Anyone install Windows 8 with SSD as main drive and HDD as second drive?

Discussion in 'Windows 8' started by FattysGoneWild, Oct 19, 2012.

  1. FattysGoneWild

    FattysGoneWild MDL Member

    Mar 7, 2010
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    My main drive is a 160gb ssd and other drive is a 500gb hdd. I use that drive for backing up things and media. My question. With Windows 7. When doing a clean install. If I leave my 500gb plugged in while installing on the ssd. For some odd and stupid reason. Windows 7 will put the main boot file on the hdd. Instead of putting it on the ssd. Even when I have told Windows 7 to install it on the ssd. Does Windows 8 fix and address this issue? Or will I have to only have my ssd plugged in when installing Windows 8? Then once installed. Plug back in my 500gb drive? :confused:
     
  2. angel1610

    angel1610 MDL Senior Member

    Apr 4, 2009
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    Hi FattysGoneWild;

    I got a 250 ssd and 350 hdd and never had that problem, nor windows 7 or now windows 8.

    When you install you should see which hd or ssd when formating or look in your bios.

    Cheers.
     
  3. m203

    m203 MDL Novice

    Aug 30, 2007
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    My Windows 8 installation put the boot files on my other drive, when doing a clean install. Maybe because that drive already had a boot partition. I see it as a bug, others might call it a feature. I totally recommend disconnecting other drives.
     
  4. Boyfriend

    Boyfriend MDL Senior Member

    Feb 10, 2010
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    I have installed Windows 8 on 60 GB Corsair SSD + 500 GB WD HDD. There is no such issue. The only thing I do is I partition my SSD & HDD using Active@Boot Disk and then installed Windows 8 on SSD. In this way, there is no hidden/boot partition. Whole Windows 8 + installed programs are on SSD, while HDD is being used for data, software, music, films, and backup.
     
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  5. pisthai

    pisthai Imperfect Human

    Jul 29, 2009
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    If you had the SSD connected as single drive and disconnected that other HDD you wouldn't have such problem.

    While starting the Setup of Windows 7 & 8 the setup is looking for existing Recovery Partitions and/or existing Windows partitions on ALL hard drives. Vista and 7 was need an 100MB Recovery Partition for to use as start partition in case the OS Start Partition were damaged. Windows 8 need a 350MB Recovery Partition. If those Recovery partitions existing, windows will use the there placed system files for to boot in case of problems with the n"normal" start partition and there will be no need for an extra Boot Media like DVD or USB Stick for to use to start up the recovery process.

    It's really up to the user/owner of that computer how he would be able to get the system back working in case of emergency, the easy or the complicated way!
     
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  6. Sugadevan

    Sugadevan MDL Junior Member

    Feb 20, 2011
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    I think u can just remove the HDD while installing :)
     
  7. Norfolk

    Norfolk MDL Novice

    Sep 6, 2009
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    To avoid this problem: boot from bootable linux DVD and in gparted remove the "Boot" flag from your HDD
     
  8. cysm

    cysm MDL Junior Member

    Jun 6, 2007
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    Yes, my previous Windows 7 installation set one of my mechanical drives to 'active' and also put some of the boot files on it. I deleted the boot files from my mechanical drive, used DISKPART to set the SSD to active, then used the Windows 8 DVD to auto repair the boot files, if I recall correctly. Now my bootfiles / active drive is my SSD. I have one 120gb SSD and 2 1TB mechanical drivers
     
  9. FattysGoneWild

    FattysGoneWild MDL Member

    Mar 7, 2010
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    Thank you guys for the replies and information. I always thought I was doing something wrong. Example. Here is how I would clean install Windows 7 with that other drive hooked up. But, gave me the boot file problem. I would leave my second drive alone since it has things on it I wanted to keep. I would use advanced options. Select my ssd and delete everything including boot file. Then select drive "create" and after its done. Select format. Then click next. But, even if I never done that. I tried the other way around. Just delete boot file and everything else on ssd and hit next. It would do the same thing with putting boot file on my hdd. At this point in time. We should not have to unplug our second drives during install. Windows 8 should be smart enough to know what we are trying to do during install. Worst case I will have to unplug it. :/
     
  10. jayblok

    jayblok MDL Guru

    Dec 26, 2010
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    never rely on benchmarks,everyone has different hardware configurations and such,my(3) old OCZ Vertex ssd 120gb,flashed to Turbo firmware, indilinx controllers are way,way,way faster on Winserver2012/win8RTM than on Win7 with a max of 2gb of ram on my system,and i do not unplug my backup HDD's when i do an install,though i do a Sanitary erase before i do a fresh install on my SSD's and they get turned into unallocated space then the OS is installed on it
     
  11. naseap

    naseap MDL Senior Member

    Jul 25, 2009
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    #13 naseap, Oct 20, 2012
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2012
    I have multiple hard drives in my pc and whenever I install an OS I always disconnect all the drives except the one I am installing to. By reading many posts in all these threads it seems like MR GameDev does not like Win8. I never put much weight in benchmarks, I always go with what I call real world results.
     
  12. naseap

    naseap MDL Senior Member

    Jul 25, 2009
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    Not true. I have a Vertex 4 256G with a Sandy Bridge I5, P8p67 board, Nvidia 460 gtx and do not have any issues that you mention. I play Skyrim, Crysis, etc and do not see any negative effects from running Windows 8. I have not run into any driver issues yet.
     
  13. naseap

    naseap MDL Senior Member

    Jul 25, 2009
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    #17 naseap, Oct 20, 2012
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2012
    I have to agree with you on that. I got duped by Asus but for now I have to live with it. As they say, live and learn. Btw, I am looking to build a new system in the near future what current board do you recommend. I have been using Asus for a while but I am not stuck to one brand.
     
  14. jayblok

    jayblok MDL Guru

    Dec 26, 2010
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    Does the same Crap :horse:
     
  15. DooRules

    DooRules MDL Novice

    Oct 20, 2012
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    So do you just not realize that Asus mobo's also use Intel sata lll ports. All those marvelle, asmedia ports are just extra ports. Every Intel mobo since p67 has had two sata lll ports and 4 sata ll ports.
     
  16. DooRules

    DooRules MDL Novice

    Oct 20, 2012
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    And how do you figure fake sata lll. There isn't an Intel mobo out there with more than 2 native sata lll ports, period. Everyone should know that the rest are not native, a modicum of research would reveal this, no secret or conspiracy. Blaming Asus is hilarious, as you must blame every other Intel oem as well.