Support for dual operating systems
Support for dual operating systems
, while your software and files are stored on a 1TB HDD (D. You're considering adding another drive (E and installing Windows 10 on it. You want to use the same license across all OSes, allowing flexible switching between them. Additionally, you'd like each operating system to operate independently, so one drive should only see the other's files. Your goal is to keep C: connected only to D: and E: isolated from it.
You currently use Windows 10 on your 128GB SSD (C, while your software and files are stored on a 1TB HDD (D. You're considering adding another drive (E and installing Windows 10 on it. You want to use the same license across all OSes, allowing flexible switching between them. Additionally, you'd like each operating system to operate independently, so one drive should only see the other's files. Your goal is to keep C: connected only to D: and E: isolated from it.
Damien2002_56
12-12-2016, 07:22 AM #2It seems you can likely reuse the same key across different PCs, though it’s usually linked to the motherboard. Whether Microsoft officially allows it isn’t clear, but it probably doesn’t matter. You can adjust drive letter settings in disk management once inside the OS, but you’ll still see what’s present without disconnecting the drives. Unless the drive is encrypted, which I’d rather avoid since data loss can be devastating.
I’m not sure about the licensing details, so I won’t discuss that here. You can have two separate installations. My configuration is identical, but with Windows 8.1 (SSD) and Windows 7 (HDD). Both will recognize the other drives in File Explorer, though nothing unusual—just another drive with some files. A point to think about is how you’ll switch between the operating systems. Since I’m not familiar with each other, I manually select the boot option in my motherboard’s boot menu and override it to start Windows 7. If I don’t act, it will automatically boot into Windows 8.1. Another possibility is using a third-party tool to modify the boot manager of your primary installation and include the second OS. Then, each time you power on, it will prompt you to choose which operating system to launch.
Thanks for your help. I was planning to use the VM method but will now test both operating systems for better performance. I’ll follow a similar path as Racer_188, using the boot select menu. I’m hoping there’s a specific key to activate the selection screen during startup. I’ll need to investigate further. Still glad I can achieve my goal!