OregonMike

Know how to do this with single drive with 2 partitions, one for XP, one for Win98 but can't find way to do it with 2 SEPARATE HDs. Have two computers which I want to combine using both drives/systems. Is there a way to do this? i.e., tell the computer during boot which HD to boot to? And, if so, which should be the dominant one?
I tried to do it once and the XP just `took over' both systems and when I tried to go back to just the Windoze 98 HD, there were too many `pointers' to files on the XP drive that I don't want to go thru that again.
It's not a ridiculous issue for me 'cause I HAVE TO have win98 for work - long story.
So, if anyone can help, I'll be most grateful. Thanks much, Mike

kev1952

Are either of the 2 drives partitioned (more than 1 partition)?

OregonMike

No, Kev. Each is on separate 40g HD all by its lonesome.

kev1952

Okay - then there shouldn't be any problem with using one drive for each of the O/S's. The reason I asked is to make sure the partiton letters (read drive letters) were not going to change. If you know how to do the install on 2 partitions then you use the same method for 2 drives (just don't add other partitions later or one of the installations will fail).

The way I would do it is install 98 on the C: drive and then XP on the D: drive (assuming that's the way the letters area assigned). The dual boot will be created by XP setup by default.

OregonMike

Kev--
Each HD ALREADY has its OS installed. Each was in separate computer which I now want to combine into one. Can't see wiping a HD to do this since each already has all the drivers and personal setups I want to use with it.
I understand what you're saying but there has to be a way to do this from where I am now. Perchance I can use the Win98SE HD as C: and install the XP HD, then only start the XP install/setup 'till I get to the point of having the multi-choice menu? Don't know for sure and don't want to have to start from beginning.
Mike

kev1952

I see - it could be done but it's risky. Setup the 98 drive as the boot o/s. Then connect the other drive as a slave and do a repair install of XP. Hopefully this will setup the dual-boot for you. As you are moving the o/s from one machine to another you will probably have to go through activation again (and you will need to install new drivers as well).

OldGrayGary

Hi all,


OregonMike --- one caveat for your proposed multiboot project - you have two hard drives, each with a version of Windows installed: but does the hardware of the new future-multiboot system exactly match that of the two PCs from which they originated? If not, the systems are going to need some work to get things straightened out for the different hardware involved. [There are licensing issues, too, of which I imagine you're already familiar ... they'll need to be 'transferable' retail licenses].

Win98 has a chance to work with the new system, even with it's different hardware, if you try the "Enum trick" (and if the new hardware isn't so new that no Win98 drivers exist ... there are no drivers for nVidia chipsets newer than nForce2, for example). You can Google for the 'enum trick', but I'll give a short summary: 1) Boot into Safe Mode 2) from the Start/Run box type regedit to start the Registry Editor 3) Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum 4) delete either all the entries or the key itself (Windows 9x/Me will create a new one if it's missing) ... note that this works only for Win9x/Me! What the procedure does is to force a fresh detection of hardware.

Windows XP has extraordinary compatibility .. with XP, though, you'll have to be able to satisfy the Windows activation procedure (if the hardware is different enough, reactivation will be necessary). Still you can end up with a nice set of blue screens if the hardware is different enough. A 'repair' reinstall can fix that (and would yield a multiboot screen as well).
______________________

Your choices for multiboot setup are many: there are third-party boot managers that can create menus for you (Grub is the most common free one - used by Linux users around the world), or you can run a repair install of the XP system. Lots of options there.

The bigger issue is getting the systems happy with the different hardware. The multiboot menu is a simpler task.

Best of luck
. . . Gary


p.s. ... Hi Kev -- sorry if I repeated you a bit --- I started replying to this post, and then was interrupted, so I didn't see your last post until later. I also do everything verrrrry sllooowwly :)

--One more late note: I've removed my earlier mention of the bootcfg /scan utility in the Recovery Console, since it doesn't really help much with a Win9x dual-boot (it detects nt/2000/xp instead) ... Manual editing of the boot.ini file could fairly easily add the Win9x system, though, so long as the necessary boot files are on first primary partition.

OregonMike

Hey there Old Gray Gary from old gray Mike here.
Thanks much for the reply. Yes, both computers were/are exact duplicates - same MB, same audio, same drives (even Zips) so no problem there. Only difference, of course, is the drivers for the different OS's.
I DID actually try to do this initially by editing the BOOT.INI file and wound up with a Win98 HD that wouldn't boot when reinstalled back to its original box. So, figured it best to use THAT one as "master" and let put the XP HD in as slave. Don't want to go thru a day + half restoring Win98 HD again. What a mess! XP takes over and just adds or changes things in ways that the gene manipulators haven't even dreamed of yet.
Guess I'll have to keep a bottle of wine or ? close by and start the procedure... nothing else to do. Else, I could just retain 2 separate units and switch them as I've been doing for past year.
Thanks again for your reply.
Mike
PS: Do you know if it would be easier using something like "Boot Magic"?

OldGrayGary

Hi again


So long as the Windows 98 hard drive is the Master on the Primary IDE Controller on the motherboard, the computer should boot from it (it can be Master either by Master/Slave jumpers, or by cable position with Cable Select). The Windows 98 drive will be assigned the drive letter C. [The only exception is if the boot order in the motherboard Bios has been altered from default to a different drive]

If the Windows XP hard drive is Slave on the Primary IDE controller, or Master or Slave on the Secondary IDE controller, it will be ignored unless a boot manager is put in place [once again, the exception would be if the boot order was altered in the Bios]. A repair reinstall of the Windows XP hard drive should generate a multi-boot menu. Theoretically, it *shouldn't* alter the Windows 98 system much, other than by adding the Windows XP bootloader (ntldr) and other boot files (ntdetect, boot.ini) to the root directory on the Windows 98 hard drive (C:\).

I usually hear of Boot Magic in conjunction with Partition Magic -- which is a fine program (but not free). I've used Partition Magic countless times in the past, but haven't yet had the need to use Boot Magic. The Partition Magic folks have pretty good help files, so if you do have the program around, and it's on a CD -- you might be able to read the help files beforehand, simply by browsing the CD. I would think it would handle most multiboot tasks, but I'm not familiar enough with it to know for certain.

There are a few freeware and shareware bootloaders, but I haven't used any other than Grub and LiLo (usually associated with Linux systems & Linux/Windows multiboot systems). You could try looking around at a site like download.com for bootloaders --- they probably have several (the trick is getting one that you like at the right price - or free).

Depending on the nature of your XP installation, if you decide to try the repair install to yield a boot menu, make a backup of any critical data on that hard drive beforehand (because in certain scenarios, data can be lost when performing the repair installs --- http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm --- )

Hope it goes well!
. . . Gary