Run different versions of Windows by booting from different hard drives?

[Christovski]

Long story short, Bioshock:Infinite requires DirectX 11 so I need to run Windows 7 and I am not reinstalling around 500 gigs of games and other programs. 

I have a second hard drive in my computer, would it be possible to install windows 7 on the slave hard drive, then switch my computer to boot from that drive when I want to run windows 7 and still have it work as a slave drive when I boot off my win XP hard drive?

Right now I have a SATA 750 gig main drive I run windows XP from, have all my games and programs installed to, etc, but I have an older IDE 250 gig hard drive I use to back up my files to every once in a while, just copy stuff from C:\ drive to F:\ drive.

So could I conceivably install Windows 7 to the second hard drive (after re-formatting it obviously), set my computer to boot from that hard drive, and load windows 7 with the other hard drive accessible?  Then restart and set the computer to boot from the main hard drive and load windows XP and have my computer run just the same as it does right now?

If not I'm just gonna buy the game for Xbox360 and hate the damn thumbstick controls...

[Cadaver]

You need a program allowing for multiple boot sectors. Some motherboards allow for multiple boot sectors.  Careful, as one OS does not like the other, and corruption may occur.   Or, you can do it the cheap way, by connecting the drive with the OS you want to use, and disconnecting the drive with the one you do not want to...
Some info here:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Install-more-than-one-operating-system-multiboot
Use at own risk:
http://www.thefreecountry.com/utilities/multi-boot-managers.shtml
read this:
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Manage-Remove-Multi-Boot-Option-45811.shtml

[Inject OH 4]

I installed Ubuntu on my second hard drive. So yes.

I didn't really need any software either per say. I just used windows default software.
Also, on install of windows 7 it may promt you to install along side your other OS, but possibly not.

Either way if you install it to the other hard drive then I recommend getting the following.
EasyBDC
It's free and you can add windows 7 to the boot menu with a custom name....
Then install iReboot along side it. So while you are on your pc you go... Damn I wanan go on my windows 7. You right click your iReboot icon and hit restart in windows 7.

BAM, it does it.

[Christovski]

Thanks Inject, so basically the software you are talking about is a streamlined way to swap boot devices, so rather than restarting and then changing the BIOS and restarting again to load the other drive you can just do it straight from Windows?

Sounds simple enough.  I'll get my Win7 installed and running first then look into those progs.

[Inject OH 4]

Thanks Inject, so basically the software you are talking about is a streamlined way to swap boot devices, so rather than restarting and then changing the BIOS and restarting again to load the other drive you can just do it straight from Windows?

Sounds simple enough.  I'll get my Win7 installed and running first then look into those progs.

http://neosmart.net/Download/Register/1
Easy BDC non commercial licence

http://neosmart.net/Download/Register/11
iReboot non commercial licence

Very simple interface mine below:

[Christovski]

Provided my .dll problem doesn't flare up with either of those progs, should be nice. 

I would assume you have to install it on both hard drives, does it link to its own other instance, or its just basically like flipping a switch?

[Inject OH 4]

Provided my .dll problem doesn't flare up with either of those progs, should be nice. 

I would assume you have to install it on both hard drives, does it link to its own other instance,

yep.