How to make dual boot

[sking]

After spending about a full year messing with a new hard drive, attempting to install windows with service pack 1, without service pack one, install updates from Microsoft website only to have the updates corrupt the windows installation, I finally wized up and unplugged my good working hard drive (smaller drive) and installed windows onto my larger drive. I was successful with this and I have taken image backups of the drive. I was able to install an anti virus program (Avast) without corrupting the windows installing. (which is what it always did after numerous attempts) What a screwed up stupid way things work.

Let me explain, in the past I installed windows 7 onto my larger drives with both drives plugged in. The dual drive menu worked fine. However, I could not install Avast or AVG onto the windows installation. Both of these programs corrupted the windows installation. The program could not be fixed and I spent weeks with this problem. It is truly ridiculous the amount of time I spent. Every single time windows got corrupted it went into startup repair and the problem could not be fixed. EVER. This startup repair is the most completely worthless piece of crap ever written by Microsoft programmers. It has expended 100 hours of my time. Do I get a medal for attempting to use Microsoft startup repair?

Now that I have windows on both my drives, when I start my computer, with both drives connected to the computer, my system automatically starts on the larger drive with the new installation. If I disconnect the larger drive, and start with just my original I can start my older drive, and I'm presented with the dual drive menu. I only get this menu with the larger drive unplugged from the motherboard. This is no good and need the menu with both of them plugged in. I start the machine with it unplugged and I get the dual drive menu, then I plug in the new drive and attempt to start it and it fails. So what do I have to do to make my dual drive work? I don't need any problems here from this point forward.

 

[bryonhowley]

The dual boot menu is only on one of the drives go into your BIOS and choose the correct drive as the primary boot drive not that hard.

As for the other problems you are having I can't say what you are doing wrong but alot of people use AVAST and AVG with no problems at all every day so it has nothing at all to do with the anti-virus solutions but is strictly on your end. I have a Windows XP rig in my bedroom that had the OS installed when XP came out over 12 years ago and is still going strong and has never had to be re-installed even once and it is running AVG and has been for years.

 

[sking]

Well, it is strange that I could get Avast installed ONLY when I unplugged my other hard drive. Same problem with AVG when I tried to install it. It corrupts the windows installation. I'm not doing ANYTHING wrong. The avnti virus software should install perfectly regardless of whether my system has 1 or 2 drives in it.

 

[photonboy]

What OS's are you trying to boot?

XP/7 or 7/8 or 7/Linux?

It makes a difference. I've also never had issues with dual-boots. The only connection between them is the Bootloader on one of the drives and I can't understand why Avast would corrupt that.

Perhaps your method of Installation is incorrect, but as I said it's different depending on the OS's used.

 

[sking]

I have resolved the problem. As I suspected, Avast installed when I installed windows on the single drive. As I stated I unpluged my old drive and installed windows on the new drive solo. Windows installs other things on other partitions when you do this. This does not happen when you install windows on the 2nd drive with another drive plugged in. I have learnt this the hard way. No one on this forum ever said anything about unplugging my drive. I have had other posts on this for at least the last 6 stupid months.
Now you can learn from a seasoned expert. Me.

I have created a system image every step of the way, regardless of the time it takes. Out of 100 stupid windows updates, I was able to install 50 or so, and the next bath ot 20 updates corrupted the installation. So I just reinstalled my last image of windows. I have blocked windows from installing any further updates and I will NEVER change this setting again.

This was all Windows 7 Ultimate edition. I finally kicked your ass for a change Microsoft....You ought to be sued for pain and suffering damages.

 

[photonboy]

Um...
Glad it's working for you, though I've never had issues with all manner of combos of XP, Vista, 7 and 8. It doesn't work if you don't follow the proper steps, but whatever.

 

[sking]

when you say "follow the proper steps", what are you referring to? In the past when you have configured a dual boot system, did you load windows onto one of the disks while both of them were plugged in?

 

[photonboy]

when you say "follow the proper steps", what are you referring to? In the past when you have configured a dual boot system, did you load windows onto one of the disks while both of them were plugged in?

Here's an example:
http://www.techspot.com/guides/143-dual-boot-windows7/

It's been a while since I've dual-booted so I may get a few things wrong, but I think XP and 7 go something like THIS:
1) Windows 7 installed
2) Install XP to 2nd partition/drive

For Windows 7/8, it's:
1) Install Windows 7, then
2) Install Windows 8

I believe the 7/8 combo also works the other way but XP/7 need to be done with 7 first.

Anyway, I don't mean to make light of your problems but I've just never experience them. If I install Windows 7, then XP, the proper boot file is edited so the bootloader gives a choice.

It's also possible to do XP first but I think that's messier and involves getting a separate program such as BCDEDIT to manually edit the W7 boot file.

As for your issues with corruption after the dual-boot has been working, I've just never seen it.