Dual-Boot quandary

[imported_Kiwi]

With both on the same ("C:\") boot drive, repairing the earlier is going to mung up the newer one's Boot Manager settings, and I have totally forgotten how I have fixed this in the past -- when I have dual-boots, I put each OS on its own separate logical drive. I'm hoping that a site like PC911, or similar (I think I checked all of their articles already), has a tutorial on this sort of repair.

I'm trying to tell him not to sweat it, the old OS just isn't that useful, and will just get screwed up again, especially with MS support now discontinued. It's going into deaf ears.

 

[Cerb]

Er, more information? I don't quite even get what you're asking.

 

[imported_Kiwi]

Windows98se isn't loading when it is chosen from the pair that Windows2000 shows can be selected. It complains about Explorer and something else. The Windows 98 reinstall is going to toast things for Windows 2000. Can I run both of them as Repair installs, one after the other, and leave the users' files, menus, programs, registries, and etc. all undamaged?

And isn't there a nice description of exactly how I'll know how to do that, on one or another web site with other similar articles?

 

[Cerb]

Win98SE v. Win2000? Er...back it up (heck, just copy the whole drive's contents), install Win2k only, and go. Unless he's got an application that only runs in Win9x, it will be a major improvement in every way, with only a few minor bumps for learning differences. Windows 98 not having any more updates makes this a much more pressing option to go with (Win2k being the best OS MS has made so far is another good reason, of course ).

However...you should be able to run both. The only problem I could see on the same drive is that they will share IE, OE, and a couple other things in Program Files, which could very well hose up Win98. If that's the case, repair/reinstall Win 98, and use Win2k on another disk, or if it is big enough, make two partitions. If you change the Program Files directory (linky), Win2k aught to be fine, but I don't know that I'd trust it.

Repair installs will leave the stuff undamaged, but it won't hurt to back up, of course.

How deaf are his deaf ears? He will be forced to change one of these days. One major vulnerability that affects Win98 and it's completely toasted. Learning to use NT will be nothing compared tostarting over again and again. For a non-networked PC, Win98 is OK. But if it's got 'net access, it'll be as bad as wearing a burgandy-backed black swastika shirt to a ADL meeting (except w/o the excessive press that would bring, maybe). Anyway, I'm thinking maybe try pushing the issue, like maybe suggesting it needs to be upgraded to Win2k/XP, or you won't work on it further. Putting Win98 back as a main OS is just asking for trouble.