Dual Booting on both HDD and SSD

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Mikeinizer

Mikeinizer

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This may/may not be the appropriate place to pose this question and if better posed elsewhere, PLEASE advise!

Here is my issue: I have a personally custom built PC with Windows 8 currently installed to the 1TB HDD. I have recently added an empty (500GB) SSD that I would like to install Windows 10 onto. Effectively, I am looking for the best and most efficient dual boot scenario for both of these OS and Drives to operate independently and I have scoured the Web only to find "Muddy Waters" and see others attempting the same with Windows, Linux, and Ubuntu combos! I simply want 2 different versions of Windows installed on 2 separate drives and I do NOT want to partition either drive and would prefer to easily switch between the 2 separate OS's seamlessly without the need to enter the Bios or msconfig each time I want to switch. Is there an effective way to accomplish this and if so, what do you all recommend for this endeavor? As a final note of thought, I have an ASUS Maximus Formula II MoBo and when I attempt to prioritize the boot option for my SSD in the Bios, it over-rides that selection upon Boot and still Boots into my HDD with W8 installed. Do I need to disable my HDD in the Bios prior to installing W10 to the SSD or what are my best options with this dilemma?
 
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CountMike
No, it's better to actually unplug power to HDDs you don't need to use to install OS on because Windows can find them even if just disabled. If you unplug only power then there's no chance of mixing up SATA connections. Leave just SSD connected, You will also need to set SATA controller to AHCI mode for best conditions for SSD to work in.
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CountMike

CountMike

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That is preferred way to do dual boot, each disk it's own OS. That's how I've been doing it for many years. Easiest way to choose what to boot from would be to use http://neosmart.net/EasyBCD/ to make boot menu on primary disk or maybe even on both. That way you will be presented with choice at the very beginning no mater which disk you are starting of.
 
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Mikeinizer

Mikeinizer

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CountMike thanks for the reply and the advice. Any info to offer on my last question in the thread and is it possible for you to lay out a general step by step guide for installing EasyBCD and the order I do so based on my current situation?
 
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CountMike

CountMike

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As to last question, physically disconnect any drive you are not going to install OS on. You can just disconnect it's power. That's fest way and is recommended to do it in every case. Once you install OS on it, you can connect other disk.
As for EasyBCD, there's fine manually how to do it. Basically you just install it in the windows used to boot from and point it to other disk. It modifies bcdedit in windows boot system and could be done manually but it's easier this way. You can see what it is in Msconfig > Boot.
 
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Mikeinizer

Mikeinizer

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Thanks again! However, just for clarification..can I simply disable my W8 (HDD) drive from the BIOS settings, prior to installing W10 to the SSD, or do I physically need to unplug power to the HDD prior to installation of W10 on the SSD? At this point, I currently have 3 other drives (2 other HDD and 1 Optical Drives) connected to my W8 setup (1 HDD dedicated to my W8, 2 other HDD for Photos/Videos, and 1 Optical DVD Writer). I'm unsure exactly which SATA is connected on my MoBo for the W8HDD, so it would be much easier for me to simply disable that drive via Bios (if that is a workable option). Will that work, or is it imperative that I disconnect the W8HDD?
 
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CountMike

CountMike

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Oct 31, 2015
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No, it's better to actually unplug power to HDDs you don't need to use to install OS on because Windows can find them even if just disabled. If you unplug only power then there's no chance of mixing up SATA connections. Leave just SSD connected, You will also need to set SATA controller to AHCI mode for best conditions for SSD to work in.
 
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