since: Feb 15, 2007 Posts: 54

In article <#VRPuZWbHHA.4616@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl>, Richard Urban <richardurbanREMOVETHIS.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> says...
> I believe that is what I said!
>
> Install each operating system onto a primary partition.
>
> When booted into either system, it will show up as drive C:
>
> The other operating system will not be seen
>
>
> If it can't be seen, it can not interact.

If an OS (XP or Vista) is installed as for example D:, it will stay
D:, even there is not a visible C:.

--
Met vriendelijke groeten, Jawade. Bootmanager ook voor Vista
Zin in een koffie- thee- of borrelpraatje? Kom naar alt.jawade.nl
http://jawade.nl (Mirror op http://www.geocities.com/kolibrie.geo)
Bootmanager, ClrMBR, DiskEditors, POP3lezer, Filebrowser, Kalender