How to Boot from A Second Hard Drive

What Is Dual System Boot

Often, installing a second hard drive can be used to install a different operating system, in addition to storing more files and data. This allows you to run both operating systems on the same computer or switch freely between them. In this way, you can use Windows 10 on the same computer or use Windows 7 without switching computers.

And this process of running two operating systems on the same computer at the same time has a very official name, called "dual system boot". In short, it means that you have two operating systems on one computer at the same time, and you can choose to use any operating system you want, such as Windows and macOS, Windows and Linux, Windows 10 and Windows 7.

So how do you achieve dual boot on two hard drives? Read on below and you'll get to know it in depth and master how to boot from a second hard drive.

How to Install A Second Hard Drive on Your Computer

In fact, a second hard drive is not necessary for dual system booting. Even if you have only one hard drive you can achieve dual boot by partitioning it. However, this method increases the load on the hard drive and requires a lot of hard drive space. Therefore, it is more recommended to use a second hard drive to achieve dual boot. But before that, we need to install the second hard drive first.

How you install the second drive depends on the type of drive interface you are using.

🔌 SATA Interface. Currently available in SATA 1.5Gbit/s, SATA 3Gbit/s and SATA 6Gbit/s, this interface can be seen on hard disk drives and some solid-state drives.
🔌 M.2 Interface. This interface is mainly used for SSDs and can be divided into two types, SATA and NVMe. The M.2 SATA read and write speeds are identical to those of SATA interface SSDs, up to 6 Gbit/s. The latter are faster than SATA interface SSDs, up to 10 Gbit/s.

Note📝: The installation methods for laptops and desktop computers are basically the same, and all of the following content will focus on desktop computers. Next, we will introduce the installation methods for SATA interface and M.2 interface respectively.

Install A Second Hard Drive with SATA Interface

Here I will teach you how to install a second hard drive on your computer by taking a hard disk drive with a SATA interface as an example. When installing a hard disk drive, you need to prepare the SATA cable (the cable is usually included with the purchase of the drive) and the power cable (most cases will come with their own power cable) in advance. If you really don't have one, you can also buy one yourself. The specific installation steps are as follows.

1. Connect the SATA data cable to the end of the power cable to the hard disk drive. The interface has a dummy-proof design, so there is usually no chance of plugging in the wrong interface.

2. Completely power off the computer, open the side panel of the case, and plug the other end of the SATA data cable and power cable into the appropriate locations.

3. Locate the hard drive compartment in the case, place the drive in and secure it. If it is a screw-in style, then you will need to tighten the screws with a screwdriver. If it is the bracket type as shown in the figure below, you need to put the hard disk into the bracket first, and then put it into the hard disk position and make sure that the buckle is fastened.

Install A Second Hard Drive With M.2 Interface

The installation method of SATA interface SSD is exactly the same as mechanical hard drive, you can refer to the above installation steps. The next step will be to introduce how to install an M.2 interface SSD for you guys, the specific installation steps are as follows.

1. Completely power off the computer and open the side panel of the case to confirm the location and specifications of the M.2 slots on the motherboard. Then take out the M.2 SSD, confirm that the SSD connector is aligned with the motherboard slot notch, and gently lower the SSD.

2. Use a screwdriver and small screws to secure the other end of the SSD, at this point the M.2 interface SSD installation is complete.

Detailed Steps to Install Windows

How to boot Windows 10 from another hard drive? In addition to installing the second hard drive, you will also need to install the appropriate operating system. Here is an example of how to install Windows 10 for you. You can install Windows 10 using a DVD by downloading the Windows 10 ISO file and burning it to a DVD using software. But it is more recommended that you create the Windows 10 installation disk first and use the Microsoft Media Creation Tool to install it.

If the system you installed on the second hard disk is the same as the one installed on the system disk, you can also use a simpler system migration method. This professional system migration tool - AOMEI Backupper Professional can meet your needs.

#1. Creating A Windows 10 Installation Disk

1. Download and run Microsoft Media Creation Tool, and accept the Microsoft license terms. Click the Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC option, and then click Next.

2. Follow the prompts to select the language, Windows version and architecture, and then click Next. Then take out the USB flash drive of 8GB or more prepared in advance, click on the USB flash drive option and click Next.

3. Next, continue to follow the prompts to complete the operation and wait for the Windows 10 installation to complete. Then you will see a message Your USB flash drive is ready, click Finish, at this time the Windows installation disk was created successfully.

Once the Windows 10 installation disk is successfully created, you can install Windows 10 on the second hard drive, here are the detailed steps to do so.

#2. Installing Windows 10 on A Second Hard Drive

1. Insert the USB drive with a copy of Windows 10 into the appropriate computer and turn it on. Enter the BIOS to set your computer to boot from the USB drive (different brands of motherboards enter the BIOS differently, consult the motherboard manufacturer for details).
2. When your computer boots from the USB stick, you can see a Windows logo. Next you need to select the language, time, currency format, keyboard or input method. Click Next and then Install now.

3. Next you will be asked to enter the product key (you can also skip this step by clicking on the I don't have a product key option). Next, you will see the license terms, choose to accept it and click Next.

4. Next, you will see the following two options.

• Upgrade: Install Windows and keep files, settings, and applications. This option will keep all the files, settings, and applications you have saved in the system partition in place. Please note that this is only available if the computer is already running a supported version of Windows.
• Custom: Install Windows only (advanced). This will remove all your files, settings and applications and give you a fresh install of Windows 10.

Since we are installing Windows 10 on a second hard drive, just select the second one here.

5. Since there are multiple hard drives installed on this computer, you will next see a list of hard drives. Please select your second newly installed hard drive, click Next and Windows will start the installation itself.

