Yes you can. Install Vista on the other drive using the double-install
method which is now a well documented method of how to do a clean install of
Vista using an upgrade disk.
Go here and read the articles
http://windowssecrets.com/
1. "Get Vista upgrade, never pay full price
2. More on the Vista upgrade secret
3. Use Vista without activation for 120 days.
The articles will explain everything you need to know. I have 3 hard drives
and each has a different OS installed (WinXP, Vista x86 and Vista x64) so I
can test what programs will work and what drivers are needed for my
peripheral devices (printers, plotters, NAS, wireless print-servers, etc.).
As for your printer, you may be able to use a work-around solution if you
have either a home network or a second NIC port available on your system.
If you need more info, post back here but simply, use a print-server.
CompUSA is one brand I tried that works nicely and it is low cost. You can
get them with a USB printer interface or a parallel interface. Install the
print-server software then add your printer to a "Local Port" using a
"Standard TCP/IP Port". It worked on my HP-4 LaserJet and on my Canon i9900
inkjet. Amazingly, Vista x86 recognized my HP200 plotter (real old) that I
had connected to the parallel port on the system. But under Vista x64, no
driver is available for the plotter but..... both AutoCad and Microstation
v8 have built-in drivers that work with it just fine.
So while many printers do not have Vista drivers ready yet, the print-server
route just may be a good work-around for you to try. I hate to bad mouth
any product but when I tried a Hawkings brand print-server, I could not get
it to work. The HP, CompUSA branded and the wireless LinkSys WPS54G all
work under XP and both versions of Vista. The low cost one is the CompUSA
branded one (check their site) and even though the print-server software has
a bug (say's ps IP addr is not in same sub-group), just dismiss the warning
and exit from the setup normally and the IP addr you set is in-fact
installed and it works fine from that point on.
More than you wanted to know,
Bob S.