Question about dual booting with msata install

Hello. Just found this forum and joined today. I have a question. I got T420 laptop from work and I would like to use it for both work and non work usage.

It currently has corporate configuration windows 7 professional on it and what I would like to do is to buy msata ssd drive and install my own windows 7 on it. At the same time I need to preserve current OS on regular HDD and end result should be that I should be able to boot both of them.

Any suggestions on how to proceed?

Thanks

Alex

 

You should be able to install Windows 7 on the mSATA drive without much trouble though if you want to select between your company installation and your personal installation then you'll need to define the boot options everytime you start up which you can do so by pressing F12 on the ThinkPad BIOS and selecting the relevant drive.

 

Perfect. Exactly what i was looking for. Thank u

 

That's what I'm planning on doing, but with Win7 on mSATA and XP on the HDD

 

Huh? XP?!?

I'm planning on doing a dual boot but one is Win 7 and the other Win 8 beta (in Jan)....

 

yup, my company uses a VPN that isn't compatible with Win7 yet unfortunately I still want to use my personal computer at work though, so XP for work, Win7 for play

 

I was just kidding I figured it was something like that.

My work desktop and laptop have FINALLY been upgraded to Win 7 x64 -- I've been trying to get off XP for years...

 

brian5, I'm running Win 7 on my X220 factory Intel SSD, and I'd like to dual boot Linux on the mSata. If you, or anyone else has any advice, I'd be most appreciative:

1) Will this work (i.e., dual booting, Win 7 on the factory Intel SSD and Linux on mSata)?

2) Which mSata would you recommend (yes, I've seen the endless threads discussing the various drive options, but save this newbie a headache or two)

3) Any general tips or hints on how to proceed with the installation on Linux.

Thank you!!

 

1. Yes, it'll work. You will just hit F12 at ThinkPad logo to select which you want to boot into.

2. You could go smaller but I recommend the 120GB or 128GB SSD. Do not buy SATA III as the mSATA slot is only capable of SATA II speeds. There are two stores that I can recommend mfactors.com and mydigitaldiscount.com I have the Runcore 120GB Pro V SATA II (really happy with it now, more on that in point 4). If you do look at 120GB, the best deal right now is the MyDigitalSSD 128GB for $199 from the latter store. You'll save $50 to $100 on the higher end Renice or Runcore and the speed difference will not be noticeable at all.

3. Sorry, can't help with actual installation on Linux.

4. One thing that caused me problems was cloning my Intel SSD to mSATA Runcore. This resulted in an "alignment" error that is only visible in some tools. This alignment error made it not get optimal results on benchmark tools (such as ATTO or CrystalDiskMark) so I thought there was something wrong with my ThinkPad or the mSATA. You would possibly get this alignment error with a Windows Backup and Restore too.
You said you want to put Linux on the mSATA. Not sure for the Linux install but normally you would create the partition on the mSATA and format it. Then before installing the O/S, shut down, remove the Intel SSD and install the O/S you want on the mSATA. Once done, reinsert the Intel SSD.

For anyone else reading this, for best results on mSATA installs, after partitioning and formatting the mSATA, always remove the other HDD or SSD, and then install a fresh copy of Windows.

EDIT: When I started writing this, I thought you were going to Windows install on mSATA; that's why I recommended 120GB. You might require less for Linux. The smaller SSDs are obviously cheaper...

 

Thank you for the detailed instructions, brian5. Your comments will prove helpful as I work up the nerve to remove the keyboard and start the installation. Thanks again!

 

Be sure and download the T420 hardware maintenance manual at Hardware Maintenance Manual - ThinkPad T420 and T420i before you start removing screws. They have good illustrations of the steps and process.

 

Actually, SteveCr48 has X220. This is a good post to get the manuals.