Two copies of Windows XP on the same computer?

[Nohjekim]

I got my new Dell, XPS 600, and within an hour of getting it up and running it crashed with the error message "Corrupt Registry Entry".

After a lot of messing around (it didn’t want to boot to the CD either, I had to start from scratch and reinstall everything to get it running again.

I have two identical hard drives. Both are partitioned the same etc.

I would like to install the same copy of Windows XP Media Center addition on the second drive and have a choice of which to boot to.

Are there any problems with doing this?

If not can someone point me to a detailed step by step description of the process involved?

It would make me feel a lot better if I knew that I could still run my computer if something like this happens again. I could have just replaced the registry with a back up if I could have gotten into the computer.

By the way in the box where you have to give your computer a name I typed...

“HCS TITANIC”

HCS stand for home computer system the rest is obvious.

Mike

 

[dakota81]

Works like a charm. During the XP setup, it searches the harddrives for previous versions of Windows installed. You go past that to install a new copy of the OS, and when it asks which partition, just select the second drive & format it with ntfs. The setup will keep the OS on the master harddrive and when setup is all complete you will by default have a boot menu to select between the different OS's.

 

[rvnguy]

Nohjekim,

Ditto dakota81's comments, if you need additional guidance see this link:

How to create a multiple-boot system in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306559/EN-US/

A suggestion, as you now have experienced, the registry is key to loading the OS. Start a routine of placing a backup of the registry after each major alteration i.e. after installing a new application, installing security patches etc.

This way you will always have a second copy to restore from. As you want to run a dual boot, backup and identify each of the OS's registries,

rvnguy
"I know everything..I just can't remember it all

 

[acl03]

I do this on my pc now. The reason is because I use ProTools recording software, which will not work with XP SP2, so i have one copy of XP installed with just SP1.

You can edit your boot.ini (be careful) to change the display names on your boot menu. I have mine set to:

1) Windows XP - Normal
2) Windows XP - Recording



Thanks,
Andrew

 

[Nohjekim]

Thanks for the Help I'll give it a go.

Mike