[gtoman]

I want to install another hdrive with Linux on it in my pc. I don't want to partition the first hdrive with XP on it and install Linux on it also, I want 2 hard drives. from all the research i've done the easiest and less costly way is to buy a device called a NickLock. An internal device to install in a bay and use it's key to choose which hdrive I want to use when i boot the pc.
Do you know where I can purchase one of these? I've tried main pc stores and several websites but haven't found one yet that sells this.
Thanks,Jim

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http://www.dvhardwar...article&artid=4 here's some steps on how to make one..sounds fun

http://cgi.ebay.com/...1QQcmdZViewItem here's a trios model on ebay

i'm not finding the nicklock anywhere....search for "hard drive selector" that seems to get the best options...

[dsenette]

http://www.dvhardwar...article&artid=4 here's some steps on how to make one..sounds fun

http://cgi.ebay.com/...1QQcmdZViewItem here's a trios model on ebay

i'm not finding the nicklock anywhere....search for "hard drive selector" that seems to get the best options...

[Nait Dawg]

In addition to the upgrade/fresh installation issue, you also must consider the dual or multi-boot issue. Dual-booting is a scheme that lets you keep your old operating system and install Windows XP as a clean installation. Windows XP can be installed onto any hard disk volume or partition within a computer; it is not limited or restricted to drive C as is Windows 9x. Thus, by adding a new hard drive and installing Windows XP onto it, you'll retain your original, pre-existing OS. When you boot up, you are given a choice of operating system to start.


This is taken from here.

http://www.quepublis...sp?p=31080&rl=1

under the subheading of "Dual-booting versus single-booting" about half way down the page. As far as I know, if you partition the drive ahead of time and THEN install an opperating system then when you put the two drives together it will ask which you'd like to boot to. The C: will be the primary so when the 30 second counter counts down it'll autoboot to whatever OS is on that boot record. There you have it. If it doesn't work....it's a Linux issue. You don't need one of those nicklock things. It does it on it's own. OR...You could try a boot loader that supports Linux.

Edited by Nait Dawg, 01 February 2006 - 06:35 PM.

[Samm]

Hi Jim

You don't need a Nicklock (whatever that is). All you need to do is make sure your current drive containing the Windows OS, remains in its current configuration as the Primary Master drive. i.e Master drive (set by jumper) on the primary IDE controller. Configure the second drive as a slave (again by using the jumpers on the rear of the drive) & install it on the same cable as the first drive.

Check the drive configuration in the bios & make sure both drives are correctly detected by the bios.

Assuming the second drive is completely blank (i.e not partitioned yet), just boot from the linux CD & start the installation. Make sure you tell Linux to install to the second drive (in Linux, the first drive will be /dev/hda and the second drive will be /dev/hdb).

Linux will ask you which boot loader to install (usually either LILO or GRUB). You wil then have the choice of installing it to either the MBR or the linux boot partition (hdb1). The default is the MBR.

If you want more information on this, check out the link below. I also recommend you read the installation guige for your chosen Linux distro.

http://www.linuxforu...ng-windows.html


If you run into any problems or have any other questions regarding Linux install, try the 'All Other Operating Systems' forum in Geekstogo

[Nait Dawg]

Right....what she said....*laughs* Just to add my own inquiries about linux, does it still give you the same boot menu as multiple windows OS's when you install this way like I said in my post?

Edited by Nait Dawg, 01 February 2006 - 08:25 PM.

[dsenette]

depends on the bootloader nait....grub looks different than lilo...and so on...

i like the Nicklock idea..i guess i just think it's nifty.....plus you don't have to worry about any mbr problems and what not...but samm's method will also work...

[gtoman]

Hi everyone, I appreiciate your help.I'll get into a little more detail. i presently have a 120GB hdrive, partitioned, XP on 52GB and Linux Scientific on 51GB. I have a 1 GB Linux Swap file and its set to GRUB loader.I left part of the hdrive for some file xfers and storage. So i already have 2 os's on it and at boot up it gives me a choice of which one i want to open. i've read it can get pretty sticky setting up a single drive with 3 os's or more, thats why I want another hdrive to install Linux SUSE 9.3 and maybe another Linux os, maybe Ubuntu or another one just to learn them and see the differences. Experimentation. i've tried installing 2 hard drives, the other one presently with Suse 9.3 on it, one on primary master, the other on primary slave and i boots only to master, it shows the other hdrive as slave but can only use it for file xfers and storage. it won't open the os,Linux on it. so, i've tried the other hdrive on master slave and it still gives me the same problem. evrywhere i move the other hdrive to it won't give a choice of which one to open,it boot directly to C:, XP Home. i did move the Linux hdrive to primary master and XP tp primary slave and it opens Linux, but won't give a choice of either one to open.
Thanks,Jim

[Samm]

OK, what you have to remember is this...
When you installed XP & Linux on the first drive, the Grub boot loader would have contained the necessary information (i.e The location of each installed operating system) to allow you to boot either XP or Linux.

Re. the Suse installation on the second drive....I am assuming from what you've said, that at the time of install, this drive was the only drive in the computer (i.e this drive was set as Master with no Slave). The boot loader installed by Suse would have been created containing only the option to boot Suse.

When you install both drives in the system now, there are effectively two boot loaders - the GRUB boot loader on the first drive, containing info about XP & Linux Scientific & whichever boot loader Suse installed on the second drive. The boot loader on the primary master drive will always take precedence over the one on the slave drive. This means that the drive containing the OS you wish to boot to, must be set as the master drive, as you've just found out.

The instructions I gave you before, were based on the assumption that Linux would be installed to the second drive AFTER it had been configured in your system as a slave to the XP drive. This way the GRUB boot loader on the first drive would be either overwritten or updated by Suse. This way the resulting boot loader would have given you the option to boot any of the 3 OSes.

I'm not a Linux expert so personally I cannot help you any further with this but I'm fairly certain it is possible to re-configure (or re-install?) the boot loader on the first drive without having to re-install any of the operating systems. If so, then you should be able to add the Suse drive in as a slave & configure the boot loader to recognise all three OSes.