IBM PC-DOS (FAT16) and WinXP multi-boot? WinXP corrupting FAT16 disk?

[MrCoyote]

The DOS version I want to install on C: is IBM's PC-DOS 6.3 version.

My DOS partition always seems to be getting corrupted after installing XP. Here are the steps I'm taking:
On a clean, unpartitioned drive:
1) Partition and format FAT16 using IBM PC-DOS.
2) Install DOS.
3) boot WinXP CDROM
4) make NTFS partition and format.
5) install XP.

My partitions are:
C: FAT16 (DOS)
D: NTFS (WinXP)

I first install DOS on the FAT16 partition, then let WinXP make another partition (D: NTFS), and install it there. After sometime of using XP, my DOS partition is unable to boot. I noticed that XP was putting some long-filename files, such as (system volume information...) or whatever, onto the FAT16 drive. I suppose this is corrupting my FAT16 drive, because this version of DOS doesn't support long filenames or FAT32. I need DOS on a FAT16 partition, because I have some applications that won't install correctly on a FAT32 drive.

How can I stop XP from writing long filenames or any other crap to the FAT16 DOS partition?

 

[Zach]

Maybe make a second partition for DOS, and since it's not the boot partition (although you'll still need a FAT16 boot partition) maybe WinXP wont hate it?

Otherwise, make the the extra partition and use a boot utility to hide it from XP, and to hide the two originals from DOS.

 

[MrCoyote]

DOS has to be installed first or the dual-boot won't work.

I could get a 2nd hard drive and put it as slave. Then when I want DOS, just change my boot option in the BIOS to boot from the DOS hard drive. But I would like to still dual-boot. I found some XP options to shutdown, like System Restore, which made longfile names on my DOS drive. So maybe after I get XP to ignore this drive, I can maybe format and reinstall DOS? I'll try tonight.

 

[Zach]

<< DOS has to be installed first or the dual-boot won't work. >>



Boot managers let you not care, hiding partitions and such.

And, if XP is messing your old DOS stuff,why would you want it to be able to see the new disk? You'd still need something to hide/unhide the partitions. Unless you want to keep disabling stuff until it works okay.