Help-98-XP Dual Boot

You have to install Windows XP only after installing MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me to prevent these operating systems from overwriting the Windows XP boot sector and the Windows XP startup files.

To create a multiple-boot system with Windows XP and MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me:
Ensure that your hard disk is formatted with the correct file system.
Install the multiple operating systems into separate volumes, in the following order: MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, and then Windows XP.
Do one of the following:
If you want a multiple-boot system with MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me along with Windows XP, install MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me, and then install Windows XP.
If you want a dual-boot system with only Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me, install Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me, and then install Windows XP.
Install each operating system according to the standard installation procedure.
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If you pop in your XP install disk, and do a "repair" you can get it back. After you do this, the only OS that will be available to you is XP.
After you reboot into XP open up the system properties dialogue, and add a line to the boot options that points to the second drive. (The file that you're modifying here is c:\boot.ini.

Set the boot options wait time to 30 seconds.

Close and reboot.

The NT boot loader will pop-up on reboot and you'll have 2 options for systems to boot into.

There's plenty of information on this around the net. I don't know what your disks are formatted, or whether their ide or SCSI, so I can't give more specific info unfortunately. the MS knowledge base can give you everything you need.

BTW. You should *NEVER* need to reinstall an NT based OS. Everything can be fixed.

Cheers.