Two drives-Two OS's-make a choice?

Wilso wrote:

I"ve got two hard disk drives. A 10 gig with windows 98 and a 13 gig with windows XP. I know how to connect them both, but can I set up a menu to choose which one I wish to boot up on?

If you hadn't yet installed the operating systems, you'd want to install windows 98 first then windows xp -- this is more straightforward as you will then be able to use the standard microsoft operating system selection menu to switch between the two.

If you already have both operating systems installed then it is a bit more complicated. Repairing your installations (or reinstalling in the case of win 98) tends to update the boot record so that you get the proper menu when you startup. Again, do it in order (98 then xp).

Another option is to use a dedicated piece of software to manage multiple boot options. System commander is widely used but there are some not as easy to use freeware alternatives.

Its easy to setup dual booting while installing xp 'cus during setup it will ask if this is what you want to do.

More info from Microsoft: HOW TO: Create a Multiple-Boot System in Windows XP.

If you don't want to go through the Windows installations again, & you don't want to buy any software, you can manually edit the boot options file on your win xp partition. (Microsoft strongly recommends that you do not modify the boot options file, boot.ini, because doing so may render your computer unusable.)

To do it anyway (it's what I'd do), click 'Start > Run', then type:

notepad c:\boot.iniand click OK.

Here's a sample boot.ini file:

[boot loader] timeout=30 default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS [operating systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows 98" /fastdetectThat is just an example. I dunno what numbers will be required to make it work in your case.

More from Microsoft: HOW TO: Edit the Boot.ini File in Windows XP

Wilso wrote:

And which one should I have as the master and which as the slave?

Master/slave settings don't matter, but you'll need to have your Windows XP partition set as Active, so your computer knows to start there first (remember that the boot options info is stored on your windows xp partition). Setting a partition as active can be done using FDISK (which comes on a Windows 98 boot floppy, among other places).

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That's all a bit complicated for me. I can't reinstall because between the two operating systems I've downloaded about 200Mb of updates (on dial up) and I'm not going through that again.

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Not that its much help to you now, Wilso, but my approach to multi-drive/multi OS systems has been to install each OS onto its own partion on one drive, as Monger suggested, then partition that drive further for the apps used by either operating system and separate partitions for apps used only by one or the other OS, with the remainder of that drive partitioned as each OS's own "private" "Temp" folder, and set up partitions on the other drive for the files and folders. You do want to be a litttle fussy about making sure each OS has only the device drivers and .dll libraries appropriate to itself, if that is an issue (and, with some libraries and drivers, its a helluva big issue). All you have to do then is properly map the OSs, applications, and folders to one another across the drives and partitions. All thats on drive 1 is Operating Systems and programs, more or less, not saved data. For instance, Photoshop is on drive 1, and works with either XP or 2K on drive 1 on one of my machines, but outputs its finished work to the appropriate subfolder within the Photoshop folder on drive 2.

But you've gone through quite enough already. No consolation at all, I know, but I do feel sorry for your trouble and frustration.

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Wilso wrote:

That's all a bit complicated for me. I can't reinstall because between the two operating systems I've downloaded about 200Mb of updates (on dial up) and I'm not going through that again.

Reinstalling is the easiest free option. To help with the updates, Microsoft will send you a CD with all critical updates released through October 2003 for free. It'll cover both versions of Windows you're running. Microsoft: Order the Windows Security Update CD

Alternatively you could use a freeware boot manager. Partition Manager (www.ranish.com/part/) is popular, & you might wanna give it a spin. You can use it to copy, move, & resize disk partitions, in addition to setting up a dualboot system. It's not something I've used though, so I can't speak at all for how good or easy to use it is. As with all freeware though, it may not always work. Before installing & running any freeware or any software that will affect your boot sectors, always BACK UP your hard drive.

One final thing I forgot to mention earlier is that if you want to read the data on your Win XP disk from Windows 98, you'll need to format partitions on your disk with WinXP as FAT32, rather than NTFS. (This is easy to do during a clean install of WinXP.) Windows 2000/XP support FAT16, FAT32 & NTFS. Windows 9x/ME support only FAT16 & FAT32 file systems.

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Oh, and if you still wanna go ahread with any of this, & you need help understanding certain parts of it (I'd agree with you that it's a bit complicated), well, this be the place to holler...

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The current Microsoft Windows Security Update CD has all updates thru Feb '04, and comes with another disk containining a trial version of EZArmor's antivirus and firewall. Not bad for just the cost of postage.

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I've ordered the update CD. And I got the dual boot working by reinstalling XP on the second drive. My media player works OK now, but I lose outlook express when I try to switch identities, and my CD writer won't work...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh.

