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Boot.ini options for Win2000

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6 replies

by jwbosch

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After installing Win98 on a secundary partition (primary) I had to set manually the active partition to the first partition with Windows 2000. Now I want to boot both system, without using FDisk every time to set the active bit to the right partition.
So I want to add the Win98 partition in Boot.ini.
Tried to do it, but it fails to load Win 98.
Is there a solution for it?

6 replies

by andrey tuzhik

In this example of boot.ini:
Win98 installed on first HDD first partition
WinNT - first HDD second partition
Win2000 - second HDD first partition
Partition with Win98 is set as system (active).

=cut=
[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=C:[operating systems]
C:\="Microsoft Windows"
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNT="Windows NT Server Version 4.00"
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect
=cut=

by jwbosch

This doesn't work when Win98 is on the second partition of the harddisk. If I make the partition with Win98 active there's no boot menu anymore

by mckaytech

I'm not aware of a way to do this through the boot.ini file, although there could be.

Personally, I've had much better luck from third-party boot manager products (e.g. BootMagic, System Commander) or the Linux boot product lilo.

paul

by jwbosch

Solution was rather simpel.
copy boot.ini, ntdetect etc. to the win98 drive and ajust the boot.ini to the following lines:
-----Start Boot.ini ------
[boot loader]
timeout=5
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
c:\="Windows '98 Second Edition"
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect
-----end Boot.ini------
Make the second partition active again.
reboot with Win2000 CD repair
(It says ... found on D:doesn't matter)
repair reboot and it works

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