Dual Boot Questions

I am currently using Windows ME and I have Windows XP Home Full OEM on order. When I receive it, I would like to install it as a dual boot, but the online instructions that I have found don't seem to match my intended setup. I would like to know ahead of time whether my plan will work.

I have two physical hard drives with all FAT32 partitions. The primary drive has C and E partitions. The partitions on the secondary drive are D, F, and G. My BIOS lets me select either C or D as a boot drive. Windows ME is installed on C. I plan to install Windows XP on D and use my BIOS to select the operating system according to whether C or D is the booted. Will this work? If so, should I set D as the boot drive before attempting to install XP? If not, what can I do? Any other advice? Thank you.

 

Leave C as your boot drive. When you install Windows XP, point the installation to your D drive when asked. Once the install is done you'll get a boot menu that Windows XP created during setup asking you whether you'd like to boot into Windows ME or Windows XP.

 

Thank you Hulka. Please, elaborate about this "boot menu." Does it appear whenever the C drive boots? If so, the menu program must be on the C drive with Windows ME, right? Is this menu program part of Windows ME or Windows XP? What happens if C becomes corrupted and I then set D as the boot drive via BIOS? Then will XP boot? Surely, you can understand why this is important information to know ahead of time.

 

geez

The boot.ini will be on C drive via winxp. Just do what Hulka said, point the install to D drive & when the final boot comes up you will "see" a boot menu to choose which O/S you want! Take a chance you have only YOU to fear

 

Thanks Rancher.

aruzinsky, what Rancher said is correct. If your C driver ever becomes "corrupt" (not sure what you mean by this exactly) there is a way you can boot to XP but for the sake of not overloading you with details on the XP boot process I'll refrain for now. We can cross that bridge together if that situatrion arises (or you're just itchin' for the details).