Can I Tri-boot Windows 98, 2000, and XP?

[fr]

When I installed Windows 2000 within Windows 98, it asks me if I want to install the operating system at a separate location and allows me to a do a dual boot.

Does Windows XP let me do the same thing?

 

[Raincity]

Yes it does, and yes you can tri-boot

Rain

 

[Basie]

Yes. I have Win2k, WinXP and Win98SE Triple Boot.

 

[ToyMachine]

yeah. The easiest and most efficient way is to 1.) either use 3 different hard drives (Unneccesary) or 2.) make 3 partitions on your hard drive.

Use fdisk or partition magic to make your Disk look something like this:

C:/Win98...1.0 Gig
D:/WinXP...2.0 Gig
E:/Win2k...2.0 Gig
F:/EVERYTHING_ELSE...the rest of the space on your hard drive

Then all you have to do is install EVERY PROGRAM AND SOFTWARE to F: instead of the other ones.

This is my configuration of my hard drive for many reasons. Most importatnly i can reformat EASILY and whenever i want to WITHOUT losing ANY of my software.

 

[fr]

Cool. I'm planning to install XP, but I have some hardware that doesn't have fully working drivers yet.

 

[corkyg]

If you REALLY want a multiple boot machine where the various OS's have no way of interfering with one another, do this:

Install a good, high quality aluminum rack and get yourself as many inner trays as you want OS's.

Then fit each tray with a separate but equal hard drive.

Setup each hard drive with what ever OS you want. Then all you need to do is swap trays and boot.

For ultimate slick switching, you need a full tower so you can have several mobile racks. The you just use the external key switch to turn one on and the others off.

This way you don't worry about software boot glitches . . . life is simple, and hardware is much more reliable than software.

 

[Demonicon]

gawd, dual booting is a big enough PITA, why would you want to Tri-boot? You're asking for trouble. you've been warned.