Partition Confusion for 2 OS's

[llinx]

I've lost the plot here somewhere. I have done several fdisk partitions in the past to load a single OS onto a computer, but this is my first dual boot and I am lost

I have a laptop with a 60GB hard drive and wish to load Win98 and WinXP Home on it, but I am getting stuck in how to set up fdisk.

I started with deleting all partitions. I then selected option 1 to create a primary partion and selected no when it asked to use the maximum space and make it active. This allowed me to select 20000 MB (20G i beleive that is) for Win 98, leaving me the remainder to use for Win XP.

This is where I'm stuck! Do I select an extended dos partition now?

Please help and write in 'idiot mode' as this is my 1st time at dual boot and I'm finding it confusing. Sorry to ask a probably silly question.

 

[Enkrypted]

llinx,

The following link will give you alot of information on setting up a dual-boot system.

http://www.winxpfix.com/page5.htm

The following below are instructions that will help.

How to - Install Windows 95 or Windows 98 in a Windows XP, Windows 2000 and MS-DOS, or a Windows NT and MS-DOS Multiple-Boot Configuration


To Install Windows 95, 98, Me in a Windows XP, Windows 2000, and MS-DOS, or a Windows NT and MS-DOS multiple-boot configuration:

When you start your computer, choose MS-DOS from the menu on the boot loader screen.

Install Windows 95, 98, Me in a folder separate from the Windows XP, Windows 2000 or Windows NT %SystemRoot% folder.

After you successfully install Windows 95, or 98, or Me, and restart your computer, the Windows XP or Windows 2000 boot loader screen appears, and you can choose between MS-DOS and Windows XP, Windows 2000 or Windows NT. If you choose MS-DOS, Windows 95, or 98, or Me, starts.



Dual-booting with Windows Me or 9x

How~2 create a dual-boot system with Windows XP and Windows Me or 9x, install the older version of Windows first, and then install Windows XP. During the installation process, Windows XP creates a file named Boot.ini in C:\, listing the bootable partitions and which partition is the default. When the Setup Wizard displays the Setup Options window, click the Advanced Options button and select the I Want to Choose the Install Drive Letter and Partition During Setup check box.

Using this setting causes the Setup Wizard to display a list of your partitions and enables you to choose the partition in which you want to display Windows XP. You also have the option of deleting existing partitions and creating new ones. The next section steps through the installation process. WinXpFix.com

Now that you have both versions of Windows installed in separate primary DOS partitions, you can switch back and forth by using the boot menu that Windows XP displays:


Please select the operating system to start:

Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Microsoft Windows

You can use the up and down arrow keys to move the highlight to your choice.
Press ENTER to choose.
Seconds until highlighted choice will be started automatically: 30

Windows Me, 98, and 95 appear simply as "Microsoft Windows" by default. You can change the text and entries in this boot menu, as described in the "Setting Boot Options" section later in this appendix.





How to - Setting Boot Options Tips:


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Setting Boot Options:
By Raymond


Windows XP includes support for multiple partitions and multiple operating systems (it inherits this ability from Windows NT/2000). The boot program (Ntldr) is stored in the root folder of the first partition on the first disk. Ntldr reads the Boot.ini file, which is stored in the same folder, to find out which partitions you might want to boot from, which partition to use as the default, what to display in the boot menu, and how long to wait before loading the operating system from the default partition. If the boot menu contains only one option, you won't see it--Ntldr simply boots from that partition.

Ntldr and Boot.ini are hidden or protected system files. If you want to see them in an Explorer window you need to, choose Tools > Folder Options > click the View tab, and deselect the Hide Protected Operating System Files check box. Also choose Show Hidden Files and Folders. WinXpFix.com

To Editing Boot.ini: You can edit the Boot.ini file by using one of three Windows programs: The System Properties dialog box (fewer choices), the System Configuration Utility (displays the whole file for editing), or Notepad.




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How to - Start MS-DOS Directly:

To start MS-DOS directly: Choose Win 95 or Win 98 or Win Me from the menu on the boot loader screen, and then press ENTER.

To start MS-DOS, press F4.

Another way to start the three operating systems is to configure your computer to multiple boot Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, and Windows 95 or Windows 98 or Windows Me and then start MS-DOS from an MS-DOS bootable floppy disk. If you multiple boot Windows XP, Windows 2000 and MS-DOS, or Windows NT and MS-DOS, you can install Windows 95 or Windows 98 by using the procedure in the following section.


How to - Start MS-DOS from Windows 95 or Windows 98

To start MS-DOS from Windows 95 or Windows 98: On the View menu in My Computer or Windows Explorer, click Options or Folder Options .

Click Show All Files on the Options tab, and then click OK .

In the list of files, double-click the Msdos.sys file.

On the File menu, click Properties .

In the Attributes section on the General tab, click to clear both the Read-Only and Hidden check boxes, and then click OK .

Open the Msdos.sys file by using a text editor (such as Notepad).

Add the following line to the [Options] section of the Msdos.sys file:

BootMulti=1
Save the file, and then close the file.



Enkrypted
A+