Windows 8.1 Bootcamp on Secondary Drive?

Hi, I just got a new 1 Tb hard drive from HGST to replace the optical drive in my mac notebook mid-2012. I was wondering if i can use this drive to install Windows 8.1. I just want to know if this is possible because I kept doing research and it seemed like no one was in the current situation that I was and I wanted to be sure so I can buy Windows 8.1.

I was also thinking about using 750 gb for Windows and 250 gb for extra storage for my mac from the 1 TB in the optical bay. It would be greatly appreciated if someone responded. Thanxx

I have not done it - only read about some of the issues - there are a ton of posts on the web about it.
Search for "mac install windows on second drive"
You should probably go have a read of a bunch of them for yourself.

Best I can tell, you need to put the drive you want to install Windows on into the HD bay, boot the machine from the Windows disc in the Superdrive and install Windows onto the drive. Then you can move the Windows drive into the optical drive space and put back in the OS X HD.

Best I can tell, you need to put the drive you want to install Windows on into the HD bay, boot the machine from the Windows disc in the Superdrive and install Windows onto the drive. Then you can move the Windows drive into the optical drive space and put back in the OS X HD.

Click to expand...

+1. That's really the only way it's going to work. If you don't do it that way, you'll never get Windows to install on the second drive.

I didn't even think of that and I just installed a hard drive into the optical Bay using the OWC Data Doubler. The drive I put in has Snow Leopard and Windows XP. The drive I removed had Mavericks and a Win 8.1 Bootcamp Partition. Safe to assume the same rules apply for Win 7?

Current setup has an SSD drive in the 2008 MB Pro hard drive slot. Snow Leopard on a partition on the hard drive and XP on the other partition. Windows 8 is on the drive I removed.

That pretty much applies to any version of Windows. If you try to install Windows on a drive that's sitting in the optical slot, it won't install. But if you install Windows when the drive is sitting in the SATA slot and then move it to the optical slot, it'll work.

I was afraid of that. Looks like I've got some thinking to do as to how to move forward. I hate to take the whole mess apart aging but I was probably going to have to do that anyway since I need to replace a few lost/damaged screws.

chscag said:

That pretty much applies to any version of Windows. If you try to install Windows on a drive that's sitting in the optical slot, it won't install. But if you install Windows when the drive is sitting in the SATA slot and then move it to the optical slot, it'll work.

Click to expand...

I keep seeing you guys saying to install Windows on the SATA drive by Bootcamp Partition but once it is installed onto the SATA drive instead of the optical isn't it fixed there. Like I thought once you install onto on to the SATA drive, it will always have to remain there.
Sorry I have never tried bootcamp yet thats why. And also I was wondering if i have to "move it to the optical slot" from SATA slot to OPTICAL slot how is that even possible? Does bootcamp have an option that does it for you? Or do you have to download it from a program?

And also I was wondering. Are you guys saying to install into the SATA slot and then into optical because you have to use the Windows disc? Because I saw some tutorials on youtube and I saw people install Windows by using a USB drive.

It does remain on that drive. Some users physically remove the DVD drive from the optical drive bay and move the SATA drive to that optical bay. This is accomplished by using a special bracket that permits the hard drive to take up the space where the optical drive used to be. I did this today because I put an SSD drive where the hard drive used to be. Example video here