Creating Multi-Boot 64-Bit Win7, Win8, LinuxMint on SSD+HDD

[sigi]

I am a registered BIBM user.

My major questions are:
- In which order should I install the 3 OSS's thereby preserving the work already invested in Win8.1?
- Which OS('s) should best be installed on the SSD?


Please give your answers in the context of the following story:

Not knowing anything of Windows 8 and UEFI I had bought a new notebook (Medion AKOYA E7223 MD 98462) with Windows 8.1 pre-installed on the internal 500 GB SATA HDD. It is a GPT/UEFI installation with the partitions shown in the Attachment.

Naively I started configuring and customizing my Win8.1. I decided to make it very fast by transferring it to an SSD, which I intended to buy for this purpose.

Thinking that everything would run smoothly as I knew it from Win7 and BIBM, I planned to create a multi-OS boot menu (Win8.1, Win7, LinuxMint with 60 GB each as Primaries on my "Samsung MZ-7TE250BW Serie 840 EVO Basic interne SSD" and the Extended on my internal SATA HDD).

I installed the SSD into the notebook and it was only then that I started reading info about HDD – SSD migration and partitioning. I realized with dismay that all my work on Win8.1 might be lost because I would install the older Windows after the newer one and because BIBM can only deal with MBR/BIOS.


How can I make my plan (penultimate para) work? I do not care about using UEFI. Conversion to MBR would be acceptable. I would also be satisfied with one OS only on the SSD (preferably Win8.1) as a minimum and the other 2 OS's plus the Extended on the SATA HDD. But whatever the configuration, it should enable maximum speed of the SSD.

[TeraByte Support]

1) Do an entire drive backup.
2) There is a tool called chgdtype.tbs when you click on run in BootIt that
will convert to EMBR/MBR. (it's based on
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=580) - same tool is
available on the Image for Linux full version boot disk as well as the
Windows version.
3) then just do things normally.

You probably also want to enable the option to align on 1MiB boundaries if
not already enabled.


"sigi" wrote in message news:9928@public.bootitbm...

I am a registered BIBM user.

My major questions are:
- In which order should I install the 3 OSS's thereby preserving the work
already invested in Win8.1?
- Which OS('s) should best be installed on the SSD?


Please give your answers in the context of the following story:

Not knowing anything of Windows 8 and UEFI I had bought a new notebook
(Medion AKOYA E7223 MD 98462) with Windows 8.1 pre-installed on the internal
500 GB SATA HDD. It is a GPT/UEFI installation with the partitions shown in
the Attachment.

Naively I started configuring and customizing my Win8.1. I decided to make
it very fast by transferring it to an SSD, which I intended to buy for this
purpose.

Thinking that everything would run smoothly as I knew it from Win7 and BIBM,
I planned to create a multi-OS boot menu (Win8.1, Win7, LinuxMint with 60 GB
each as Primaries on my "Samsung MZ-7TE250BW Serie 840 EVO Basic interne
SSD" and the Extended on my internal SATA HDD).

I installed the SSD into the notebook and it was only then that I started
reading info about HDD - SSD migration and partitioning. I realized with
dismay that all my work on Win8.1 might be lost because I would install the
older Windows after the newer one and because BIBM can only deal with
MBR/BIOS.


How can I make my plan (penultimate para) work? I do not care about using
UEFI. Conversion to MBR would be acceptable. I would also be satisfied with
one OS only on the SSD (preferably Win8.1) as a minimum and the other 2 OS's
plus the Extended on the SATA HDD. But whatever the configuration, it should
enable maximum speed of the SSD.

[sigi]

Thank you so far for your answer.

I assume that the an entire drive backup could not be restored on the SSD because of insufficient capacity and that the restore function of BIBM would require UEFI to be set to Legacy? And that the backup after restore would have to be converted back to GPT in order to behave like the original Win8.1?


Your posting just indicated a step 3). As I am not so familiar with all the implications I would like you to comment on the following course of actions as I see it and the related questions:


a) Disable Secure Boot, enable Legacy Mode
b) Intstall BIBM to its own primary partition with primaries unlimited
c) Run chgdtype.tbs on HD-0 (the internal 500 GB SATA HDD) with Win8.1 on it
d) Create a boot item, start Win8 and check if it works correctly
e) Resize the 403,61 GB partition to say 80 GB if possible (in windows disk management the minimun selectable size
was 212 GB for whatever reasons unknown to me)
f) Copy all necessary Win8 HD-0 partitions (which ones?) over to SSD using BIBM
g) Delete all partitions on HD-0
h) Create any partitions necessary on HD-0 and the SSD to additionally install Win7 and LinuxMint


I would like to pose the following questions:

- Most probably Microsoft would give me an offer for free upgrade of Win7 to Win10 as I know it from my PC. Would
Microsoft also give such an offer for Win8 in Legacy Mode?
- Where would the align on 1MiB step fit in the above course of actions?
- Which OSs should preferably be installed on the SSD? How many would be useful?
- Is BIBM for me the best choice to perform the copying in step f) or should I rather use CopyWipe or the Samsung
Software "Samsung Data Migration" that came bundled with the SSD?

