Multi-boot Windows XP without special software

"Tony" wrote in message
...

Rod Speed wrote in message
...

"Tony" wrote in message
...

ted msn wrote in message
...

"Tony" wrote in message
...

Hank wrote in message
om...
Uh huh.

Game over, you lose.

/daytripper ("Next!" ;-)

How about:

Installed WinME on my C drive. (master)

Added the D drive with no OS (initially).

Booted from the XP Home CD and installed it on my D drive.
(slave)

Rebooted, and I get the OS Boot option screen.

Went into XP and setup OS boot priority and wait time.

Been working since day one, no special anything.


Hank, will it work in this order?

1) Have Win98SE already installed on my C: drive
2) Putting together new system, adding a larger, blank, new drive
as
C:
3) Make my original Win98 C: slave to the new drive on IDE1
4) Use full release of XP to install on new C: drive


Why not leave the new drive as D: and put XP onto that. Will not the
Win98
system have hardlinks to to drive C: that will now be XP?
regards
ted



Hmm, that's an excellent point. I (like an idiot) assume that if MS
has
a
way to support multi-boot with its own OSes tht they'd have a way of
handling that. But if they don't, you're right, Win98 won't work. But
one of
the other posters said "yes", so now I'm confused.

I stupidly didnt allow for the multiboot in the subject and assumed you
just
wanted to upgrade to XP and be able to copy the files etc after XP
install.


So this is doable, Rod? Of course, if I do it this way, the "D:" disk
would
have to be fdisk'd with a Primary partition, otherwise it will not be
bootable. Do you know if XP Pro does this automagically? (I have the full
install version).

This is, though, I still don't get how this could really work. The
dual-boot
feature is part of the XP install, and disk (I would think). So in order
for
that to appear on boot up, doesn't the XP disk HAVE to be the C: disk, as
that will be the first boot device?



I have several operating systems on my PC (XP, W2k, w2kserver and several
copies of XP for testing etc). The main thing to do is start with the older
systems first and add new ones after but use the advance options that let
YOU say which partition you wish the OS to use. I have XP on F at the moment
and it shows C as system, F as boot and X as page file. BTW C: on my system
IS w2k. What the XP install does is "upgrade" ntldr and ntdetect.com to
later versions and update boot.ini to include the new muti boot options.
Boot.ini is a hidden system file so you might need to run attrib or by other
means to make it visable and editable if you wish to see it. You could run
msconfig in XP and see it also.

So XP does NOT have to be on C:
My config has C as primary partion and all the rest of the space is an
extended partion with 10 logical drives.

regards
ted

"Tony" wrote in message ...

Rod Speed wrote in message
...

"Tony" wrote in message
...

ted msn wrote in message
...

"Tony" wrote in message
...

Hank wrote in message
om...
Uh huh.

Game over, you lose.

/daytripper ("Next!" ;-)

How about:

Installed WinME on my C drive. (master)

Added the D drive with no OS (initially).

Booted from the XP Home CD and installed it on my D drive. (slave)

Rebooted, and I get the OS Boot option screen.

Went into XP and setup OS boot priority and wait time.

Been working since day one, no special anything.


Hank, will it work in this order?

1) Have Win98SE already installed on my C: drive
2) Putting together new system, adding a larger, blank, new drive as
C:
3) Make my original Win98 C: slave to the new drive on IDE1
4) Use full release of XP to install on new C: drive


Why not leave the new drive as D: and put XP onto that. Will not the
Win98
system have hardlinks to to drive C: that will now be XP?
regards
ted



Hmm, that's an excellent point. I (like an idiot) assume that if MS has
a
way to support multi-boot with its own OSes tht they'd have a way of
handling that. But if they don't, you're right, Win98 won't work. But
one of
the other posters said "yes", so now I'm confused.

I stupidly didnt allow for the multiboot in the subject and assumed you
just
wanted to upgrade to XP and be able to copy the files etc after XP
install.

So this is doable, Rod?

