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by wennock

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I have a XP machine that I have created a partition on using partition magic.
Firstly will this be ok for me to install a copy of 98 on?? Will the install see the partition?
secondly I have seen somewhere that this isn't as straight forward as booting from the CD and selecting the drive to install on.
Think it was to create start up disks and a file and then do a repair on XP to create the boot up menu?

Can anyone help here??

8 replies

by p.j.hutchison

The partition must be a formatted FAT32 partition then you can install Win 98 on it by booting off a 98 boot disk and run Setup.exe.

Partition Magic has a product called 'Boot magic' which is useful for dual boot systems.

by jstafs

You should be able to install WIN98 so long as the drive is formatted as FAT32. You should be able to use the startup disk from 98 and install per the instructions.

If you want to be sure it installs on the drive you recently created, do a boot to DOS and point the install to install on that drive letter. Shoot me an e-mail if you need more help.

by liame

To add slightly to the answers given above, for win98 to function both the boot partition and the partion win98 is on (if different) need to be fat32 (or fat16).

In addition installing 98 after XP can (and will!) cause problems as it will try and overwrite some startup files if they share the same boot partition. This can easily be repaired though as you have heard correctly.

A way round this is use a utility (like partition magic) to set the active partion as a when you want to swap between OS's. It can be fiddly but it does work.

by cglrcng9

Having tried to do it both ways I suggest a clean install of both OS's in the following order.

First back up everything including your favorites file.

Then FDISK using a Win98SE Boot Disk from Bootdisk.com

Then use ZAP (or a similar program from your drive mfg.) to zero the first 32 sectors of the drive. Then partition 2 equal sized (FAT32)partitions or more depending on how you want the drive setup (large drives I allow a data storage area for each OS). Label Partition 1 Drive_C, and Partition 2 Drive_D, etc.

Format all partitions normally in FAT32 format.

SYS C:\, then SYS D:\ using the Win98SE SUD in drive A:\

Run Windows 98SE Setup normally on Drive_D:\ to D:\Windows (do not install any drivers or software yet).

Then create a folder via Windows Explorer in Drive_D\: (Win98SE), on Drive_C\: call that folder C:\Windows\Cabs, also create a Utilities Folder on C:\, and copy the file SMARTDRV.EXE from the Windows folder in Win98SE (Drive_D\:to the newly created Utilities folder on C:\.

Then copy the entire Win XP CD to the C:\Windows\Cabs Folder on C:\ (only really need the i386 file but I always copy the whole CD anyway). This will be overwritten anyway, but will be installed from the files on the drive not the CD.

Now restart the computer w/ the Win98SE Startup Disk & the XP CD in the CD drive, at the prompt, type C:\ enter (C:\>)
type CD\C:\Windows\Utilities (C:\Windows)
type CD\Utilities (C:\Utilities)
type SMARTDRV (It will load SmartDrv
to memory and display a blank line, type SMARTDRV (enter), again and it will show you the Smartdrv status.

Cont.

by cglrcng9

Now you have a choice to install from the XP CD or from the copied files on the drive, choose the path you prefer, but I always choos from the copied files on the drive for safety).

type either your CD drive (F:\, G:\, H:\, etc.) or CD\C:\Windows\I386 (enter) (it will look like E:\I386> or C:\I386>)
Now type WINNT (enter) WinXP will complain if Smartdrv isn't loaded at this point (you MUST have SMARTDRV loaded. Choose the path to copy files from, CD or HD. Follow directions for setup of WinXP.

After the completition of XP setup an NTBootldr menu will be present (created by XP), allowing you to boot to either OS.

I then install the mobo and all other base hardware drivers to both sides rotating after each item of hardware is installed, but always booting into last OS I was in first to make sure the drivers & files finished their load job and the hardware item works properly. Then install firewalls & AV to both sides, run maint. like disk clean, drefrag, etc. Run both sets of Win Updates. Then install all programs to both sides. Then final cleanup & burn in.

Good Luck.

by cglrcng9

Sry, path to install files should read CD\C:\Windows\Cabs\I386 (enter), then WINNT (enter).

by cglrcng9

Should you get an error message later on a sucessive re-boot), that a file is missing (can happen on some systems), and the system will not boot, fire me an e-mail and I will send you the file post haste as an attachment. Only happens w/ some earlier machines I think.

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