Can I Install 2 Operrating Systems On 1 Computer Ive got 2 HDDs in my comp.

[Baniboy 3]

Well I was just wondering.. I've got 2 hard drives in my laptop (2 x 250 gb)The manual of the computer says that the other hdd may not be used for operating system.Now what I wanna know is that can I install linux on my second HDD?And if I do, and if I don't like it, how can I uninstall an OS?I actually like my second drive, it is useful to put big files in it.I wanna know if this can be done, I don't want to install them on the same drive cuz then I have to play around with partitioning and I know I'll mess it up!

[rpgsearcherz 5]

Yes, you can do that!Okay, first of all there are some questions.1)What OS are you using right now?2)Are you planning on fully wiping your second HDD?3)How big is the second HDD?(If you just repartition the second one, assuming it's big enough, you could actually host both linux AND files on it).Answer those and I'll offer up some more guidance, .

[truefusion 3]

Does the manual say why it can't be used for an operating system? You can use Wubi until you figure out why. After figuring out why (assuming it's possible), if it's not serious, or something silly, then you can uninstall Wubi and install Linux the average way. But after installing Linux via the LiveCD installer and you no longer want Linux installed, you're going to need the original CD of the primary operating system to restore the MBR, unless you modify the primary operating system's boot loader manually.

[rpgsearcherz 5]

I missed the part where it said that both HDD's are 250 GB's.That would make no sense for it to say not to use the second one for an OS.Do you know if they are both physical hard drives or if it is really one 500 GB that is partitioned into two parts?If they are two physical drives and you have the "restore" partition(Usually drive D:/) then you should be able to use Partitionmagic to slice the second one into two parts, leaving all of the restore information. This would then bring you up to 3 "drives" but really there are only 2. The good part about doing this is that you could still use the restore partition.If you don't have a restore partition, I'm unsure why it would say not to use it for another OS.

[Baniboy 3]

Yes, you can do that!
Okay, first of all there are some questions.

1)What OS are you using right now?

2)Are you planning on fully wiping your second HDD?

3)How big is the second HDD?

(If you just repartition the second one, assuming it's big enough, you could actually host both linux AND files on it).

Answer those and I'll offer up some more guidance, .

1) I'm using vista premium.

2) My second HDD is blank, it has no OS installed (I think so), so basically it's all wiped out anyway? Not sure

3) my second HDD is "250 gb" but vista shows that it's really 232 gb.

The manual says that don't install programs on the second drive.

Both drives are physical.

I was wondering, linux is light isn't it? so it doesn't need much space. If I partition the second drive and keep 40 gb for linux shouldn't that be enough?
or am I wrong?

The recovery "drive" is E. It's name is "hp_recovery"
Edited January 9, 2009 by baniboy (see edit history)

[rpgsearcherz 5]

Yeah, you should be fine with 40 gb's. There aren't many games for Linux, and you can game on Windows anyways if you choose to.Do you already know what distro you are going to use?And as for installing Linux on the second drive, you just have to boot up using the CD(or DVD) and then go through the install procedure, choosing the second drive as the installation.It will ask if you want to install GRUB or something else(They're boot-loaders) and I'm not 100% sure which option to choose there anymore. It's been a while.Maybe someone else can shed some light on that part?Aside from that it is pretty straight-forward. Just make sure that you choose the empty HDD, not your Windows one.

[cemeteryrecords 0]

Not too sure about GRUB. But using a Lilo Bootloader, you can find the simple setup commands in my Dual Boot tutorial (in the "tutorials" forum, respectively) A lot simpler, and you don't need to mess with floppies or anything, like GRUB.

[Baniboy 3]

post Jan 9 2009, 11:47 PMYeah, you should be fine with 40 gb's. There aren't many games for Linux, and you can game on Windows anyways if you choose to.

Do you already know what distro you are going to use?

And as for installing Linux on the second drive, you just have to boot up using the CD(or DVD) and then go through the install procedure, choosing the second drive as the installation.

It will ask if you want to install GRUB or something else(They're boot-loaders) and I'm not 100% sure which option to choose there anymore. It's been a while.

Maybe someone else can shed some light on that part?


Aside from that it is pretty straight-forward. Just make sure that you choose the empty HDD, not your Windows one.

No I don't know what distro I'm gonna use, I don't even know any other than ubuntu. I need suggestions on what to use.

Do I need boot-loader? like when I start up the computer there comes this screen where it says "press esc to enter boot menu" and then when I do, there I can use from where I want to boot. So are boot-loaders necessary?

And when I make a partition in my second drive, does the cd format the drive so that windows can't use it anymore? if yes how can I still have a part of it for windows use and a part of it for linux OS?

[buxgoddess 1]

There has been enough answers on this topic but I have a different one.My PC has Win XP pro installed in C drive and I want Win 98 in D drive. How do I do this? Same Hard disk drive.I does not matter if I have Linux installed or not in my PC.A fast reply is needed please.

[contactskn 2]

Well I was just wondering.. I've got 2 hard drives in my laptop (2 x 250 gb)
The manual of the computer says that the other hdd may not be used for operating system.
Now what I wanna know is that can I install linux on my second HDD?
And if I do, and if I don't like it, how can I uninstall an OS?

I actually like my second drive, it is useful to put big files in it.

I wanna know if this can be done, I don't want to install them on the same drive cuz then I have to play around with partitioning and I know I'll mess it up!

Dear friend yes you can install two operating systems on one system. But normally it is not good to install two operating system on one partition. But as you want it to be installed on the second hard disk I don't think you will be having any problem in it. But what is your purpose of installing it on the second drive I think it is not clear. So unless and untill it is necessary to do so don't go for it. One more think be very carefull while doing it as a small mistake may result in loss of data etc. So best of luck dear friend. 

[Baniboy 3]

This is what I want to do:I have my D drive and I want to make 40 GB partition on it for linux.Now when I make the partition I should have 40 GB and then 210GB (actually 180GB).I want to keep that 210 gb partition for windows use, and the rest for linux.

[Tramposch 1]

In Vista go to Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Computer Management -> Disk Management Tab. That will get you to the place to partition. On the lower portion of the window you will see sections with different labels, one will be the D drive. Right click that and select shrink volume. Shrink it to 40000 (it is in MB). It will take a few minutes to do this. Once it is done (you will know if you hover your cursor over the window and the loading cursor doesn't pop up), you can boot into your linux disc to install it. During the install you will be prompted where to install it, it should show the empty space you just made; obviously select that and format it for use.

[Baniboy 3]

Thanks a lot tramposch! Now I will just have to choose what distro I will use.Any suggestions? I suck at deciding

[Tramposch 1]

I really like Ubuntu. It is the best free OS out there. MaximumPC called it the best version of Linux yet (referring to version 8.04). If you install the Beryl skin, you can get advanced visual effects, too.

[Baniboy 3]

Okay, ubuntu it shall be. Can I install the skin later? I don't care much about the visual effects. Which program should I use to burn the installing CD? I don't have nero and I'm not gonna buy that either.One more question, how I boot from disk? is like at start up I just press esc and select the cd drive?

Edited January 19, 2009 by baniboy (see edit history)