Partitioning on existing XP machine

Can I use PowerQuest Partition Magic Pro 7.0 to partition my 80gig WD Hard Drive to put Win 98SE on it? I have an 80gig with WIN XP Home on it using FAT 32. I am having some problems installing certain programs that I want to use that are incompatible with XP but will work with 98 and above. I just do not want to format the HD again and lose everything.

Thanks for the help in advance

Jerry

 

Yes. I've done just that. And if you chose FAT32 for XP, that just makes the task all that much easier. You can resize your XP partition without losing anything. But, these operations are always risky. Backup things you want to save just in case. I have never had any problem with PM, but operations on partitions are inherently risky.

You will need a boot manager so you will have a choice of operating systems at startup.

But, you may want to try using compatibility mode in XP for those programs that don't seem to work. The number of programs that won't work is very small. Try right-clicking the setup file for the program you are trying to install and choosing Win98 compatibility. Then, after installing, do the same for the shortcut that leads to the program. I haven't found any programs that don't work this way.

You can also use the Program Compatibility Wizard under Accessories.

 

what about the fact that operating systems have to be installed chronologically, i.e, w98 can not be installed after wxp?

somehow i thought you'd have to remove xp, put 98 on, then put xp back on.

have i got that wrong?

my dual boot system went the other way... 98 was there first, then partitioned the hd and added 2k

but now i also have xp on another machine and want to add 2k

i did just use pm7.0 to partition the xp hd, which is supposed to handle up to 80gb drives.

this is pretty relevant to me, too



mark

 

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Chronologically is the easiest, of course. That way XP will recognize the older OS and offer the OS choice at boot.

But, as you can imagine, most people who want a dual boot don't want to reinstall XP. Many ingenious methods have been devised.
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_repair_9x.htm

You may find this thread interesting:
_http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14290&highlight=boot+manager

or these:
http://www.k1ea.com/hints/dual_boot.htm
http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24831
http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11233&highlight=dual+boot
http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8690&highlight=dual+boot

 

thank you for the links, abraxas. i have begun to peruse them, and will devote greater attention to them very soon.

rather than trying to circumvent the preferred, chronological method of adding an os, i may stick with my game plan (which is still in the developmental stages! <g>) to image my wxp partition and save it to a network drive on another machine, then wipe out xp on the target machine, install w2k, then restore (or copy disk to disk) wxp back from the network drive.

this plan is still being fined tuned because my copy of drive image5.0 is not showing me that i have a 'boot disk builder wizard', which apparently is required to create images on a network drive. the wizard is not to be found, nor is its parent program, 'boot disk builder'. this may be because i do not have drive image pro, though i am not clear on whether there are two versions of di.

clearly i need more time with this plan.

i have used powerquest software for a number of years and think highly of it, but there is still a learning curve (despite all the reviews that say it is a snap compared to ghost!).

again, thanks for the input.



mark

 

The one flaw I see in your plan is the imaging and restoration of your HD. If the newer OS is not installed after the older OS, it will not detect it. You will not actually be installing the newer OS---only returning an image of it. The net result will be the same as if you had installed the older OS after the newer. In effect, you will be in exactly the same situation as you would be by simply installing 2k with XP still in place .

But, doing a repair installation of XP after installing 2k should solve your problem.

Those links will discuss most of these issues.

 

ah, you make a good point, and i left out a small detail... part of 'the great plan' would be, after wiping the old wxp, to install xp from the cd-rom disk, then either restore or copy the desired image from the network drive.

make sense?

 

Sounds better. But won't that actually entirely replace the XP you installed with the imaged XP? Restoring an image actually involves formatting before restoring, doesn't it? At least that seems to be the way DriveImage works. Maybe we are using the words "image" and "backup" interchangeably.

