Set up Win2K/98 Dual boot with 2K installed first?

[Zenmervolt]

Is there any way that you guys know of to set up a dual boot of Win2K and Win98 when Win2K is installed on the system first? I intend to keep both OS's on separate FAT 32 partitions for now. I figure that since the machine is not going to be used for anything other than a home computer/dorm computer I really don't need the extra security that NTFS provides, if I'm wrong about that, please let me know. For the record, I prefer Win2K because it is infinitely more stable than Win98, but I need 98 around to run games. I mean, really, what good is a dorm computer if you can't play the occasional game of USNF '97 or Need For Speed: Porsche Unleashed. I hate to back up everything and wipe the HDD just to install Win98 first, plus the only copy of Win2K I have is on the restore disks that came with this computer (an IBM ThinkPad A21p) and I believe that the restore CD's would wipe out a previously installed copy of Win98. Thanks in advance for your help.

Zenmervolt

 

[IamDavid]

Install 98 to its own partition then use the repair installation option on your win2K install.

 

[RonS]

You're right to think that Windows 2000 is more stable than Windows 9X. No question about it.

The Thinkpad A21p, when shipped with Windows 2000, is formatted as FAT32, not NTFS. So the best way to install Windows 98 as dual-boot is to:

1. Copy the entire Windows 98 CD-ROM to a directory on the hard disk
2. You have to boot in "real" mode to install Windows 9X, which means that you'll have to boot DOS. Create a DOS boot floppy that supports FAT32. You'll have to use a Win95B or later machine to do this, or download a boot floppy image from http://www.putergeek.com/downloads/index.shtml (download win95b_boot_disk.exe).
3. Once booted to DOS, CD to your Win98 directory on C: and run Setup.exe

Your machine will be dual-bootable. I know this works because I just finished doing it on My Thinkpad A21p.

A few more notes: You can install the A21P utilities (DVD player, etc) from the A21p utilities CD-ROM. Device drivers for the video, audio, etc. are avialable from www.pc.ibm.com/thinkpad (surf for the Device Driver Matrix link)

 

[SUOrangeman]

Make an emergency repair disk in Win2K with the backup accessory. You shouldn't need it, but play it safe.

When you install Win9x, use "setup /ntldr". Win9x/ME should add itself to the boot loader, without overwriting it. It also kindly makes itself the default option.

If my advice fails, use the Win2K to boo and repair the boot sector. It will ask for the emergency repair floppy.

-SUO

 

[alocurto]

I am actually doing that as we speak.

So far I used partition magic to hide all the partitions other then the one I am going to install 98 on. I installed 98 and now I am configuring it. I am going to see what happens when I make my 2000 partition active again. I am thinking I can configure something, hopefully


-alocurto

 

[alocurto]

I got mine to work by making the partiton I wanted to use active. I then installed BeOS which has a really cool Boot menu. Now I Can just select what I want to run: Win 2k, Win98, BeOS or Slackware. Partition magic is key.

-alocurto