Multiple HD question

[Missing Impossible]

I origionally had a 150 gig raptor but have added 2 750 gig HD's.  What would be the best way to configure?  I thought dual boot Vista and Mint OS on the raptor then Vista data storage on one 750 then maybe backup with the other 750.  Raid is not an option.
Any help would be appreciated!
Mike

[Rob DiStefano]

dual boot microsoft and linux off whatever hd is the C: drive - that's where your os software should reside.  use your other hd's for data and apps.

fyi - in a dual boot scenario, mint will allow you to access all your data, even data stored within the microsoft os is available by accessing it via 'File System/Host'.

[Missing Impossible]

Thanks Rob!

[Ray_G]

Rob,  

Is there ever any problems with partitioning the hd and two OS's?  I thought I read it somewhere that it is less prone to trouble with two OS drives.  Perhaps it had to do with having the OS's and data and apps all on just one drive - I don't remember.  Anyway, do you see any trouble with two drives for OS?  Like MI, I am getting ready to do this and will be buying some extra hds.

Ray

[Missing Impossible]

Ray, I have a 10,000rpm drive partitioned for vista and linux.  Then I took one large drive(both WD black caviars) and moved all my data to it.  I used the other large drive for backup only. Watch newegg for some great deals on HDD's.

[Rob DiStefano]

i've never needed or implemented a 2 os system with a separate os on a separate physical drive.  i think that would be a minor problem, as your pc has a boot sequence as to which drive to boot first.  so, let's say drive c: has vista and drive d: has mint.  

unless there's another way around this that i'm unaware of, you'd need to change the boot sequence and make the os drive you wanna boot at the top of the boot list. you'd do this as soon as your pc starts booting by going into the bios control (usually by pressing the 'delete' key).    

better to just use one drive for all booting.  never had a problem with dual booting and have been doing so for over a decade.  on a typical 160-300 gig hard drive, each os will eat up maybe 1% of the entire drive, so space is not an issue.

each os is segregated via the partitioned virtual drives created when mint is installed.  each non working os apps and files are accessible from each working os, so you can pull over gregarious files such as text, images, video ... and in the case of mint, openoffice will read and write all ms office files.  so it's all pretty 'cross platform'.

hope some of this helps.

[Ray_G]

You bet it does!  Thank you to both of you guys.  
I know about the boot sequence setup in BIOS (been building my own hardware for 12 years or so) but I thought that Mint did something before MS launched to allow a boot from another drive.  Again, I could be thinking of some other info for something else that I read in galaxy far, far away ...    

I have been using some open source apps for some time, just never got around to the OS.  Thanks MI, for the note on NewEgg.  I get their daily e-specials.  My last two systems were bought totally from there.  I would wait for super rebates or sales on components to build what I wanted.  Shame that my current setup is outdated after two years - lol.  It will be super good with Mint!

Thanks again, fellers.  See ya on the trail.

[jdemoya]

Rob, where do I find "File System/Host" in Mint? Thanks.

God bless,

José

[Rob DiStefano]

go to your 'Home Folder', click on 'File System', click on the 'Host' folder - you will only have a 'Host folder if you've dual booted mint with a microsoft os.

[jdemoya]

Rob, thanks for your prompt response.

I do not see Host folder and I do have about 20 some folders after clicking 'file system'. The only with 'h' is a 'home' folder.

God bless,

José

[Rob DiStefano]

are you dual booted with another operating system?

or is your computer only running with linux mint?

[jdemoya]

I have both Vista and Linux Mint.

God bless,

Jos