2 Copies of XP on same computer?

[Mike Hawthorne]

I got my new Dell, XPS 600, and within an hour of getting it up and running it crashed with the error message "Corrupt Registry Entry".

After a lot of messing around (it didn’t want to boot to the CD either, I had to start from scratch and reinstall everything to get it running again.

I have two hard drives. Both are partitioned the same etc.

I would like to install the same copy of Windows XP Media Center addition on the second drive and have a choice of which to boot to.

Are there any problems with doing this?

If not can someone point me to a detailed step by step description of the process involved?

It would make me feel a lot better if I knew that I could still run my computer if something like this happens again. I could have just replaced the registry with a back up if I could have gotten into the computer.

By the way in the box where you have to give your computer a name I typed...

“HCS TITANIC”

HCS stand for home computer system the rest is obvious.

Mike

[JimmyDee]

Not sure if this is what you are asking but I have 2 HDs and I ghosted or did an image of the one to the other. If you go to the bios and change the boot drive or switch the SATA cables on them, it will boot. It is not without flaws however. A couple of programs I have to reinstall the unlocking key.
Clone CD and Nero are the ones I think. The software to do this comes with most retail HDs. WD and Maxtor I know have it.
Jim

[Mike Hawthorne]

What I really wanted to do was to install the same Windows XP Media Center disk on my second hard drive and have it ask me which drive I want to boot to at startup.

I have read that this can be done but I'm not sure if I should just start the installation in the normal way and then select Drive "D" when I get to that screen, or is there more to it then that.

I’m pretty sure that Windows XP will automatically create the menu if you have dual operating systems. I just want to have the same system twice.

Back in the days of Windows 3.1 which crashed and had to be reinstalled almost every month I used to have two copies of Windows on one hard drive.

Mike

[tealmaroon]

Simply install WMCE onto your second hard drive, a selection menu will be created automatically.

[Mike Hawthorne]

Thanks for the info, I'll give it a go.

Mike

[doubledragon5]

I have my machine set up with XP on both for a simple reason... If one fails and you need help and only have the one pc.. You can boot to the other and still access the net and get the help you need....