Switching boot disks - will it work?

[tohico]

Hello guys,

I've been wondering. If I disconnect my boot disk and connect a new one, then I install a new fresh OS on it, will the old OS run again when I connect it back? Or I have to do something first, like repair the installation?

And what if I connect both boot disks? Will I be able to switch between them just by changing the boot unit after the reboot? Or the dual boot window automatically appears on every start up?

I know it's a little bit noobish question, but better ask first than fail later, right? I remember having some problems with it back in the old days when I was experimenting with it before upgrading from Windows 98 to XP. That's why I'm so unsure :3

[Alterlai]

You can swap boot drivers fine, but if you have another drive with programms on it that were installed with the first drive operating, the programs wont work on the second drive since there are no registry keys or signs that those programs were installed anywhere on the second OS. 

 

You can swap them back and forth fine if it's just one drive in your system.

[tohico]

You can swap boot drivers fine, but if you have another drive with programms on it that were installed with the first drive operating, the programs wont work on the second drive since there are no registry keys or signs that those programs were installed anywhere on the second OS. 

 

You can swap them back and forth fine if it's just one drive in your system.

 

All right, thanks! And will I be able to switch between them when both are connected? (installed separately tho)

[lutzee]

All right, thanks! And will I be able to switch between them when both are connected? (installed separately tho)

Yes, you set a main boot drive in the bios, but the bios normally has a boot select when you turn your PC on, normally mapped to something like f11, of course there still isn't a standard button for it. I use it when I need to boot into windows.

[Alterlai]

All right, thanks! And will I be able to switch between them when both are connected? (installed separately tho)

Windows has a built in dual boot feature, in which your system detects two boot sections and asks you to select which drive to boot from.

[tohico]

Yes, you set a main boot drive in the bios, but the bios normally has a boot select when you turn your PC on, normally mapped to something like f11, of course there still isn't a standard button for it. I use it when I need to boot into windows.

 

Okay, that's exactly the way I need it. Thank you :3

 

Windows has a built in dual boot feature, in which your system detects two boot sections and asks you to select which drive to boot from.

 

Yeah, I know this dual boot when you install a second windows or linux on the same pc. But I was wondering how it works when those systems were installed alone. But if it doesn't recognize the dual boot and it works as lutzee says, that'll be ever better.

[Alterlai]

Okay, that's exactly the way I need it. Thank you :3

 

 

Yeah, I know this dual boot when you install a second windows or linux on the same pc. But I was wondering how it works when those systems were installed alone. But if it doesn't recognize the dual boot and it works as lutzee says, that'll be ever better.

 

I think your PC just sees two boot sectos and won't know which one to boot from so it asks you. But regarding the post from lutzee. 

I had a program (forgot the name), in which you could set paramiters when booting. So you could say it would default to Drive A after 10 seconds of no interaction. 

But if you wanted to boot to the second OS you could just press down and enter and you'd boot to OS 2. But if you'd just turn on your pc it would boot automatically without user input.

 

If that's what you're looking for.

[lutzee]

I think your PC just sees two boot sectos and won't know which one to boot from so it asks you. But regarding the post from lutzee. 

I had a program (forgot the name), in which you could set paramiters when booting. So you could say it would default to Drive A after 10 seconds of no interaction. 

But if you wanted to boot to the second OS you could just press down and enter and you'd boot to OS 2. But if you'd just turn on your pc it would boot automatically without user input.

 

If that's what you're looking for.

Yes, thats what a boot manager does, linux by default uses grub (normally, some distros may come with syslinux, and some let you choose)

If you are installing linux, then let it be the boot drive, grub and syslinux will both detect any other OSs loaded on the PC and automatically add them to the boot manager screen, of which are both extremely customisable and you can make them look however you like

Of just do as I originally said

[tohico]

Okay, thank you very much! It clears everything up, so I can get to it with no worries