[TeraByte Support]

See http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=572

Once you do the backup, you can proceed with the steps to convert from GPT
to MBR/EMBR (at which point you'll boot in normal (legacy) mode). You'll do
that from the boot media since you won't be able to install until it's a
MBR/EMBR.


"sigi" wrote in message news:9933@public.bootitbm...

Thank you so far for your answer.

I assume that the an entire drive backup could not be restored on the SSD
because of insufficient capacity and that the restore function of BIBM would
require UEFI to be set to Legacy? And that the backup after restore would
have to be converted back to GPT in order to behave like the original
Win8.1?


Your posting just indicated a step 3). As I am not so familiar with all the
implications I would like you to comment on the following course of actions
as I see it and the related questions:


a) Disable Secure Boot, enable Legacy Mode
b) Intstall BIBM to its own primary partition with primaries unlimited
c) Run chgdtype.tbs on HD-0 (the internal 500 GB SATA HDD) with Win8.1
on it
d) Create a boot item, start Win8 and check if it works correctly
e) Resize the 403,61 GB partition to say 80 GB if possible (in windows
disk management the minimun selectable size
was 212 GB for whatever reasons unknown to me)
f) Copy all necessary Win8 HD-0 partitions (which ones?) over to SSD
using BIBM
g) Delete all partitions on HD-0
h) Create any partitions necessary on HD-0 and the SSD to additionally
install Win7 and LinuxMint


I would like to pose the following questions:

- Most probably Microsoft would give me an offer for free upgrade of
Win7 to Win10 as I know it from my PC. Would
Microsoft also give such an offer for Win8 in Legacy Mode?
- Where would the align on 1MiB step fit in the above course of actions?
- Which OSs should preferably be installed on the SSD? How many would be
useful?
- Is BIBM for me the best choice to perform the copying in step f) or
should I rather use CopyWipe or the Samsung
Software "Samsung Data Migration" that came bundled with the SSD?

[sigi]

Your quick answers have much merit and I thank you for them. But I am sorry to say that in this case they tend to delay progress in solving my problems. I have not dared to switch on my new notebook since I installed the SSD and read all that worrying stuff about UEFI because I feared that by starting the system there might happen things to my SSD that would be difficult to reverse. (Dismounting the SSD would not be an option either for me - I am glad to have succeeded in mounting it).

I have hoped that through the assistance of this forum I would be in a position to do all the necessary conversions and installations by the end of this month so that I might still benefit from the free upgrade offer to Win10 by Microsoft, which I understand is valid until the end of July, 2015.

Now I had taken much trouble to put forward a course of actions as I see it and a couple of related questions. A simple OK to the proposed course of actions or correction of any wrong step(s) would reassure me to go forward.

As concerns the four questions I am most interested in the 1MiB step and the best method for copying.

I am looking forward to detailed comments, which in a great many cases have made this forum so outstanding.

[Brian K]

sigi,

One step at a time. As TeraByte Support has indicated, do an Entire Drive backup of the HD and then convert the HD to MBR/EMBR. Make the relevant BIOS changes to enable the OS to boot. Install BIBM. You need the HD in the computer, not the SSD in the computer. Report back after the BIBM install and OS boot.

[sigi]

sigi wrote:
> (Dismounting the SSD would not be an option either
> for me - I am glad to have succeeded in mounting it).

Brian K wrote:
> sigi,
>
> You need the HD in the computer, not the SSD in the computer. Report back after the BIBM install
> and OS boot.



Do you imply that I should first dismount the SSD prior to OS boot?

[Bob Coleman]

sigi wrote:

> I have hoped that through the assistance of this forum I would be in a
> position to do all the necessary conversions and installations by the end
> of this month so that I might still benefit from the free upgrade offer to
> Win10 by Microsoft, which I understand is valid until the end of July,
> 2015.

My understanding is that this free upgrade is available until July 29, 2016.

[Brian K]

sigi wrote:

> Do you imply that I should first dismount the SSD prior to OS boot?

sigi,

I didn't appreciate you had two drives on the laptop. Leave the SSD in place. I assume it is blank. The GPT HD won't cause the SSD any issues.

The C: drive is 404 GB. How much Free Space is present in the partition?

[sigi]

I managed to successfully install BIBM 1.31a to its own partition on HD-0 (SATA) not limiting Primaries on that drive. HD-0 now looks as shown on the attached digifoto.

I assume that this is not yet the drive I should fully backup? Should I now uncheck "Use Global Settings" and check "Align on 1MiB Boundaries"?

What is the next step? In the present situation the only Action I could choose would be "Undelete". But that is certainly not the path to follow. Any "View MBR" actions?