Note📝: Although in most cases, this installation process can be completed automatically. In some cases, however, it will pop up additional questions that require you to respond in a timely manner.

You can install Windows 10 by creating a Windows 10 installation disk and using the Microsoft Media Creation Tool. But if you confirm that the two hard disks are using the same system, you can also directly migrate the system to the second hard disk, which will be more trouble-free.

An Easy Way to Install Windows 10 on Another Hard Drive

AOMEI Backupper Professionl is a professional system migration software for Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP. Easily migrate your Windows system to a second hard drive in just a few simple steps. This saves you time by eliminating the hassle of reinstallation. In addition, it helps you migrate systems between MBR and GPT disks without converting partition styles.

Next, we'll give you the details on how to migrate your system from the first hard drive to the second. But before you start, you'll need to complete some preparatory work.

• Check both disk capacities and make sure the destination disk space is larger than the data size of the source disk, otherwise cloning may fail.
• Download and install AOMEI Backupper Professional.

1. Run AOMEI Backupper Professional, switch to the Clone tab in the left window, and click the System Clone button in the right window.

2. Select the target disk for system migration (the second hard disk) in the disk list and click Next.

3. Preview the operation and click the Start Clone button.

Tips: There are two optional functions below the preview operation window.
📛 SSD Alignment: Mainly used for solid-state drives to optimize their performance. It is recommended to check this feature if you are using a solid-state drive.
📛 Sector by sector clone: All the contents of the system partition can be copied, which may take you more time.

4. After the cloning is complete, you just need to restart your computer. If your computer fails to boot properly, change the boot order in BIOS and reboot again.

In addition, AOMEI Backupper has other features that you may be interested in. If you want to migrate your system without loading Windows, you can choose to create a bootable USB. Then boot from it and migrate your system.

Just like system migration, you can use the Disk Clone and Partition Clone features to safely migrate all data on a disk or partition to another disk or partition. For data security reasons, it is recommended that you use the System Backup feature to back up your system to provide full data protection.

How to Boot from A Second Hard Drive

Once the Windows installation on the second drive is complete, you will also need to change the default boot OS and wait time, there are three methods available.

Way 1. Change the Default OS in the System Configuration

1. Use the Windows + R key combination to open the Run dialog box, type msconfig and press Enter to open the System Configuration window.
2. Switch to the Boot tab at the top, select the operating system you want to set as default. Click on the Set as default option and change the waiting time under Timeout on the right. Then click OK.

Way 2. Change the Default OS in the System Boot Menu

1. Restart your computer and click on the Change defaults or choose other options option at the bottom of the screen when the Choose an operating system menu appears.

2. In the options window, click the second option Choose a default operating system.

3.  Next you need to select the default startup operating system, the top of the screen shows the current default operating system.

4. Return to the options window again and click on the first option Change the timer.

5. Change the wait time according to your needs and then the computer will start with the default operating system you have set.

Way 3. Change the Default OS in the Advanced Options

1. Type SystemPropertiesAdvanced in the Run dialog box and press Enter to open the System Properties window.
2. Switch to the Advanced tab at the top of the System Configuration window and click on the Settings button of Startup and Recovery.

3. Click Default operating system to expand the drop-down menu and select the operating system you want to set as the default. You can also change the time to display the list of operating systems at the bottom, and finally click OK.

Fixed: Unable to Boot the Computer from the Second Hard Drive

Normally, booting your computer from a second hard drive does not cause any problems. However, at some point, this process can suddenly interrupt and prevent your computer from booting. If you happen to struggle with this problem, you can try the following 4 ways to fix it.

But when you encounter this problem, you should first check the connection from the computer to the hard drive to rule out hardware problems.

Method 1. Update the Disk Driver

If your disk driver is too old, it can cause the second hard drive to be unrecognized and prevent the computer from booting.

1. Use the Windows + X key combination to open the menu and select Device Manager. Locate and expand Disk drives in the left window to check the status of the second drive.
2. Right-click on the drive with the yellow exclamation mark, select Update driver in the expanded menu, then select Search automatically for drivers and wait for the process to complete.

Method 2. Run Automatic Repair

Windows Auto Repair Tool can help you to solve many problems and you can try to use this tool to fix the problem of not being able to boot your computer from the second hard disk.

1. Reboot your computer using USB bootable media and click on the Repair your computer option in the bottom right corner to open the advanced boot environment.

Note📝: If your computer is not booting from USB bootable media, then you will need to change the BIOS settings to ensure that it can boot from a USB stick.

2. In the Advanced Boot Environment, click the Troubleshoot button, and then click the Advanced options button.

3. Click the Startup Repair button again for startup repair.

Method 3. Change the Boot Disk Settings in the BIOS

If your second drive is not at the top of the boot sequence, it may cause problems with not being able to boot your computer from the second drive.

1. Restart your computer and press F2 to enter the BIOS (different brands of motherboards have different methods of entering the BIOS).
2. Select the second drive and use the arrow keys to move up to change the boot order to move it to the top of the boot order.

Method 4. Replace the Hard Drive

If none of these methods help you solve the problem, then the problem may be with the hard drive itself. It is recommended that you contact the hard drive manufacturer to have your second hard drive serviced or simply replace it with a new one to fix the problem.

Summary

After reading this article, you can know how to boot from a second hard drive. In this article you can understand the concept of dual boot and learn how to install a second hard drive.

Then you can properly install the system you need onto the second hard drive and change the boot order. If the dual systems you have installed are the same, you can use AOMEI Backupper Professional for system migration.

This software can also help you dual boot Windows 10 and Windows 11. You can also use it to dual boot Windows 7 and 10 on separate hard drives. If you are a Windows Server user, you can enjoy these related functions in AOMEI Backupper Server.