TeraByte Unlimited

If I copy an existing windows 8 partition from the 1st SSD to a 2nd SSD that has a GPT partition along with a data partition with BIBM and I keep both windows 8 OS's, 1 on each SSD, how do I choose which Windows 8 OS I am booting, at boot up?

I have a Lenovo Yoga 13 with 2 - 256 SSD's installed internally. I copied the original SSD with all it's partitions (7) to the 1st new 256 GB SSD and the 2nd 256 Gb SSD got a GPT partition and a data partition when it was initialized. The Yoga boots up fine from the 1st SSD and the 2nd SSD data partition is good. I would like to make the 2nd SSD data partition smaller with BIBM and the copy the Windows partition from the 1st SSD to the 2nd SSD. I now how to resize and copy partitions with BIBM, but then how do I select which Windows 8 partition I boot.


Thanks
Ron

Well to copy over an entire drive to make a copy you'd do an entire drive
copy using Image for DOS (disk imaging) and ensure you use the option to
change the disk id and guid.

Assuming you're using BootIt, Setup a boot item to boot the copy and enable
the swap option. If you want to ensure the correct drive / partition you
can check computer management / drive management to see drive letters, or
change the background or put a file in the root.


Now to do just a single partition, I'd get rid of the SRP so you don't have
to deal with it, see http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=409
... from there you'd just copy over the partition, setup a boot item to boot
from it with the "swap" option enabled on the boot item.

If you don't want to move the SRP, then just copy that over as well and then
use the BCDEdit feature to change the device and os device to boot the new
copy. (You could also use disk imaging to copy the SRP first with set
active, then the OS partition with the option to update boot partition).

Since you say one of the drives is using GPT, that drive you won't be able
to boot something from using BootIt (nor install BootIt to it). So if
you're saying your main drive has a normal MBR/EMBR and the second has a
GPT, then you'd copy over the Win8 partition, then use BCDEdit in BootIt on
the EFI System Partition, setup a new boot item to boot the version on the
GPT drive (if Win8 will boot from it will depend)

To resize, you'd just highlight the partition to resize, click resize.

"RonPack" wrote in message news:[email protected]...

If I copy an existing windows 8 partition from the 1st SSD to a 2nd SSD
that has a GPT partition along with a data partition with BIBM and I keep
both windows 8 OS's, 1 on each SSD, how do I choose which Windows 8 OS I am
booting, at boot up?

I have a Lenovo Yoga 13 with 2 - 256 SSD's installed internally. I copied
the original SSD with all it's partitions (7) to the 1st new 256 GB SSD and
the 2nd 256 Gb SSD got a GPT partition and a data partition when it was
initialized. The Yoga boots up fine from the 1st SSD and the 2nd SSD data
partition is good. I would like to make the 2nd SSD data partition smaller
with BIBM and the copy the Windows partition from the 1st SSD to the 2nd
SSD. I now how to resize and copy partitions with BIBM, but then how do I
select which Windows 8 partition I boot.


Thanks
Ron

I'm not clear about your instructions.

Are you telling me it is possible to have BIBM installed on the 2nd SSD at the same time that I have a UEFI boot windows 8 on the 1st SSD?

Is there away to use my original windows 8 partition and install BIBM and get rid of all the extra partitions and not use the UEFI in the BIOS?

How to get rid of UEFI and GPT? is this what I need to do to make my life simpler? Is it possible to somehow keep my windows 8 OS partition and get rid of all of the other stuff. I am able to deselect UEFI to legacy and disable fast boot in the BIOS and boot with BIBM.

Could I reformat the 2nd SSD and make it an MBR SSD not GPT. Then boot up with BIBM while having UEFI disabled in the BIOS, and use BIBM image to copy just the windows 8 OS partition from the 1st SSD (that has a GPT and UEFI partition and other partitions) to the 2nd MBR SSD. So I would have Windows 8 on the 2nd SSD with a MBR table. Then wipe out 1st SSD and make it an MBR and then use BIBM image to copy the Windows 8 OS partition back to the 1st SSD now without any extra partitions except for BIBM EMBR when installed and still be able to boot Windows 8?

Thanks
Ron

Since both drives are GPT and Windows is using UEFI booting, in order to install BIBM and use it as a boot manager you will need to convert the drive (both would be best) to EMBR/MBR. See this KB article: http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=580

Once that conversion is done and BIBM is installed, you can continue with copying the Windows 8 partition to the second drive (needs to be MBR or EMBR) and setting it up to boot via BIBM.