Install operating systems on 2 drives?

[Sharks445]

I want to get an SSD to install Windows 8.1 on, but I also have a hard disk drive that already has Windows 8, so can I install Win8 on the SSD while keeping the other drive plugged in? Will this confuse the BIOS when booting?
Does the BIOS have a registry or table record that is tied to the OS? Can it support booting to another drive when Windows is already installed?

 

[USAFRet]

I want to get an SSD to install Windows 8.1 on, but I also have a hard disk drive that already has Windows 8, so can I install Win8 on the SSD while keeping the other drive plugged in? Will this confuse the BIOS when booting?
Does the BIOS have a registry or table record that is tied to the OS? Can it support booting to another drive when Windows is already installed?

You really want to install the OS with only the target drive connected.
Otherwise, you'll be back here in a couple of months asking how to fix it..

And there is little reason to have the OS on the SSD and the HDD. Only if they were different OSs, ad you wanted to dualboot.

 

[Sharks445]

I want to get an SSD to install Windows 8.1 on, but I also have a hard disk drive that already has Windows 8, so can I install Win8 on the SSD while keeping the other drive plugged in? Will this confuse the BIOS when booting?
Does the BIOS have a registry or table record that is tied to the OS? Can it support booting to another drive when Windows is already installed?

You really want to install the OS with only the target drive connected.
Otherwise, you'll be back here in a couple of months asking how to fix it..

And there is little reason to have the OS on the SSD and the HDD. Only if they were different OSs, ad you wanted to dualboot.

I wanted to install the OS on the SSD and then plug in the HDD so I can access the HDDs contents from the SSD

 

[USAFRet]

I want to get an SSD to install Windows 8.1 on, but I also have a hard disk drive that already has Windows 8, so can I install Win8 on the SSD while keeping the other drive plugged in? Will this confuse the BIOS when booting?
Does the BIOS have a registry or table record that is tied to the OS? Can it support booting to another drive when Windows is already installed?

You really want to install the OS with only the target drive connected.
Otherwise, you'll be back here in a couple of months asking how to fix it..

And there is little reason to have the OS on the SSD and the HDD. Only if they were different OSs, ad you wanted to dualboot.

I wanted to install the OS on the SSD and then plug in the HDD so I can access the HDDs contents from the SSD

Sure. That is a typical config.
What you cannot do is use the applications that are currently installed on the old HDD. Whatever applications you use will need to be reinstalled with the new OS on the SSD.

 

[Axe22]

Set in bios which drive to boot first and it will boot system installed on him.

 

[Sharks445]

I want to get an SSD to install Windows 8.1 on, but I also have a hard disk drive that already has Windows 8, so can I install Win8 on the SSD while keeping the other drive plugged in? Will this confuse the BIOS when booting?
Does the BIOS have a registry or table record that is tied to the OS? Can it support booting to another drive when Windows is already installed?

You really want to install the OS with only the target drive connected.
Otherwise, you'll be back here in a couple of months asking how to fix it..

And there is little reason to have the OS on the SSD and the HDD. Only if they were different OSs, ad you wanted to dualboot.

I wanted to install the OS on the SSD and then plug in the HDD so I can access the HDDs contents from the SSD

Sure. That is a typical config.
What you cannot do is use the applications that are currently installed on the old HDD. Whatever applications you use will need to be reinstalled with the new OS on the SSD.

I can't run the applications? How will I get them to work?
I have 350GB of games, yet only 240gb SSD

 

[USAFRet]

I want to get an SSD to install Windows 8.1 on, but I also have a hard disk drive that already has Windows 8, so can I install Win8 on the SSD while keeping the other drive plugged in? Will this confuse the BIOS when booting?
Does the BIOS have a registry or table record that is tied to the OS? Can it support booting to another drive when Windows is already installed?

You really want to install the OS with only the target drive connected.
Otherwise, you'll be back here in a couple of months asking how to fix it..

And there is little reason to have the OS on the SSD and the HDD. Only if they were different OSs, ad you wanted to dualboot.

I wanted to install the OS on the SSD and then plug in the HDD so I can access the HDDs contents from the SSD

Sure. That is a typical config.
What you cannot do is use the applications that are currently installed on the old HDD. Whatever applications you use will need to be reinstalled with the new OS on the SSD.

I can't run the applications? How will I get them to work?
I have 350GB of games, yet only 240gb SSD

Not everything has to go on the boot drive.
Games (Steam and Origin) can be on whatever drive you want.
See this: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?p_faqid=231

Other applications - reinstall, on whichever drive you wish. Most/all applications, apart from games, can fit on the SSD no problem.