 

yes, and that is exactly what i want to accomplish. sorry if i got you all turned around.

on one machine i have wxp right now. i want to add w2k to it to dual boot. because of the chronology thing, i plan to create an image of the existing xp to a network drive. then, once it is backed up on another machine, i will format the partitions.

then i will install w2k on the 1st partition.

then i will install wxp (from cd-rom) on the 2nd partition. now it is all in proper sequence.

then i will restore the wxp image from the network drive onto the 2nd partition, replacing the temporary xp install from cd.

this should work, except i am encountering that prob i mentioned with 'boot disk builder wizard', which, according to drive image, a network boot disk is necessary to create an image on a network drive.

but my contingency plan is to just install a 2nd physical drive in the machine and put the images there. in fact, that is what i am doing on my other machine right now, where i am dual booting win98se and win2000.

appreciate your input, abraxas



mark

 

Just to chime in, I tried this method earlier today because I wanted to add 98, and not have to reformat and then install XP. I followed the steps and it worked without a hitch.

Just my .02


Steve

 

hi steve

good input. thanks. do you think it will work with adding win2000? i would be using NTFS for both xp and 2k

sure would save a lot of messing around if it did...

edit in... actually, i just realized that a link abraxas provided earlier in the thread addresses this quite nicely, i believe



mark

 

OK. I see your plan. But I'm still wondering about that extra step. The last time I made an image was for moving everything to a new HD. I imposed the image on a blank drive. What I don't see is why you are installing XP first and then wiping it by using the image. Why not just skip that XP installation?

By installing XP after 2k, you'd be following the letter of the law, but restoring the image will completely wipe the first installation and replace it with the image. So, in effect, you are back to the situation where 2k was installed after XP because the image was made before you installed 2k. The image will not detect the 2k because it wasn't there when the image was made. Am I making any sense?

This doesn't matter, of course, if you use a boot manager or do a repair installation on the image after you restore it.

I guess my plan would be

1.) Make an image of my XP.
2.) Partition and format as desired (the XP partition needs to be the same size as the one the image was made from).
3.) Install 2k.
4.) Restore the XP image to the desired partition.
5.) Perform an in-place upgrade (repair installation) of the XP installation so that it detects the presence of the 2k.

 

because of the very same reason you noted earlier, when you said....

"If the newer OS is not installed after the older OS, it will not detect it. You will not actually be installing the newer OS---only returning an image of it. The net result will be the same as if you had installed the older OS after the newer. In effect, you will be in exactly the same situation as you would be by simply installing 2k with XP still in place "

it's my understanding that i must have a version of the os on the partition in order to restore the desired image in place of it.

remember, this is why i said my planning was in the developmental stage! <g>

perhaps i could use the 'copy' feature of di and just copy disk to disk, thereby placing the desired wxp image onto the blank, formatted partition.

edit in... QUOTE: "The image will not detect the 2k because it wasn't there when the image was made. Am I making any sense? "... YES! now i see! okay i understand. hmmmmm, more drawing board. <g> i always over plan this stuff, but at least when i finally make my move, it goes well!



mark

 

Ok. Maybe it is a matter of semantics whether it is an image or a copy, but that was the idea I had in a nutshell.

 

please see my edit on my last post. i finally understood.

but doesn't your statement, "The image will not detect the 2k because it wasn't there when the image was made " also apply to your last post, abraxas, in which you agree that copying disk to disk would work?

btw, i don't think we are having a semantics prob... you are making perfect sense to me. unless i'm the one confusing you!



mark

 

This from PQ:

"5. Select or browse to the desired destination location.


6. (Optional) You can click "Options" to change settings for the following items:

- Resize restored drive to fill the entire unallocated area "

So, unallocated area can be a blank partition. That saves you a step.

http://www.powerquest.com/support/primus/id2884.cfm

So you just end up having to do a repair installation. No big deal. I do them at the drop of a hat now and never lost a thing.

i don't know why I'm getting so excited about all this. You'd think it was my system! But DI is just such a slick program, I am always in awe when it is in operation.

I certainly agree that copying disk-to-disk will work, but with the caveat that a boot manager be used or a repair installation be done.

And, of course, the good thing about your plan is that if something does go wrong or doesn't pan out the way you want it to, you still have the image. Wipe the drives and try a new plan .