Dual boot 98/XP

[Jaf]

Hey all. Before I start I just want to say I have no xp install discs or boot floppies but I have an oem restore disc that uses a hidden partition (Just saying this incase you say use utilites on these xp install discs). Right, I have XP Home SP2 currently installed on the C: Drive. I only have the C: Partition which uses the whole space of the drive (117GB). I have a lot of unused space. The C: Drive is NTFS. Is it possible to add another partition (i.e. G on the same hard drive on unused space without wiping the current partition data? It would be a pain to start from scratch. Then can I install win 98 on this partition. I would want this partition to be in FAT32. Would this be a problem as the whole drive currently is in NTFS, or can it be easily converted to FAT32 from NTFS? Then I would like to choose which OS to boot at startup.

I have XP Home OEM SP2 and
Norton Partition Manager not yet installed

Cheers

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

It would be quite difficult, because 98's boot files need to be on the first partition.

You'd need to resize the current partition, move it toward the end of the disk, and create a FAT32 partition where to install 98 (98 doesn't understand NTFS, that's why).

Then you'd need to reinstall (or at least repair) XP, because changing the partition numbering would make it unbootable (and there would be no XP boot files on the first partition).

And of course the first partition would have to be active.

 

[Eck]

Those are all the right things to do, and Partition Magic would be able to take care of that. However, it's a risky type of activity. Be sure to back up to a cdr/dvr any personal files you don't want to lose. You also will need to be sure you have access to any setup files for programs you have, just in case you do lose access to what's on your hard drive now.

Only having a restore cd instead of a Windows XP cd is also risky. It is possible your hard drive is setup with a hidden partition that holds the original setup files for your system and programs originally installed on your pc. Playing with the partitions like you need to do for this will likely make the use of this restore area impossible, causing it to be just a waste of space. Then, if you ever need to repair XP's install, that restore disk would, if it worked at all since the partitions would be different, wipe out all you've done and put back that restore partition along with the original, only XP, setup. To do that you'd probably need to wipe out everything first by deleting all partitions. Then the recovery cd would setup the original hidden partition along with the normal one that is visable to you, then put your system back like you first bought it.

Something like this really requires a purchase of a real XP cd, deleting all partitions including the hidden one, and purchasing software that would provide the functions you wish to keep that is on whatever additional software that was provided with your system. That would no longer be available if you use a real XP cd. Stuff like WorksSuite, Quicken, burning software like Nero, etc.

You would create 2 fresh partitions and install 98SE first, then XP.

Recovery cd's aren't really made to deal with handling this sort of thing.

 

[Jaf]

I installed Norton Partition Manager, resized NTFS partition (making it smaller by taking 10GB ready for the WIN98 partition) then shifted it to end of drive. Norton then made a fat32 10gb partition at start of drive for win98. After win98 was installed. That's all that would boot. How do you get a list at boot-up stating which OS you want to boot? Please help.

Cheers.

 

[Rik]

Would it not be much easier to run a virtual machine like vmware? It wouldn't require any messing around with partitions at all. And I'd uninstall Norton Partition Manager, there seem to be very few norton products that don't cause problems these days.

 

[Eck]

I'm assuming you made the 98 partition a primary partition and also left the resized XP partition as primary as well.

This is an ideal setup for BootMagic. BootMagic comes with Partition Magic but you need to install it. Just put the Norton cd in and on the autorun screen choose to install BootMagic. When the install ends it will open the BootMagic Configuration menu. I usually rename the Windows or MS-DOS partition to Windows 98SE and the XP partition to Windows XP. I usually also leave the 98 partition as the default partition because if something goes awry the computer will always boot to the 98 one then unless you change it within 30 seconds. The partition BootMagic is installed into (which always must be a FAT16 or FAT32 partition) is where you can fix things through its menu if something goes wrong.