And when I go back to 98 I lose my screen resolution and have to reset it.

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The only improvement is that the internet is much faster in XP.

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Glad you're making progress. Odd that XP would surf faster than 9x ... but maybe it has to do with settings for stuff like browser cache, RWIN, and all ... prolly not worth looking into right now. That CD Drive glitch has gotta be settings-and/or/driver related, and the resolution thing likely is a settings-and/or-registry-and/or-driver thing with your video card. That might be quirky to sort out between two operating systems, but I'm fairly confident it should be doable. As for Outlook Express, well, its full of surprises, most of which are inconvenient, regardless what OS you're using.

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It actually surfs A LOT faster than 98.

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XP disables the CD writer (this time) because it says it could cause stability problems (I had it working in a previous incarnation of this OS). God forbid that it could let me try it to see if it happens. And I can't download a simple patch. I've got to upgrade my software (at a price) with no guarantee the damn thing is going to work.

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Microsoft wrote:

Will Drivers Written for Other Windows Versions Work with Windows XP?
If a signed, Windows XP-compatible driver is not available for a given device, you might be able to use a driver originally written for a previous version of Windows.

For the best chance of success, find a driver written for Microsoft Windows 2000. Many (but certainly not all) Windows 2000 drivers will work properly in Windows XP.

Some Windows Driver Model (WDM) drivers that were originally written for Windows Me might also work under Windows XP, but only if the accompanying Setup Information (.inf) file includes specific instructions for Windows 2000/XP.

Drivers originally written for Windows 95/98 or Windows NT 4 or earlier are unlikely to work properly with Windows XP, because the architectural differences between those operating systems and Windows XP are just too great.

tip

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dig deep for drivers It's not always clear from the labeling on the outside of a floppy disk or CD that the drivers it contains are for multiple Windows versions. Sometimes the structure of the disk itself can offer important clues. Look for a Win2000 or W2K subdirectory, for example, and point the Add Hardware Wizard to that location when prompted. If a suitable .inf file is available, you may be able to complete the installation.

Source: Windows XP Inside Out: Bott, Siechert, (Contrib: Stinson)
Includes index
Microsoft Press, Redmond Wa USA 2001
ISBN: 0-7356-1382-6 rev '03

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I'm downloading a driver now from driverguide. Great site that.

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When I installed the downloaded driver, it screwed up the hardware settings for the CD Rom, CD writer and the printer. I had to completely uninstall all the CD writer software, and the hardware for both CD's. Then when I restarted, I got the hardware back, and now the windows media player doesn't work properly again. XP is a dog!

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Damn I'm glad I ain't havin' your problems, Wilso. No denyin' its not gone well for you, but I sure admire your determination, and somehow, I'm sure, you're gonna get it all worked out.

Sorta a bummer you got that impression of XP ... reminds me of my adventures figuring out a way to get Win95 and Win NT to coexist on one machine. That never did really come together for me ... I was almost greatful for Win98. On the upside, I learned a helluva lot about drivers and registries and repairing plastic cases and what not to hit and stuff like that Rolling Eyes

Honestly, I think XP is the best general OS M$ has ever offered the public. From my perspective, it combines the flexibility and ease of use of Win98 with the stability and control of Win2K. I hesitate even to think about what you'll do when Longhorn reaches the market Laughing

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Actually Wilso, your operating system didn't do anything wrong.

Driverguide.com is certainly a useful site but if you get anything from there you need to understand the risks. You did not download it from the source (your CD-RW maker), so there is no guarantee it will work at all. For example, it's entirely possible to download incorrectly labeled or even malicious software from that site.

So you've installed something which messed up your computer and Windows XP is the scapegoat. Earlier you complained when WinXP disabled a driver in order to prevent those kinds of stability problems.

If your hardware maker has chosen not to release a driver for Windows XP, you might be out of luck. Tough. There are many good reasons why drivers written for previous versions of Windows might not work with XP. Earlier Timber posted a quote from Microsoft about this.

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My hardware maker has got suitable software for XP, but you've got to pay for it. And since I've already paid once I don't see why I should have to pay again. Particularly since, with the problems I've had, I'm not convinced that it would work. If I pay anything more, then it will be for a new DVD writer to replace both the drives I've got now.

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I got rid of all the writer software, and was able to reinstall the hardware, but media player still doesn't work properly. And installed the downloaded software, which didn't screw anything up this time, but didn't work. And as I said, I've paid once, and I'm not paying again.

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A DVD burner might just be the best idea you've come up with so far, Wilso.

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Two drives-Two OS's-make a choice?

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