Yes, multiboot XP without special software is certainly doable.

Its trivially easy if you have the older OS configured
properly at the time you do the initial XP install.

Its still doable if you dont, but not as trivial to do.

Of course, if I do it this way, the "D:" disk would
have to be fdisk'd with a Primary partition, otherwise
it will not be bootable. Do you know if XP Pro does
this automagically? (I have the full install version).

Yes, it will be quite happy to install on that drive and provide
a full multiboot with 98 with it doing all the config thats necessary.

You just have to tell it where you want it installed
and that doesnt have to be on the current C drive.

This is, though, I still don't get how this could really work. The
dual-boot feature is part of the XP install, and disk (I would think).

Correct, BUT with the proviso that it needs to be able
to see the 98 install at XP install time. Thats what
triggers the auto installation of the multiboot capability.

So in order for that to appear on boot up,
doesn't the XP disk HAVE to be the C: disk,

Nope.

as that will be the first boot device?

The XP install looks after that for you.

Just install it on the D drive and let it worry about the detail.

"Tony" wrote:

Okay! Thanks to you and Ted Man. I have a nice stable Win98SE setup on C:.
It sounds like I should leave it that way.

Did you know that your computer clock is about 2.5 years in the
future?
--
My cat really loves me. When it is cold at night he lies right
up against me in the bed to help keep me warm.

edit boot.ini file.. to choose what u want to boot which xp first..

Rod Speed wrote in message
...

"Tony" wrote in message
...

Rod Speed wrote in message
...

"Tony" wrote in message
...

ted msn wrote in message
...

"Tony" wrote in message
...

Hank wrote in message
om...
Uh huh.

Game over, you lose.

/daytripper ("Next!" ;-)

How about:

Installed WinME on my C drive. (master)

Added the D drive with no OS (initially).

Booted from the XP Home CD and installed it on my D drive.
(slave)

Rebooted, and I get the OS Boot option screen.

Went into XP and setup OS boot priority and wait time.

Been working since day one, no special anything.


Hank, will it work in this order?

1) Have Win98SE already installed on my C: drive
2) Putting together new system, adding a larger, blank, new
drive as
C:
3) Make my original Win98 C: slave to the new drive on IDE1
4) Use full release of XP to install on new C: drive


Why not leave the new drive as D: and put XP onto that. Will not
the
Win98
system have hardlinks to to drive C: that will now be XP?
regards
ted



Hmm, that's an excellent point. I (like an idiot) assume that if MS
has
a
way to support multi-boot with its own OSes tht they'd have a way of
handling that. But if they don't, you're right, Win98 won't work.
But
one of
the other posters said "yes", so now I'm confused.

I stupidly didnt allow for the multiboot in the subject and assumed
you
just
wanted to upgrade to XP and be able to copy the files etc after XP
install.

So this is doable, Rod?

Yes, multiboot XP without special software is certainly doable.

Its trivially easy if you have the older OS configured
properly at the time you do the initial XP install.

Its still doable if you dont, but not as trivial to do.

Of course, if I do it this way, the "D:" disk would
have to be fdisk'd with a Primary partition, otherwise
it will not be bootable. Do you know if XP Pro does
this automagically? (I have the full install version).

Yes, it will be quite happy to install on that drive and provide
a full multiboot with 98 with it doing all the config thats necessary.

You just have to tell it where you want it installed
and that doesnt have to be on the current C drive.

This is, though, I still don't get how this could really work. The
dual-boot feature is part of the XP install, and disk (I would think).

Correct, BUT with the proviso that it needs to be able
to see the 98 install at XP install time. Thats what
triggers the auto installation of the multiboot capability.

So in order for that to appear on boot up,
doesn't the XP disk HAVE to be the C: disk,

Nope.

as that will be the first boot device?

The XP install looks after that for you.

Just install it on the D drive and let it worry about the detail.



Okay! Thanks to you and Ted Man. I have a nice stable Win98SE setup on C:.
It sounds like I should leave it that way.