Dual Boot NT4 & WIn98, Something has happened and I desperatly need help!!

[ZOOtv]

This weekedend I reformated my 6.4Gig HD so I could dual boot NT4.0 Workstation and Windows 98. So here is how I set things up on at first on my PC:

C:\ Fat 16 for boot drive 500MB partition
d:\ NT 4.0 Fat 16 1004 MB partition
E:\ Windows 98 in Fat32 4.6 Gig HD partition
F:\CD-ROM drive
G:\ CD-RW drive

So everything was working great for two days, and I could sucessfuly dual boot between WIN98 and NT. But then this morning I decided to convert my D:\ drive of NT4.0 that is FAT16 and converted it to NTFS. After this was sucessfuly completed, I tried to boot into WIN98 and it wouldn't happen. I got a bunch of error lines in DOS after the Windows 98 screen appeared and then tried to boot into windows. The following errors were reported:
The following file is mission or corrupted - HIMEM.SYS & DBLBUFF.SYS & IFSHLP.SYS & WIN.COM.

This is how the BOOT.INI file is set up on the boot drive:
______________________________________________________________________
[Boot Loader]
timeout=5
Default=C:\

[Operating Systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNT="Windows NT Workstation Version 4.00"
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNT="Windows NT Workstation Version 4.00 [VGA mode]" /basevideo /sos
C:\="Microsoft Windows 98"
________________________________________________________________________
I used FDISK to look at my partition information, and it only showed the C:\ boot drive, didn't show the NTFS NT4 drive, but it did show the partition that WIN98 is on. But get this, it showed that WIN98 is installed in Drive D:. But this is wrong as, NT4.0 NTFS is actualy installed on drive D:?????

Anyone know what I can possibly do to fix this problem?? My free 90 days of tech free Microsoft support has run out, so I don't know where to turn to. I tried to copy the above corrupt files from the Win98 Install CD-ROM to Drive E:\, but was unsucessful.
I don't know why this is happening, but obviously the problem started when I converted drive D:\ from FAT16 to NTFS. The only soloution I can think of is to re-install WIN98 again on top of E:\Windows, maybe this will correct things???

O'm all out of ideas, and I would really appreciate it if someone take the time to think thos over and offer any suggestions. I'M DESPERATE AT THIS POINT, PLEASE HELP!!!!

 

[jaywallen]

Hi, ZOOtv.

Sorry to hear about your problems.

I'm a little confused about the history of your system. In the extremely unlikely event that I wanted to set up a system with the configuration you've outlined, I would format all three partitions as FAT16, install Win98 on C: and E:, then... No scratch that. Nothing on heaven or earth could move me to try that configuration. You're a brave person.

The situation, if I understand it correctly, is that you HAD two Win98 partitions which could see each other and the FAT16 NT partition. The NT installation could never see the FAT32 partition, drive E:, and that's why the E: drive / partition isn't mentioned in the boot.ini file, and wouldn't be even if NT were installed last. When you converted the NT partition to NTFS, you rendered both Win98 partitions unable to see the NT partition AT ALL. That's why FDISK is telling you that the FAT32 partition is drive D:.

You have two different operating systems writing to your MBR, and they can't see each other. Not a good setup. If you want Win9X to co-exist peacefully with NT, you need to leave the Win9X partitions formatted as FAT16. If you wish to use NTFS for NT, then it's best to place it on the last partition on the drive. And you run into limitations there on drivers larger than yours because the entirety of the NT boot partition must reside within the first 1024 cylinders, 7.8 gigabytes, of the drive. And, well it just gets more and more complicated.

If you need to have Win9X running on a FAT32 partition and "NT", I suggest using W2K instead of NT4. Even then, if you're going to use NTFS5 with W2K, you want to be careful about how you set up the partitions. W2K can see anything that Win9X can do, but Win9X can't see any kind of NTFS partition (without special utilities).

Remember, if you're booting with a Win98 Startup Diskette and trying to move files among your two Win98 partitions and the Win98 installation CD, the Win98 drives are C: and D: as far as that OS is concerned. It just can't see the NT partition now that it has been converted to NTFS.

With what little I know about your system, I can't be more specific than this, other than to say that you might try running a "repair boot system" (or whatever it's called) from the NT setup program by booting with the NT setup diskettes or (if your BIOS allows it) from the NT install CD. I'm concerned, though, about the fact that NT isn't going to recognize that third partition, unless you reformat it FAT16.

Whatever you decide to do, try to copy off any important data to external medial or other systems BEFORE you proceed with attempts at repair of any kind!

I hope you get something figured out.

Regards,
Jim

 

[MetalTaz]

ok this is what happend
by converting your "D" drive windows98 only see's 2 drive (c:=500Mb) and your (D) drive that is actualy your (e) drive but since windows 98 doesn't see NTFS by default it goes back to "D"

a very simple solution is to reduce the size of your C drive with partition magic and create a new Fat 32 drive. what this is going to do, NT wont see it so you wont have any probleme there and in windows98 you will have 3 drives your (c:=boot d:=drive e:=windows98) this way you should be able to boot your 2 windows.

and I agree with JAYWALLEN, you should alway put NT in your last partition saves you a lot of problemes

Good luck !