Dual Boot

I got a new harddrive and I did a clean install of Win XP Pro. I have my old harddrive with Win98 on it. My question now is how do i make it a dual boot system with XP as the default OS and 98 as an option to boot into. Thanks



--Steve

 

If you would have installed XP on a second HD with 9X running on the primary drive - partiton C (IT MUST BE THIS WAY), the install would have created the Boot Menu. At that point, the default would have been XP.

As it is, trying to do this without reinstalling XP at this point involves a lot of work with a lot of complicated steps, especially if XP's file format was set up as NTFS. In the end, I don't think it would work anyway.

My advice would be to re-install XP on the 2nd drive, with the drive - partition configuration as described above. This is the most straightforward way and, not knowing your skill level, recommend this strongly.

If your comfortable with DOS commands, there is another alternative. Boot into XP from your XP cd with the drive config as described above, and run the Recovery Console. Use the boot.cfg command. This will rebuild the boot.ini taking into account 9X and ending up with a boot menu as described above. You would also have to change the XP's drive root identity to D. Be warned, never did it this way under these precise circumstances.

Regards - Charles

 

If i do re-install XP do i need to return the win98 harddrive to the master IDE position or can i leave it as the slave?

--Steve

 

Has to be primary. MS's rule about dual boot config is: 9X 1st (volume/parttition C), XP 2nd (volume/partition D). Remember, you're going to have to fdisk again to create partition D.

If you want to have 9X to have access XP's files, set XP's file format as an EXTENDED FAT32 partition. To do this, use 9X's fdisk. XP's fdisk is not capable of creating FAT32 partitions larger than 32 gigs. XP can access FAT32 files in any case.

This all can be done doing the following: Boot into 9x as you normally would do, then start with fdisk. The fdisk will be 9X's.
You may have to format D drive before this. Not sure. Not clear from your original post of the current hardware setup.


Regards - Charles

 

I think i am going to just leave it as is and just take the files i need of the 98HD and then just use it as backup.

 

Slk

If you used NTFS on the 1st HD here is a simple way to do it!

Be tricky!

Do this.

Make a new partition on the new HD (it is huge anyway is it not!)

Then use XP to install a compact win98 boot do not even worry about drivers etc just get the "Boot up choice" and get it to boot to win98.

Then boot to XP copy the win98 from old drive on to the copy you just installed. Be carefull to not overwrite anything put in the root by XP. At this time the win98 drive will show as drive d: in XP.

When you next boot if you select win98, it should boot exactly as the old HD. Since XP is on NTFS the original drive c: will be invisable and now win98 boots as c:.

Then make the old drive a backup and general storage drive!

Mike

 

Both of the drives have fat32 partitions

 

My solution as in last message depends on XP being on NTFS!

Of course the win98 has to stay fat.

I personally prefer XP/Win2k on fat32 myself. It allows access in dos in an emergency. But XP will convert to NTFS easily and quickly if you want. But if you make that decision then it is harder but not impossible to convert back.

I have never tried it but the technique may just work anyway even with XP on Fat32 if you want to try it.

It should not hurt anything to try! If it don't work it can be removed.

If you did try, then the first time you boot to win98 after copying over the basic install after puttig the Boot Loader in place should be to safe mode.

If it boots ok, then from there (safe mode) edit all references to c: and point to d: in the autoexec.bat config.sys msdos.sys in the root of d:.

And the same for the win.ini and system.ini. Replace c:\ with d:\.

Depends on how important it is to you! It would be interesting to me! I will help all I can.

Mike

PS. Just thought of this. Another way that might also work! And this may be the best way!

Make the new partition on the new drive as above.

Then copy win98 from the old drive to d:

Then let XP install the dual boot and select win98 and install like an "overlay install" using d:\windows not d:\windows.000

Just might work.

Anybody out there tried any one of these techniques.

PS Warning! I have never seen reference to these 2 techniques before as they are my own ideas coming from my own experience so be careful if you try. But done properly there should be no harm done to XP.

Mike

 

Save you data files to a CD or CD-RW from your XP drive.

Set your 98 drive as Primary Master and the XP drive as the Primary Slave.

Boot into 98 (you do not have a menu offered yet) , insert the XP disk in the CD drive and when it autostarts, select the option to install on a drive/partition of your choice. Do not select the offer to upgrade. Opt to install on D: in full. You can choose to format that drive if you wish.

When it finally boots to XP, delete the (hidden) boot.ini file in the root of the drive on which XP has been installed (D since it is not needed as a new one has now been created in the root of the drive with 98.

The default order will be XP unless you select 98 from the boot menu. You can change the default order from within XP at a later date should you want 98 to boot at start up.