Two OS or 1 OS , less prone to virus, TRANSFERRING VIDEO

[faithfoo]

I am purchasing a p.2.6 FSB 800 intel with 2* 256 DDR 400

I am intending to use the PC as a)HTPC ( DVD playback , D scaling analog sources) , and b) storing video files

On the other hand, I wanted to access internet broadband, install certain applications and Microsoft Outlook application

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How do I separate them as internet opens up the possibility of getting virus

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO SET IT UP ??
1)Does it makes sense to separate say one Operating system, 1 hard disc for

Dedicated HTPC usuage & storage of data/video files

2) another Operating system , Hard disc for internet surfing,
and installing other less impt applications to test HTPC ..( For instance , Win DVD on the other system , and maybe install POWER DVD to run from this operating system )

3) Are there difficulties transferring all the downloaded video files from this operating system to the other .?

[Heavensent]

just install a firewall and an antivirus - you should be ok.

i myself use a dual boot system (98 and xp), i run them both on a fat 32 filesystem,each on its own HD.
but i do it mostly because i dont want to get stuck if something goes wrong
with the OS and because some programs i use dont run on xp.

this way i have a working OS no matter what.

a virus can transfer to other hard drives as well so i dont think it will help you on that.

but its allways a good idea to have a dual boot system,
just to be on the safe side when things go wrong.

you need to remember to install the OLDER os first.

i dont know if you can install same os on both HD, but im sure someone here has better understanding on that.

[faithfoo]

1) what is a good firewall & antivirus software that I should use ..



2) Can I check with if with dual os , and dual HDD
, is it easy to transfer files with thin the 2 HDD , ( since one resides on each OS ) ,

3) I believe virus can transfer across HDD only when we transfer the downloaded files across to the other HDD ..

a) how about disconencting the power supply of the HTPC HDD when I am downloading the from the net using the other HDD ?


b) I think I can opt for the CDRW drive to write files from both the HDD , by rebooting the whole system ?


4) I heard that operating 2 HDD may create certain problems vs operating on 1 HDD , why ?