Can't Boot to second hdd

[Tagman1]

I purchased a Alienware with WIN 7 64bit and a SATA 500GB HDD.Here is what I did. I purchased a OCZ 240GB and used EZ GIG III to copy all the information from the original 500GB HDD to the formated OCZ. I installed the OCZ in the 1st and put the 500GB in the second opening. The OCZ works great. The problem is that I can't boot to the 500GB. When the laptop boots I have the option of CTRL-I, but no way to boot to the second 500GB HDD. Here is some of the things I have checked.
when I click START/Computer both drives are there. (C) and (E). When I go into the bios both drives are there. When I go to Startup and recovery/settings/default operating system..just one drive is shown win 7 I am lost I don't know how to correct this. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[WyomingKnott]

Tagman

First, a proposed test: Remove the SSD and see if the system boots from the HDD. If so, then the issue would be to change the boot sequence, either in BIOS setup or by interrupting the BIOS to get a temprorary boot menu. Look for a message on the first BIOS screen telling you which key to press.

If this is the case, the situation arose because the clone process is not a true installation, so it did not detect another installation and build a boot menu.

A longer-term solution would be to use something like EasyBCD to build a boot menu on the SSD that allows you to continue the boot from the HDD.

Sevenforums.com has excellent articles on how multiboots work that will help you analyze your particular situation in light of what you want to accomplish. If I find the two particular articles that I am thinking of, I will edit this reply.

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Now two pieces of unasked-for advice. First, it is usually considered better to do a fresh install onto an SSD, rather than clone an HDD installation. This should be done with only the SSD attached to the system.

Second, could you explain why you want to be able to boot from the HDD or the SSD, given that they both have the same OS? A more usual approach would be to make the SSD the boot drive, install as much as will reasonably fit and, if necessary, install some of the larger games to the HDD instead. Keep the data on the HDD, and you always get the advantage of booting and running the OS from the SSD.

 

[RetiredChief]

1) Download as ssd and install/run. Do not need to run bench marks. Look in upper left it will Identify:
..SSD Brand/Firmawre version.
..Driver should be iaSTor for Intel chipset, msahci is exceptable, but for intel chipsets slightly reduced pewrformance. should NOT say pcide = BAD
.. Partition alignment shouild show OK.

Did you go in and manually enable trim - Only works if controll is ahci of equivalant. This is automatic with clean install, but when cloning HDD -> SSD must be do manually.
Your Bios was set to AHCI, correct????

2nd what WyomingKnott stated - the recommended method for SSDs is to do a CLEAD install and with the HDD DISCONNECTED. Does NOT create a software boot menue that can later bite you in the a double s. However you can daul boot as most newer systems allow selecting the Boot device during post (ie F12 on my gigabyte MBs, and F11 on my ASrock MB. Note, using this is NO differnet than using a additional software boot menu. Also this method does NOT change boot priority, so if you boot to the HDD, simply reboot and do nothing and you will boot to the SSD (Assumes SSD is primary boot device.

 

[Tagman1]

Tagman Thanks for your advice. The EasyBCD got me going in less than a minute. A must have program. No doubt the problem was me cloneing the SSD.( Learned something) The reason I wanted to boot from the HDD i had plans od storing exactly what you mentioned. After your comment I suspect there is a better way. Please help me to do it the right way and I will change the way I have it now. Thanks

First, a proposed test: Remove the SSD and see if the system boots from the HDD. If so, then the issue would be to change the boot sequence, either in BIOS setup or by interrupting the BIOS to get a temprorary boot menu. Look for a message on the first BIOS screen telling you which key to press.

If this is the case, the situation arose because the clone process is not a true installation, so it did not detect another installation and build a boot menu.

A longer-term solution would be to use something like EasyBCD to build a boot menu on the SSD that allows you to continue the boot from the HDD.

Sevenforums.com has excellent articles on how multiboots work that will help you analyze your particular situation in light of what you want to accomplish. If I find the two particular articles that I am thinking of, I will edit this reply.

============================

Now two pieces of unasked-for advice. First, it is usually considered better to do a fresh install onto an SSD, rather than clone an HDD installation. This should be done with only the SSD attached to the system.

Second, could you explain why you want to be able to boot from the HDD or the SSD, given that they both have the same OS? A more usual approach would be to make the SSD the boot drive, install as much as will reasonably fit and, if necessary, install some of the larger games to the HDD instead. Keep the data on the HDD, and you always get the advantage of booting and running the OS from the SSD.

 

[Tagman1]

Tagman I installed EasyBCD and the problem was solved in less than a minute. A must have program for everyone. No doubt the problem was me cloneing the SSD. Second question is like you say I wanted to put some of my larger games, ECT on the HDD. I thought I had to have an OS to do this. From your comment I suspect there is a better way. Any help on that would be appreciated. Thanks

First, a proposed test: Remove the SSD and see if the system boots from the HDD. If so, then the issue would be to change the boot sequence, either in BIOS setup or by interrupting the BIOS to get a temprorary boot menu. Look for a message on the first BIOS screen telling you which key to press.

If this is the case, the situation arose because the clone process is not a true installation, so it did not detect another installation and build a boot menu.

A longer-term solution would be to use something like EasyBCD to build a boot menu on the SSD that allows you to continue the boot from the HDD.

Sevenforums.com has excellent articles on how multiboots work that will help you analyze your particular situation in light of what you want to accomplish. If I find the two particular articles that I am thinking of, I will edit this reply.

============================

Now two pieces of unasked-for advice. First, it is usually considered better to do a fresh install onto an SSD, rather than clone an HDD installation. This should be done with only the SSD attached to the system.

Second, could you explain why you want to be able to boot from the HDD or the SSD, given that they both have the same OS? A more usual approach would be to make the SSD the boot drive, install as much as will reasonably fit and, if necessary, install some of the larger games to the HDD instead. Keep the data on the HDD, and you always get the advantage of booting and running the OS from the SSD.

 

[WyomingKnott]

Tagman1

There are two ways to install a program on the other drive when the SSD is the primary drive. But there is something important to note, first:
If you do it this way, everything that is on the HDD will have to be re-installed. (Almost) Nothing that you installed to the HDD will run when you have booted from the SSD, mostly because the registry entries will be missing from the HDD.

If you accept that, re-install each game while booted from the SSD. Some applications will prompt for an installation directory; if one does, just make a directory on your D drive and install to that. If a game installation does not have such a prompt, you have to make a setting in the registry that will control the default installation path, then install the game, then un-set the registry entry. I don't know it off the top of my head.

If you choose to do that, and are sure that you will never boot off the HDD again, you can delete the /windows and /my programs directory trees from the HDD if you need space. Before you do, I strongly recommend that you make permanent backups of them, in case you ever want to go back to that setup.