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What is the correct way to install 2 Windows 11 systems on the same SSD? Is it a valid installation?

Anonymous
2024-01-29T19:41:20+00:00

I already have other systems in multiboot with separate disk drives for each Windows 11 system and have no issues with those.

They also have the recovery partition on the same disk where each windows Build is installed.

I tried installing 2 Windows 11 Systems on the same SSD, but they end up overwriting the same Recovery partition instead of using separate ones. They both try to use the 1st recovery partition they find on the disk. 🤷‍♂️

How can the problem be avoided?

I set up the partitions as showing below. installing one system screws up the other.

I was hoping each system would use the recovery partition prepared after the Windows partition, but that does not happen.

Any specific procedure to set this up correctly?

https://aka.ms/AAou263

Both systems end up showing the same partition4 for recovery.

It may work if the 2 systems are the same build, but not when they are 2 different Builds like in this case.

Windows Insider program | Windows Insider preview | Install, activate, and Windows update

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-01-31T00:02:33+00:00

    @Shawn Z - MSFT,

    Thanks for your reply.

    I think there is a basic flaw in the installation and update process for the case I describe.

    If I have different versions of Windows 11 on the same disk, each system should be using its own separate recovery partition positioned directly after the Windows partition.

    Right now, they are just stepping on each other making a mess when the recovery tools are incompatible with the different versions of Windows 11 installed.

    When using separate disks each system uses a separate recovery partition located just after the respective Windows partition.

    The same logic should be applied if multiple systems are on the same disk, but that is currently not the case. 🤷‍♂️

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  2. Johnny55 4,710 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2024-02-13T03:35:39+00:00

    Hi FG,

    Appears you installed everything as you should have. I see Dev on C:\ and Beta on F:\ with Recovery partitions after each install.

    The Beta on F:\ is using recovery partition 4 rather than partition 6.

    The following is from OpenAI:

    Installing two Windows 11 systems on the same SSD is possible, but it is not recommended as it can cause conflicts and issues with the recovery partition. When you install Windows 11, it creates a recovery partition that is used to restore the system in case of any issues. If you install two Windows 11 systems on the same SSD, they will both try to use the same recovery partition, which can cause conflicts.

    To avoid this problem, it is recommended to install each Windows 11 system on a separate SSD or hard drive. If you want to install two Windows 11 systems on the same SSD, you can try creating separate partitions for each system and their respective recovery partitions. However, this may not always work as the recovery partition is tied to the specific Windows 11 installation.

    If you still want to proceed with installing two Windows 11 systems on the same SSD, you can try using a third-party boot manager like EasyBCD to manage the boot process and avoid conflicts with the recovery partition. However, please note that this is not a recommended solution and may cause issues with your system.

    It's been decades since I dual-booted and I always used separate drives, so I really have no idea what you can do.

    Regards,

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-01-30T11:20:57+00:00

    Dear fg2001

    Thank you for posting in the Microsoft Community.

    Unfortunately complex multi-boot system installation problems is not supported on the Microsoft Answers forum.

    As far as my personal experience is concerned, we usually split an SSD into two partitions, then after installing one WINDOWS system, then the second partition to install WINDOWS again, and then use WINRE to repair multiple boot partitions.

    Or you can use VHD to make a Windows package and then reinstall a Windows partition, which can also partially solve your problem.

    It is more suitable for publishing on Microsoft Learn (English only), you It is more suitable for publishing on Microsoft Learn (English only), you can click on "Ask a question", there are experts who can provide more professional solutions in that place.

    https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/tags/380/windows-10-security

    I won't be able to help you, but I'll leave that question open in case one of our amazing volunteers has ideas for you.

    Best Wish

    Shawn Z | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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