Dual Boot Question

[[NJ_Guy]]

I already have Windows 2000 Pro installed on my C drive. I just used Partition Magic 5.01 to create a 4GB FAT32 partition (F drive). How can I now install Windows 98 and be able to boot to either OS?

I know the long way will be to FDISK my drive, create the partiions, install Win98 first and then W2K, but can I do it without doing all of that?

 

[AndyHui]

You can install Win98 to your F: Drive, and then boot up off the Win2K CDROM and select repair. That should fix up the boot files and create the dual boot menu.

 

[Damaged]

Mmmm, depends. If you formatted the Win2K parition as FAT32 as well, then you're going to need a third party boot loader (i.e. Boot Magic from PM 5) to boot Win98 from the second primary DOS parition on the drive.

If Win2K is using NTFS, then it shouldn't be a problem to add it to the other partition, as long as it's a primary partition. You could use ntloader to dual boot in that case.

 

[AndyHui]

Damaged:

Win98 does not need to reside on a second primary boot partition if you have FAT32. Its boot files will reside on C:, the rest will quite happily sit on D:.

 

[roprecht]

Each of your operating system has a boot partition and a system partition. It sound ridiculous but your system files are actually located in your boot partition and vice versa. Both these partitions can be located on the same physical partition on your hard disk. As long as your boot files of both your OS's are in your active directory you can have a dual boot and put the system files wherever you want. Seeing as Windows 2000 supports Fat32..you don't have a problem and will not have to use software like partition Magic -useful for a NT. 40 srvr/98 dual boot. You can even physically copy your boot files and alter the path of your to to point to your system partition.

 

[Damaged]

Andy Hui. Okay. Let me be more specific, which in this case tends to possibly cloud the issue. The Windows boot files (all of about 4MBs of them) MUST reside in the first primary DOS partition on the first drive.