OS X and XP on 2 Separate Drives?

[The Milstead]

So, I've successfully had OS X partitioned with XP on my PC for a long time now (with a slave drive added where I keep my stuff), but I've recently bought a THIRD hard drive to give myself more room, and this is what I'd like to do:

 

Drive 1: OS X 10.4.10

Drive 2: XP

Drive 3: Blank HFS+ Drive for Random Stuff

 

I already know how to set up a dual boot with a drive split into partitions, but what should I know about having the OSes across 2 separate drives? Really, I'd like to have OS X boot by default, and XP load from the other drive only when I boot with a boot floppy that I made. That's what I'm doing now with my partitions. But if I absolutely HAVE to use a boot selector from BIOS instead, I'll be fine with that...as long as it's working.

 

Thanks!

[naddy69]

If you can select the boot drive in your BIOS then that will work fine. But you will have to install like this. Disconnect 2 drives so you have only one connected, in the Primary/Master postition so it will be C. Install XP. Disconnect that drive and connect the 2nd in the Primary/Master postition. Install OS X. Leave the OS X drive in the Primary/Master position, so it will be the default boot. Connect your XP drive as the Primary/Slave drive.

 

For maximum convenience you might want to format your 3rd drive as FAT32, so both OS X and XP can read/write it and share files. XP can only format FAT32 to 32 GB, however there are ways around this.

[The Milstead]

Thanks...I'll try your suggestions on installing.

 

As far as the 3rd drive goes, I'd rather keep that one HFS+ because I'll primarily be using it from OS X, and I've had great success in the past with MacDrive for XP when I needed it. So, I don't think that part of it will be a problem for me.

 

But I'll definitely give everything else you suggested a shot.

[naddy69]

Yeah, good idea. I was just thinking that maybe you wanted to share, but if your main use will be OS X, then definitely keep it Mac format.

 

The reason you have to install this way is because if you connect your OS X drive as Primary/Master and your XP drive as Primary/Slave the XP install will attempt to put it's boot files on the Primary/Master drive, even though XP itself will be on the other drive. Then when you install OS X you will overwrite XP's boot files, leaving your XP install un-bootable.

 

This way everyone is happy on separate drives, each unaware of the other.

 

However, now that I think about it, if you install OS X first, then your Primary/Master OS X drive will be unreadable by the XP install, and SHOULD basically be ignored. All of XP's files SHOULD then go on the XP drive.

 

But if I was doing this, I would do it one drive at a time like I explained above. No point in doing it twice if you don't have to!

[The Milstead]

Okay, I gotcha. Now that you explain it, I do remember running into that problem with XP trying to take over Master when I had Linux a couple of years back. So, just to make sure...this is what I'm understanding here...I plan to:

 

Heck. I'll just list everything I'm going to do so I can refer back to it in case I have to come back later.

 

- Format new 3rd drive as HFS+

- Copy my personal/important files over to it

- Have one of the others connected alone and set to primary/master, then install XP

- Have the remaining one connected alone and set to primary/master, then install OS X

- Reconnect the XP drive as primary/slave

- Set up boot floppy to redirect to XP install when I boot with it inserted, otherwise OS X loads on primary/master by default

 

Sounds right?

[naddy69]

Yep, that should work fine and sounds like a nice set up!

[sultanoswing]

How I did it successfully:

 

1) Install all OS's: XP on primary Master, channel 0, OSX on Primary Master, channel 1, Linux on SATA drive.

 

2) Use Linux's GRUB bootloader (i.e. boot off the SATA drive in BIOS) and set GRUB up to boot each OS, which it's able to do through it's ability to remap drives and chainload other boot loaders. Smooth & works & no mucking about in the BIOS just to use each OS.