If you don't want to use BootMagic, you can install PartitionMagic into both partitions and use PQBoot for Windows to change the boot partition when you want to switch to booting up to the other one. You could run Partition Magic instead, but PQBoot is much quicker. You just need something that will change the active partition and hide the other one. Either way works.

Another alternative if you don't want Partition Magic installed at all is installing it once and creating a rescue disk. Then you would use the floppy disk if you wanted to change partitions. The rescue disk works on most configurations so you needn't have the whole program installed to use it. You should have one regardless, for both PartitionMagic and BootMagic.

Windows Vista wouldn't play nice with these arrangements as it plays nicely with its own boot loader, but these programs are fully compatible with XP and 9x. You could do a repair install of XP from the recovery console if you really want the XP boot loader. You would install XP to the partition it's currently on and make sure to change the folder it wants to install it to DRIVE:\WINDOWS. It will default to DRIVE:\Windows001 or something. Make sure to change that. After setup completes you'd need to go to Windows Update as any updates installed are wiped out so you need to get them installed again. If any of your drivers are unsigned you'd need to reinstall those as well. If your video is ATI, you'd need to reinstall the Catalysts to get stuff like Smartgart back. Windows just uses the inf's, but ATI's setup file sets up additional features. You just need to reinstall it over itself since they're the same drivers.

And don't do an upgrade install! That'll make you need to reinstall all your programs. Choose a repair install and all your stuff will be still there and working.

What're you gonna do with just 10 GB's? Geez, I'd fill that up before installing any programs!

 

[Jaf]

Cheers everyone. Eck, I decided to use bootmagic. I like it, nice and simple boot menu it is. I just need this small win98 10gb partition to run some programs that work not so good with xp with no patches available. That's why it is so tiny as lots wont be put on it. I might even shrink it a bit more. I definitely wont use the net on it, win98 is way to unsafe in my opinion.

 

[Liquidlen]

It is always the best to install all Dual boot windows systems from Oldest to newest.
Take a look at this page.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/293089/en-us

 

[Eck]

That's essentially what he did by resizing and moving, then installing 9x in the first partition.

Actually, for BootMagic it wouldn't matter as long as it wasn't Windows 95 he was installing.

And oh, 98SE can be made extremely secure. Takes a bit more work than you probably feel is warrented given your use for it.

I've got a couple of things that only run on 9x. I'll VMWare it for now, as Windows Vista gave me some trouble with my PartitionMagic methods and its boot loader doesn't like 9x. Funny that I can install my HPScanjet 3970 on a VMWare'd 9x but not on Vista. Not that I bother to do it but it would work. I'd rather activate my printer and joystick than my scanner. You only get 2 ports at a time with VMWare, though I suppose I could use my old Belkin USB 1.1 multiport thing if I really wanted.

But, yes, BootMagic is nice. Wouldn't even recognize that Vista existed nor boot to it though. PQBoot worked, but this time with the latest Vista release I decided to just use its boot loader and let it run things.

Hmmm, they fixed something that now lets WMP 11 run my DVD's but they play without sound! Good thing I have PowerDVD 7 Deluxe. In the older Vista build WMP would only play non-copy protected DVD's. Now it'll play the video but the audio only gives me occasional pops like it's trying to make sounds. Works fine in PowerDVD. Too bad that XP DVD Decoder Check thing had no effect. WMP 11 keeps using its decoder regardless of the Cyberlink one being the system default. Audio would probably work if WMP would use the Cyberlink decoder. And making the WMP 11 decoder the default didn't help with the audio either. I actually had the Cyberlink menus in WMP's options until I played a DVD with WMP 11, then the advanced options would no longer open.

And they fixed the visualizations. They used to only play with cd's but now run fine with mp3's on my hard drive. But I haven't installed Quicktime and RealPlayer yet. Maybe that's what breaks things. We'll see.

They're working on things. Nice, softer sound when User Account Control pops up now too. They changed it from the warning blast to a gentle reminder kind of sound. Easier on my ears wearing headphones.