Windows/Bios question....complicated

[hp1xbg]

This is sort of a complicated questions, so here goes:

I just finished a computer build for a video capture machine and built it to spec for what I am doing. It has a P8P67 Pro board with three hard drives and 8g of RAM. One hard drive has the system drive on (with Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit) installed and the other two hard drives (both RE4) set up as a Raid 0 drive. The specifications for the capture required 32 bit and everything is up and working. The only thing I haven't done yet is activate Windows 7, which I need to do today.

It is possible to do the following:

1. Install yet a 4th hard drive
2. Install Windows 7 64 bit on this hard drive so I can install my editing software
3. Set the BIOS for two different start ups....one with the capture system at 32, and the other with the other drive at 64 bit? I would want to disable the 32 bit drive when I am booting up to the drive with 64 bit Windows on it.
4. Will windows allow me to have these two different setups if the computer itself is the same?

Thanks

Mack

 

[zdbc13]

Windows easily can be set up for dual boot. However, the only problem I see in your idea is a way to disable the 32bit boot disk when using the 64bit boot. I can't think of any way to do this.

You've got the 32bit system running so I'd activate it and just disconnect all current drives, connect your new drive, and load 64bit windows. When that's done and everything is updated and activated, re-connect your other drives. Then you can use BIOS boot selection (sometimes f12, f8, check your motherboard) to choose which one to boot. The reason for disconnecting all other drives is because Windows puts a recovery partition on one of the drives when it loads and doesn't always put it on the boot drive.

If you're trying to use the same key for both installs I don't think it will work but you could try it. Good luck.

 

[memadmax]

Whoa, wait a minute, are you trying to use both 32 and 64 bit with the same serial?
If yes, you *must* delete the other copy before you can use the other, otherwise you will be in violation of the license agreement.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Plus 1 ^ you need another genuine key to be legit

 

[zdbc13]

I thought you would need another key but wasn't completely sure. Sounds like that's a confirmation....