need dual boot: both windows xp pro: 4 partitions. looking for advice

[Locango]

thank you for reading this and try to help me.
I m not a technical user, but i had to choose an option in order to get to the forum...

I want to make a dual boot system with windows xp pro:

1.- for general use
2.- a very clean one with the minimum possible only to record professionally

Then to make 4 partitions:

2 of them are going to be the systems to boot described above, the other 2 partitions are intended as partitions to store data.

In one partition the data for “general us”e will be stored
In the other the music “to record” is going to be stored.

I have a Sony Vaio Laptop PCG K 37.

The partition that is going to store “the recorded music” is going to be of course the largest one.

When I boot from the windows xp CD, this is what I get:

(Toshiba Drive MK 8025 GAS, on Sony Vaio Laptop)

76317 MB on Hard Disk 0, ID=0, Bus=0 <an atapi> MBR
-: partition 1
(EISA Utilities) 5130 MB <1849 MB free>
C: partition 2 71186 MB <62074 MB free>

Please me give advice on how to proceed.

Thank you very much.

piraí

 

[wolluf]

So you've got existing laptop with XP installed? 2 partitions already - that first one looks like a system recovery partition of some sort (so should be ignored by XP install I think).

Questions - are you intending starting from scratch or keeping existing XP (if that's what it is)? If the latter, you'll need a partitioning tool like Partition Magic. Shrink the existing XP partition to required size (using PM)
Then create a new primary partition for second installation, then a new extended partition, with 2 logical drives for the general & music data. You can use PM or XP's disk management (run diskmgmt.msc) to do this. Now boot from XP install CD, and choose the primary partition you've just created to install into. The install process should create dual boot menu.

If the former, boot from XP install CD, and on the partitioning screen, delete the C: partition and create a new smaller one for XP (just create the one partition). Install XP. Run XP, and continue as described above (from create new primary partition).

PS. Hopefully that first partition will not interfere with the install process.