Having 2 Windows 7s on 2 HDDs - Wanna have dual boot with protection for data. HELP.

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BikeAdvice

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I just assembled a PC for video editing. an i5 with 12 GB RAM and GTX560Ti 2 GB DDR5.

Mostly, it is for my work, but my wife wants to play games in it. She is a B.E. student and she will also be using it a lot - like downloading softwares, installing this and that...

I really do not want to have my files in the same OS. I want to separate my environment from hers.

In an ideal world I will use a HDD and my wife will use one and we will connect our HDD when booting up. Unfortunately, it is not practical to Open the cabinet and connect/disconnect SATA cables each time.

So basically the system is having two HDDs with 2 OSs. But my concern is that her OS should not be allowed to access my files. Usually the drive will appear inside mycomputer and when one browses the drive, all the files will be available.

Please suggest possible solutions.
 
Re: Having 2 Windows 7s on 2 HDDs - Wanna have dual boot with protection for data. HE

Install hide partition in the OS your wife will use and hide your drive fully from that OS and protect hide partition with password to prevent any accidental damage.

Very simple it will not affect your OS.
 
Re: Having 2 Windows 7s on 2 HDDs - Wanna have dual boot with protection for data. HE

For different environment you can use a different login account for your pc.
As for files accessibility you can set file permission as per your user login.
This is more practical and does not require to use two hard disks or two of the same os :P
 
Re: Having 2 Windows 7s on 2 HDDs - Wanna have dual boot with protection for data. HE

Here is what you can do.

#1. Install OS in two separate HDD
#2. Make one primary and link both the OS using EaseBCD, so that at windows load, you get a OS selection screen.
#3. From your wife's HDD (OS) disable your HDD either from Disk management or from Device manager.
#4. you are good to go :)
 
Re: Having 2 Windows 7s on 2 HDDs - Wanna have dual boot with protection for data. HE

If she plans to do all that installing things that you said, you are better off giving her a separate computer itself. Also, your HDD is not safe with hers 100% if she plans to do OS installs, especially.
 
Re: Having 2 Windows 7s on 2 HDDs - Wanna have dual boot with protection for data. HE

@OP, you can also disable your HDD in the BIOS, and can enable it while you have to work and disable it while your wife will work
 
Re: Having 2 Windows 7s on 2 HDDs - Wanna have dual boot with protection for data. HE

CA50 said:
@OP, you can also disable your HDD in the BIOS, and can enable it while you have to work and disable it while your wife will work
Click to expand...

That's the best idea I have heard :)

I am not sure if that can be done in my mobo. It's an Intel DH67BL B3 one. Will check that out right away !
 
Re: Having 2 Windows 7s on 2 HDDs - Wanna have dual boot with protection for data. HE

Not sure if the HDD can be disabled, but I'm pretty sure that the SATA port can be. But remember that its a tedious procedure.....
 
Re: Having 2 Windows 7s on 2 HDDs - Wanna have dual boot with protection for data. HE

Why do people try to do complex things when there is always an easier way?
Reminds Me the story of the american inventing an ink pen to work without gravity for writing in space only to find out that russians used pencil to write their stuff :facepalm:
 
Re: Having 2 Windows 7s on 2 HDDs - Wanna have dual boot with protection for data. HE

CA50 said:
Do try and post your result :)
Click to expand...

It is not possible to disable from BIOS.

This is the solution I have come up with:

1 Drive with Windows 7 full drive encrypted by truecrypt.

1 Drive with normal installation.

Lemme see if this works. Else will give a separate PC for her :)

I may use this also, not sure - Amazon.com: KingWin KF-1000-BK Single bay Internal SATA Tray - Less Hot Swap Rack Key Lock: Electronics

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---
ggt said:
Why do people try to do complex things when there is always an easier way?

Reminds Me the story of the american inventing an ink pen to work without gravity for writing in space only to find out that russians used pencil to write their stuff :facepalm:
Click to expand...

I am not comfortable with just a different login. As I said, she will need admin preferences and may be installing and uninstalling softwares.
 
Re: Having 2 Windows 7s on 2 HDDs - Wanna have dual boot with protection for data. HE

^ you could have disable the HDD in the device manager itself
 
Re: Having 2 Windows 7s on 2 HDDs - Wanna have dual boot with protection for data. HE

BikeAdvice said:
I am not comfortable with just a different login. As I said, she will need admin preferences and may be installing and uninstalling softwares.
Click to expand...

you can very well give her admin rights and give/take read/write protection to your folders.

why not just try for the heck of it? :)
 
Re: Having 2 Windows 7s on 2 HDDs - Wanna have dual boot with protection for data. HE

Does your mobo have an esata port? Then connect either hdd thru esata, and remove it when not needed. No need to open the cabinet.
 
Re: Having 2 Windows 7s on 2 HDDs - Wanna have dual boot with protection for data. HE

zhopudey said:
Does your mobo have an esata port? Then connect either hdd thru esata, and remove it when not needed. No need to open the cabinet.
Click to expand...

This will not work as then still he has to configure the eSATA device as the boot device. Here, whenever i remove a HDD and reconnect it, it does not get 1st HDD boot status. ;)

However, if it is the only HDD in the machine, then it should work, mate.
 
Re: Having 2 Windows 7s on 2 HDDs - Wanna have dual boot with protection for data. HE

vivek.krishnan said:
This will not work as then still he has to configure the eSATA device as the boot device. Here, whenever i remove a HDD and reconnect it, it does not get 1st HDD boot status. ;)

However, if it is the only HDD in the machine, then it should work, mate.
Click to expand...

He can use quickselect. Press F8 or F12 or whatever to boot into the esata drive when it is connected.
 
Re: Having 2 Windows 7s on 2 HDDs - Wanna have dual boot with protection for data. HE

Mobo and cabinet have support for eSATA. I can use 1 drive and she can use 1 drive. We can plug it in whenever we use it.

But how to do it? Power source for SSD/HDD? And is there a SATA to eSATA cable available?
 
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