Need Advice on Dedicated DAW setup

K

KAI

New member
Hi all. I am planning to reinstall my Windows XP and setup a dedicated DAW.

I have some doubts before I actually doing it:

(1) If I need 2 OS, 1 for running dedicated DAW and the other one for running softwares like Ms-word, powerpoint, internet explorer... etc, to do some school projects and internet surfing.
Will it works if I install 2 Window XP on 2 different harddrive? Do I need 2 Windows license to do this?

(2) If I use the function to setup 2 user in Windows XP, one user for DAW, the other user for school projects, is this method effective?
 
Kai, Windows only give you ONE license. So you can only install one Windows in one PC. Office is different as it has 2 licenses on their usual version and 3 licenses on their Teacher version.

If you want to dual boot in one PC, you need 2 different versions of Windows XP (ie one XP Home and one XP Professional). After installing one, installing the other version will automatically prompt you to install on a different hard-drive/parition for dual booting.

If you only want to use one Windows to dual boot, then you'll need software like Partition Magic. I don't like to use it (although I have it) as the software itself takes up CPU and RAM resources which I don't like for a DAW. Without software like partition magic (and similar software), there's no way to dual boot with only one version/copy of Windows.

My machine is dual booted. One for my work (include Office apps, internet surfing etc) and the other just for DAW (no internet, no antivirus, absolutely nothing except DAW). It works fine for me for years.
 
Hi Cheez. Thanks for the info.

Do you mean that if I got a software like partition magic (in other words I partition my harddisk into more than one), then I should be able to dual boot with just ONE copy of Windows XP (one license)?
 
Hi Kai, you can partition your hard drive into many partitions with just Windows XP alone. When you install Windows XP, it will display a menu page where you can create partitions.

Software like Partition Magic does a few things (and there are others around as well): 1. It lets you create partitions and change partition size without reinstalling Windows and without losing your data. Otherwise, to create new partitions, you will lose data on the partition you want to split. 2. It lets you create more than 1 boot partition with only one copy of Windows.

As I said, you'll have to weigh the pros and cons. Partition Magic is not cheap. Also it takes up CPU and RAM resources, something you don't want in a DAW. I find it easier just to get run 2 copies of Windows (one Home and one Pro). Setting up dual boot is extremely easy and Windows guide you through during installation. Then when you boot you machine, it will prompt you whether you want to boot the Home or the Pro version. You select that and press return, and that boot partition loads. Simple and nice. I find configuring Partition Magic complicated especially for dual boot. It's OK for changing partition size etc. I was using version 8. Their newer version may be more user-friendly, but I don't like it.
 
I see... In other words, even I got 2 harddrive I won't be able to install just ONE copy of Windows, to dual boot I need either partition magic software or a different version of windows.

Thanks Cheez.
 
Yes you are right. It's not the number of drives but the PC. You can only install on one PC.

If you're going to dual boot and you have 2 HDs, my suggestion will be to install both boot partitions into one HD while leaving the other HD for DAW. Then you also have a dedicated HD to DAW which makes a difference if you are to do multi-track recording or sample streaming. Windows will make the HD spin occasionally when it's running. And you want maximum power of the HD to go into your DAW resources without Windows using it.
 
very useful info. thanks.

how bout setting up 2 user in one windows XP? Will it be effective?
I am thinking that using this way it will be easier to switch between 2 user and also... saving up the money that need to buy a new Windows.... if possible.
 
No it won't. Setting up multiple users still runs from the same Windows registry. I'm not sure if XP's price has dropped now that Vista is out. You can ask around.
 
From what I understand from the thread, you'll still need 2 copies of Windows. So it's back to the same thing - cheapest way is one copy of Home and one copy of Pro.

There's no way to make 2 installations of one copy of Windows even if it is on the same machine. I'm surprised that guy who posted the thread actually managed to install 2 versions although he got stopped at the validation part. Windows didn't even give me the option to install the same copy in different partitions. I wonder how he did it. But no matter - he still couldn't validate it.
 
I might save money to buy a Windows Vista Home Premium. Since it is already out, why not getting one since I plan to dual boot instead of getting a XP Pro?

The IT fair shows the price at S$188 for Home Premium.

Oh ya... I went there to buy the Maxtor OneTouch III mini edition (120GB). Think it will be quite useful for those who always need to backup and update digital files. Eg. After one day of tiring working on sequencing music, you just need 'one touch' to backup all your latest files. :D
No more worry about harddisk crash!!
 
i don't know, in terms of back up, hard disk isn't that reliable. I rather stick with $55 = 100 DVD+Rs = 437gigabyte + $70+ = DVD writer.


but yeah if vista home premium is $188, why not? hehe.
 
Kai, please don't get Vista. Firstly, there are possible compatibility issues with various software and maybe hardware. Secondly, it takes up CPU and RAM resources, something you don't want in a DAW. In a DAW, you would have to disable all the eye-candy in Vista anyway. And since you'll NOT be using your DAW for internet (and shouldn't be), the added security of the Vista is a moot point. Stick to XP. My DAW running XP looks like Windows 98 - all eye-candy disabled and I used XP-lite to remove all additional bloat.

As for backup, spending extra money on one-touch backup...well, I don't see the purpose. It's not hard to backup anyway. Just make sure you save you files twice in two different HDs. If you are used to it, it becomes standard practice.

As for DVD, I'm not too sure. I used to backup all my final mixes on an expensive CD-ROM (one of those gold ones). One day, I tried to retrieve my mixes and lo and behold, the CD-ROM cannot be accessed. Don't know what happened. In my opinion, nothing is permanent. CD/DVD can get scratched, lost, broken (yes, I actually have one split into 2) etc.
 
nothing is 100% safe-proof. so the best way is to back up on both HDDs and CDs. thats ur ultimate proof. but it may not be 100% safe proof though. thers that 0.0000000000000001% that a fire catches and destroys all ur back up in the whole room . o.o.
 
That's why sample CDs are such an important investment to protect. People buy insurance just for the sample CDs. I've heard of people locking their sample CDs in a safe - fireproof.
 
err I burn my final mixdown backups on DVD-rs X 2 copies. verified, plus tested. chances of DVD-Rs warping,corrupting is seriously much lesser than hard disk giving the "clicking-error-reading of death". I have a whole stack of DVD-Rs that I burned years ago and until now they're readable. and the hard disk that used to store the tracks are all goners by now. so if you really burned dual copies (even triple) and all the DVD-rs are screwed a couple of years later.. MAYBE you ARE fated to lose them. hahah.
 
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