partition question [RESOLVED]

[berilac]

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone could shed a little light on this subject.
I've been reading about how to partition my hard drive to multiboot.
First, would it be feasible to run two copies of XP.
The reason being, I want to run one partition for the internet only so I can be a little more carefree, and use the other for any important stuff. They key here though, is whether one partition is accessible from the other, or only available when booting. If it is, then the partitioning in this respect would be pointless.
If any one can give me some information I would be very greatful.
Thank you,
Mike

[<ABX]

Yes it is possible to run two copies of XP.

Yes they are accessible to each other ....

You can hide the other drive from users and programs (but some lowlevel programs, and windows storage manager can see, edit, change files)

Edit: most spyware/viruses/adware/ect are too stupid to do this but anyone with some api knowlege could programmatically mount the drive and edit/delete files but it is highly unlikely that anything would be that flexible or specific.

You will be able to select what os boots...

[Dave Sell]

After the 1st partition has OS installed, and XP key is all set up, you should ghost it, and then re-ghost it to the other partition. Otherwise, you may have to use 2 liscenses of XP.

[dglienna]

I was wondering when that was going to come up. M$ changed their stance on multi-processor licensing, but I don't know what they'd say about that.

[berilac]

Thanks guys. I'll have to give it some consideration as I may just end up building a small separate computer for internet use only.

I therefore assume it is not possible to partition the hard drive with two separate os's whereby one is completely hidden from the other.
Thanks again for your input.

btw, out of interest, how would you ghost an os?

- Michael

[Dave Sell]

I therefore assume it is not possible to partition the hard drive with two separate os's whereby one is completely hidden from the other.

That is an incorrect assumption.

btw, out of interest, how would you ghost an os?
- Michael

Use Symmantec Ghost software.

[Dave Sell]

That is an incorrect assumption.

Wait, I take it back, maybe you are correct. I guess that depends on how you define "hidden from eachother."

[berilac]

By hidden, I simply meant that either is inaccessible from the other and therefore it would be safe for me to use the internet with a little less concern whilst keeping all my work safe.

[Dave Sell]

By hidden, I simply meant that either is inaccessible from the other and therefore it would be safe for me to use the internet with a little less concern whilst keeping all my work safe.

Again, how are you defining inaccessible. You can make it so that 1 OS cannot harm another, using FS securites build into NTFS.

[si_the_geek]

There is another simpler option, you could have just one OS, and create a second User who has very restricted permissions (ie: does not have rights to install software for all users).

You can then allow your "normal" user to read their My Documents folder etc if you want to get the files that you have downloaded.

As XP allows you to switch users easily it could be a nice solution, assuming that the limited account fits your needs.

[Dave Sell]

There is another simpler option, you could have just one OS, and create a second User who has very restricted permissions (ie: does not have rights to install software for all users).

You can then allow your "normal" user to read their My Documents folder etc if you want to get the files that you have downloaded.

As XP allows you to switch users easily it could be a nice solution, assuming that the limited account fits your needs.

Way to think outside the box! This sounds exactly like what you are lloking for. Enable the Guest account and restrict it heavily. That is what it is there for!

[dglienna]

not the Guest account, or others will be able to use it to. Just create a regular user account and lock it down. I created one for my father, so he can't hurt anything. for about a year he ran it, but updates weren't getting installed, so I switched him over. dial-up and no virus software. no idea if he has a virus, but he doesn't do risky things, so i'm not worried about it.

[berilac]

Thanks for all the input guys. I know I could use the accounts on XP but I was simply looking for a solution which would literally mean that one set of files is completely inaccessible from the other and vice versa. Reason being, I would like to be able to surf the internet with a little less concern for my data. It's not that I have anything uber special to protect, but now that I have broadband, it is more likely that I could suffer some sort of annoying virus.
I merely want to be able to surf without fear, even with a virus checker and firewall, so that were anything to get corrupted, etc, I could just format and reinstall the os again.
I'm not sure how well I explained this situation, but it may turn out that I simply build another computer to run the internet on.
Thanks again.
-Mike

[Dave Sell]

Not to belabor the point further, but I have been using broadband behind a hardware firewall for about 4 years (floppy firewall, http://www.zelow.no/floppyfw/). You just need a 486, 16 MB Ram, a floppy, and 2 NICs. Its a Linux OS on a floppy (no HD required).

Anyway, being behind the firewall has protected all the machines on my home LAN and my servers (up to 2 servers, up to 6 PCs). I have never, not once, gotten any virus, trojan (ie, adware), or worm on any server or PC (I never used Outlook, that may be why!).

The point is, you can keep yourself safe without going to your proposed extremes. It is true that you have to be intelligent about how you behave online, but with some simple good practices you can keep youself safe.

That being said, I re-install the OS an any given machine about once a year just because of OS rot.

Plus with WinXP, you have that neat feature to take a snapshot of your system (system restore points) and reload it anytime.

[berilac]

Thank you very much. Seems like you have a neat setup. THe linux box is a really good idea. Do you use a virus checker as well, just out of interest?
I no longer use IE or outlook, but just Opera.
I would consider this problem resolved for now. However, I may require your knowledge on your set up in the near future. If possible that would be very helpful.
Thanks again.
- Mike

[Dave Sell]

Actually I have never used an anti-virus software. People freak when they hear that. I know how to check machines for viri, trojans and worms manually. It has just never been an issue the way my network is set up. I use IE exclusively. I even have DCOM projects running in my LAN.

You can PM me with personal questions, and I find these forums are excellent for getting advice.

[berilac]

Once again, thanks. These forums are really good from what I have gleened from them.
Keep it up guys.

[<ABX]

I hate Antivirus.... most lag systems to hell and freak out over nothing. Norton screwed up my system worse that any virus had ever (I have never gotten one )

I use no antivirus... and just a simple router firewall.

System Restore is great... it restores everything, including viruses.
(I have never gotten this to work properly, on client's computers)

[dglienna]

NAV found a virus that I picked up from the VBA section. It was cached, and found in my temp folder. I quarantined it, and it was found again last night!
I deleted it. If you only go to trusted sites, and don't go to any sites that you haven't been before, plus only open email from people that you know (that also don't have any viruses) then you are probably safe.

In this day and age, though, it is mandatory to have some method of checking to make sure that the machine is not infected.

[berilac]

i am setup with only xp firewall at the moment. just tell it to block everything. opera blocks all cookies other than those i say not to.
i use trend micro to check for viruses most days when online as a precaution.
my system i think is fairly secure and all my stuff is backed up on an external harddrive, which come to think of it i need to update.
its not that im paranoid, i just hate script kiddies and clever little gits who think it's funny to screw someone over.

[dglienna]

Just be careful which sites you visit. And it's best not to surf with Admin privileges, although too many of us do.

[<ABX]

i just hate script kiddies and clever little gits who think it's funny to screw someone over.

hehe... personally... i think if you cant be bothered to know enough keep your computer decently secured and backed up -- you should get a virus.

I thought it was as funny as hell when they started using DRM for exploits.

Any computer can be hacked/exploited ... no matter how much you try if they really want to (and smart enough) its just a matter of time.

Script kiddies should make themselves useful and target spammers because it serves a purpose and they cant get caught. (spamming is iilegal , so spammers cant report 'em)