Dual Boot question. Anyone?

[Guest]

Hi all. I want to install both win98 se and win2k prof, on different partitions. I have one HD 8.5 GB (5400 Rpm) and one HD 20GB (7200). The goal I have is to install win2k on 15 GB of the big HD and the other 2 partitions will run Win98 (5GB of the 7200rpm HD and 8.4 GB 5400rpm HD). I want to have the 7200rpm HD as primary so it will start up faster. I'm thinking of proceding with the following procedure:
Installing Win98 at the fast 20GB HD. Then making a 15GB NTFS primary Partition on the disk using Partition Magic (I think I will have to be limited to 2GB at first and will (?) be able to change it afterwards (?) - and in fact Partition magic has a limit of a 8GB primary NTFS partition... but its just a warning so we can make it bigger (?)). Then plug in the small HD (8.4 GB). Then inserting the boot Win2k cd and setup Win2k - from there choosing to install Win2k at the 15GB HD partition.
Please I want to know if this would work. Could someone tell me if this works and what exactly I should be carefull on, and any other comments would be welcomed.
thanx in advance
stark

Blue Skies Bring Tears

 

[Guest]

anyone?

Blue Skies Bring Tears

 

[Guest]

i dont think its that none of us wnats to answer your question, amigo. its just that we see this exact question several times a week. i think if you do a search on this forum under 'dual boot' you'll get all the answers you need. cool?

ignore everything i say

 

[ejsmith2]

Well, there's a few options.

Use win2k boot 'feature', system commander, partition magic, bootstar.

Maybe you'll have to change your partition types too.

 

[Lars_Coleman]

I would install both OS's on one hard drive by installing Win98 first followed by Win2000. Then I would use the other hard drive for data storage with a Fat32 filesystem so that both Win98 and Win2000 can access it ...

<font color=red><b>"Can you deal with that!"</b></font color=red>

 

[NickM]

Best suggestion.
(The only one that has sence, in my oppinion. Sorry, stark427, can't find any reason to invent anything else different).

And don't install the fast HDD and the slow one on the same IDE.

 

[Guest]

Thank you all guys. I appreciate it.
Antivirus, yeah you are right. I should have first done a search. I will try to do the dual boot OS installation, and will come back.
stark

Blue Skies Bring Tears

 

[Guest]

If I were you, I'd install the OS's on seperate disks. There are possible problems that are hard to recover from with both on the same disk. If you want my opinion, probably don't, but win98 sucks!!! 2k is much better! Alot of people say that you can't play any good games on 2k and that performance is bad. I found that to be false. Every newer game I've tried worked on 2k, even if it didn't say it would, and performance is great! win2k handles memory and processing much better than 98, and it doesn't crash as much as the ill-fated windows98...

 

[Yahiko81]

I like 98 for older games but I run 2000 and haven't really had anyproblems. Much better stability.

<b>Change the sig of the week!</b>
Don't fake the funk on a nasty dunk!!

 

[Bames_Jond]

I think you are right. Windows 2000 is just as good as Windows 98 for gaming (if not better). The only thing you need to make sure of is that older games you want to play can be played under WinNT. If they are playable under WinNT you can almost be certain that they work on W2K. I know that Need for speed 3 and 4 do not work under Windows 2000 but I don't know if theres a patch for it somewhere on the internet.

<== StarCraft is not just another computer game ==>

 

[Guest]

Well, there are some reasons I want to have WIN98, too. One is the problems SB!LIVE 5.1 has with Win2K, the other is some great old DOS games I have.
stark

Blue Skies Bring Tears

 

[Bames_Jond]

Problems with SB Live 5.1??? I have the Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 Platinum. No problems there! What is the problems I might ask? The only difference between Windows 98 and Windows 2000 SB Live! I have noticed is that the output from SB Live! to my amplifier is much higher on W2K than on W98. That is not a bad thing since the output level on Live! cards is very low due to the fact that there is no amplifier on the cards.

 

[Guest]

Ok. Its easy to say ...words when you don't have a problem, but the fact that YOU don't have the problem does not mean that no one has it, or that everyone who has the problem (SB!Live 5.1 and Win2k) is stupid! Right?
I think you know there is a problem for at least a 50% of the people who own a SB!Live and Win2k, so don't jump to easy words and things like "what problem?". No bad feelings on this. Just explaining....
Oh and for the eyes of everyone who still plays it cool, here are some of the billion references of the problem. I even have threads for the solution of this bug (!) :

1. make a "search" here at Tom's Hardw. under the subject "Win2k and SB!Live 5.1"

2. This is the suggested solution - which brings other problems - but generaly works... : http://trix.mine.nu/html/ac3.html

