linuxwannabee

Scenario - Two Hard drives on our system - C: drive with Windows 98SE on it, D: drive with Windows 2000 (upgrade) on it.

Windows 2000 was having problems, but simply re-installing wasn't an option, wouldn't let me. Work around - in the root of the c: drive, when I made hidden and system files visible, I notice several files relating to the dual boot setup. I copied a number of files (can't remember all their names) to a floppy disc and moved the same files into a previously invisible folder called 'WUTemp' - I now realise this was a big mistake, this folder being 'windows update temp' folder, and apparently must be flushed - the files are no longer available.

What I can't understand, having right-clicked the same files and used the 'send to' floppy command, and having observed floppy noise and led activity, so presumably copied them, these too have disappeared!!

I needed to move these files from the root of the C: drive in order to be able to re-install windows 2000.

Why have these files disappeared from the floppy, were they even copied - more importantly, can I recreate the necessary files so that I am once again presented with two boot options at startup - Windows (98SE) or Windows 2000?

Even nicer - is it possible to get Windows 2000 to be the second option in the list, so if people don't do anything, the system will always boot into 98SE?

Help, help - I thought I was been clever working around, to re-install Windows 2000, but I hadn't bargained on my carefully thought out plan back firing by the files disappearing from the floppy disc or WUTemp folder

johnwill

I have a pair of utilities I use for installing older O/S versions after 2K or XP are installed. Using these two, you can put back the necessary files.

You'll need to first boot from a W98SE startup floppy and do two commands.

FDISK /MBR
SYS C:

Now you have the capbility of booting only Win98.

You next use the BOOTSECT utility (also an MS-DOS utility) to grab the W98SE boot sector from the disk, you'll need this stored in the root of C: for dual booting to function. I've attached it to this post, since it appears my link is dead right now.

You can then use BOOTPART to rebuild the 2K/XP boot manager entries and allow dual booting.

I've installed DOS several times as an alternative boot using these tools, and W98SE installation is identical, just does more after the fact.

BOOTPART - Manipulate multi-boot menu and fix 2K/XP boot files.

BOOTSECT - Read/Write MBR and save to disk

Attached Files

bootsect (read-write MBR).zip (25.2 KB, 4 views)

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linuxwannabee

thanks for this John

I've now got my partition back so many thankx for your valued input.

daveB - LinuxWannabee

johnwill

Glad we could help.

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