New DAW triple boot?

Author
ChrisMyhre
Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 7
  • Joined: 2/9/2006
  • Status: offline
May 11, 06 5:52 PM (permalink)

New DAW triple boot?

Alright I have a new computer on the way, unfortunately I can't afford a dedicated DAW so this will need to run XP as well as at least 1 Linux OS. I would like to have 2 XP installs as well as the Linux one, all hidden from each other. Would it be possible to use GRUB to hide the XP installations from eachother or should I purchase some boot manager such as OSL2000? The plan so far is 3 small partitions on hard drive 1 for each os, then use the rest of the drive for samples (DKFHSuperior mostly) and other files and use the second hard drive for project files only. Any comments or advice would be appreciated.
#1

5 Replies Related Threads

    inmazevo
    Max Output Level: -42.5 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 3276
    • Joined: 1/3/2006
    • Location: Pacific Northwest
    • Status: offline
    RE: New DAW triple boot? May 11, 06 6:31 PM (permalink)
    So if you use grub to boot, you'll be able to boot from one Windows or Linux install or another... that's not really a problem. A separate boot manager will do the job as well. Use whichever is easiest for you.

    I do, however, have a couple of questions before going further:
    1. What do you mean by "all hidden from each other."? Windows doesn't natively support ext2 or ext3, for example, and generally will only show you those (Linux) partitions in the Device Manager Hard Drive view. Linux only "sees" hard drives that are mounted... different distros default to mounting FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS in different ways, or not at all, but in any case, you can configure all of the to NOT mount the Windows partitions, and they won't show up without manually mounting them. "Visibility" has nothing to do with booting, to my knowledge... grub doesn't control this... mounting the devices does.
    2. Which Linux distro are you using, or planning to use?
    3. Why are you going to use 2 Windows installs alongside a Linux install? Just curious, but if it's to surf the web, you could just use Linux for that... Is it for games?

    Anyway, hope this helps some.
    I would suggest that this question is probably better suited for a more OS technical forum, or some of the Linux forums around. Gentoo has a pretty good wiki, and lots of documentation, as does Ubuntu... those guys might can give you a more specific answer.
    #2
    whoop
    Max Output Level: -89 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 59
    • Joined: 1/16/2006
    • Status: offline
    RE: New DAW triple boot? May 11, 06 7:00 PM (permalink)
    the only problem you'll have is 2 windoze installs.

    here's what i do...
    i have 2 drives, and my BIOS allows me to choose which drive to boot by hitting a function key.
    so you can install XP on each drive and the other XP will become the D: drive.

    most BIOS have this feature, mine is F8 (same as windoze boot utility menu)

    BTW, make sure you install XP first, then linux & use grub
    #3
    kz1m9w
    Max Output Level: -86 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 211
    • Joined: 4/5/2004
    • Status: offline
    RE: New DAW triple boot? May 12, 06 0:25 PM (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: ChrisMyhre

    Alright I have a new computer on the way, unfortunately I can't afford a dedicated DAW so this will need to run XP as well as at least 1 Linux OS. I would like to have 2 XP installs as well as the Linux one, all hidden from each other. Would it be possible to use GRUB to hide the XP installations from eachother or should I purchase some boot manager such as OSL2000? The plan so far is 3 small partitions on hard drive 1 for each os, then use the rest of the drive for samples (DKFHSuperior mostly) and other files and use the second hard drive for project files only. Any comments or advice would be appreciated.


    In addition to some of the other ideas presented, here is how I'd go about it.

    1) Install a removable drive bay for all of your drives. I've got a couple of machines that are setup that way (one with 2 removable drive bays, another with 3). But for this explanation, let's just say you have 2 - the top one will be your OS drive and the bottom will be your auxillary drive (i.e. audio, samples, whatever). And we'll also say you just want Linux and Windows XP (2 different OS installations).

    2) Get 3 hard drives. That may sound expensive, but hard drives are pretty cheap for what you get. And get a few extra trays that go into those removeable hard drive bays.

    Drive 1: OS 1 (i.e. Linux)
    Drive 2: OS 2 (i.e. Windows XP)
    Drive 3: Non-OS - for other stuff like audio.
    Drive 4: CD/DVD drive (always installed, setup as Secondary Master if using IDE)

    3) Insert Drive 1 into the top bays. Install Linux on it and get it setup just like you want it. Shut down the machine, then physically remove it.

    4) Insert Drive 2 into the top bay. Install Windows XP on it and get it setup just like you want it. Shut down the machine then physically remove it.

    Talk about true isolation! If you really don't want each of the OS's to see each other, this is probably the easiest way to ensure that on one machine. It does cost a little more and it does require a shut-down, 5-second swap and restart to make the change. But its been bullet-proof for me.

    So, if somehow a super-nasty virus creeped into your Windows XP, there is absolutely no way it could somehow format/corrupt/etc any of the data on your Linux setup - becuase it would not be physically connected at the same time.

    The removable drive bays I bought were $24 at Microcenter, with a quiet fan and work great for my needs.

    Maybe not your cup of tea, but still, hope that helps someone,
    Randy
    #4
    ChrisMyhre
    Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 7
    • Joined: 2/9/2006
    • Status: offline
    RE: New DAW triple boot? May 12, 06 2:31 PM (permalink)
    that's actually a great idea, I'm actually mostly concerned with hiding the XP installs from each other so I can use ghost on each install without having to worry about the phantom files on the "c:" drive. The reason I would like a second XP install is actually mostly just for Microsoft Visual Studio, and a few other windows apps that I can't live without but don't want cluttering up my audio setup.
    #5
    kz1m9w
    Max Output Level: -86 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 211
    • Joined: 4/5/2004
    • Status: offline
    RE: New DAW triple boot? May 12, 06 2:40 PM (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: ChrisMyhre

    that's actually a great idea, I'm actually mostly concerned with hiding the XP installs from each other so I can use ghost on each install without having to worry about the phantom files on the "c:" drive. The reason I would like a second XP install is actually mostly just for Microsoft Visual Studio, and a few other windows apps that I can't live without but don't want cluttering up my audio setup.


    Well, the idea might be worth pursuing. Having removeable OS drives really makes the hardware capable of acting like multiple machines. The catch is, of course, you can only use one at a time. But it is ISOLATED.

    In addition, the hard drive swap really is about as fast as the BIOS switching idea too. And its liberating really - knowing you can put in your non-DAW setup and make any change you desire - install anything / download anything / get a virus even / whatever.

    When done playing risky, you know that none of the risky behavior could have changed files on your DAW setup, because it was sitting on the shelf the whole time!
    #6
    Jump to:
    © 2025 APG vNext Commercial Version 5.1