3. Here you will find more than 25 threads about this:
http://www.3dsoundsurge.com/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi

Anyway. I think the above is not really needed. There is indeed a problem. This doesn't mean that it occurs to everyone, but there is. You seem to be lucky, but believe me not everyone is as happy as you.
Thanx for the reply, though. Maybe I should shut up, install Win2k and see if I'll have a problem. But on the other hand, I want to have the solution, before the "disaster" comes to my face!. This would be better. Right?

p.s. I've also mentioned that I want to run old Dos games. So, I never compared the two OSs. I think Win2k is superior to Win98.

stark

Blue Skies Bring Tears

 

[Bames_Jond]

Sorry man if you minsunderstood me there! I am not saying you are stupid or think that noone has problems with SB Live! 5.1. I was interested in your problem and wanted to know what it was all about! I did not know there was a problem with SB Live 5.1 or any other Live! cards. I have installed and configured 3 computers with Windows 2K and SB Live! None of them showed any problems with the sound card. As a matter of fact I have never heard about problems with Sound Blaster cards except in the old days with the IRQ's and all that. I'm not saying you are stupid or that anyone else is stupid. I was just very interested in your problem since I have never heard about it before. Take it easy.

About those old MS-DOS games don't you think you can find them on some abondon software websites where they have been converted to Windows platform? Have the games been released on Amiga or C64 cause then you can download an emulator for W2K and then run them through that. Since I still don't know anything about your SB Live 5.1 problem I can't help you very much. I do think that it would not hurt to install Windows 2K since there is not any drivers in W2K for SB Live 5.1. The card would just be deactivated until you install the drivers for it.

 

[Bames_Jond]

I have looked at the links you gave me and many people seem to have the problems you are talking about. I have plucked out a few sentences from the posts concerning SB Live! 5.1 like you say you have.

"The bulk of the issues are with the original Live! (not the newer 5.1) and faster chipsets (KT133A, i815, i850). A 5.1 should give you far less trouble."

"Roj is correct the majority of the issues are with the original Live! cards (CT4xxx-series) not the 5.1 cards (SB0060). I've never heard of the install error you describe. Did you install the drivers from the driver CD that came with the soundcard? Are you 100% sure that it is a Soundblaster Live! 5.1 you have? Take a look at the board, top right corner. It should read Model: SB0060. If it doesn't the vendor has given you a wrong card and you should return it immediatley."

"So that's is. My SB Live! is working flawlessly with my VIA 686b southbridge. Everything works fine with both Windows ME and Windows 2000."

Many have problems with the SB Live! card. I did not know this. All in all after reading the posts i think with all the help on these pages you should be able to solve it. I hope it works out for you!!

 

[Guest]

First of all sorry for the way I reacted. Although I'm still surprised you didn't know about the probs.
Anyway. I should be more clear, and say that the probs are with the spdif - out. Which means that you have a SB!Live 5.1, but you don't have 5.1 sound, when watching a DVD movie - for example.
This is a reason why I will install Win98, too. For games and Watching DVDs, and all the crap. For serious work I wanna have Win2K, which I love. Thanx for the reply.

p.s. The IRQ problems seem to exist for the guys who have a VIA mobo chipset, I think. I had an ASUS Via mobo but I have switched to Intel - which gives me a headache with the memory (problems installing 2x256 MB)
Anyway, thanx

stark

Blue Skies Bring Tears

 

[Bames_Jond]

Ok follow me here and pretend i've got a good idea!
If you are still interested in the DOS games try and find out whether or not the games can be found and run with a emulator for Windows 2000. If not try running them in Windows prompt (might work by a chance of 0.00001 %)
If you get the games up and running then theres only the SP-DIF connector. I don't understand why the connector on SB Live! 5.1 do not work!?!?! Anyway how about investing in a MPEG decoder card, which runs under Windows 2K? I got Realmagic Hollywood+ running under Windows 2000 with a Pioneer 10 speed DVD. Runs perfect. The cards cost minimal money about 50 bucks or so (600 DKr. 1$ is 11 DKR.). You can get a remotew for it that costs about 10-15 bucks. The card contains a passthrough from the monitor, SPDIF connector for 5.1 DTS and AC3 and a SVHS/ Composite jack. Quality is much better than software MPEG decoding.
The DVD will work under W2K, i think the games is possible and all new games runs perfect under W2K. Boom you run completely under W2K without having the dual boot installation. Think it over its worth the while. Atleast it would be my primary choice, but it's totally up to you. A dual boot system would most likely also run good. Good Luck man!!!

 

[Guest]

U seem to be a nice guy. thanx for the replies. I'll see what I'll do
stark

Blue Skies Bring Tears

 

[Guest]

I second that stability thing.