dual os dilema

[vetplus40]

My new Soyo wouldnt work correctly with XP,so I reverted back to good ole 98.After a while I decided to try again.I bought another 60 gig hdd,and intalled xp on it as "D" drive,so I could experiment without messing up my 98 set-up.Now the pc locks up.I'm guessing both are trying to boot,but I am unsure what I have done,or howe to fix it.This is evidentally over my level of understanding....Help...................lol...

If ya don't ask..How ya gonna know.

 

[jlanka]

can you get the boot menu if you press F8 after POST?

<i>It's always the one thing you never suspected.</i>

 

[vetplus40]

When it boots it goes into the safemode screen,but when I press any of the options it just hangs up.The floppy light stays on,and nothing happens.It would appear that Windows does not play well with itself.I had no idea this was gonna be so much trouble.
When I hit a safemode option,the pc hangs on the scandisk screen.F8 doesn't appear to do anything.I sure thought that I could install ME on "D" drive,and everything else would be fine.......Learned something........lol

If ya don't ask..How ya gonna know.

 

[Crashman]

There's an option in Setup to either replace the current OS or add the new OS. If you add the new OS you get a boot loader screen that ask you which you'd like to use.

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[vetplus40]

Thanks for the help.I'm gonna try ME this time,since I had the same MB issues with it as I did XP,and now XP is giving me a error,maybe something wrong with the cd.I will see if ME will give me the same option,and try it that way.
Is there anything fundamentally wrong with what I am trying to do? All I want is to be able to load the os that had the issues with my Soyo,and get them worked out,while keeping a good working os at the same time.
I deleted XP off of the new drive,and reloaded win 98 on the old one,so I am back to where I originally started....Thanks again.

If ya don't ask..How ya gonna know.

 

[Crashman]

ME is nothing more than 98SE with bugs and flaws added.

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[jihiggs]

dont forget headaches

how do you shoot the devil in the back? what happens if you miss? -verbal

 

[vetplus40]

Thanks for the vote of confidence.Since I dont have 98se,I'll have to tough it out.How about my fundamentally question? Was my bright idea not so bright?

If ya don't ask..How ya gonna know.

 

[Crashman]

You have 98 reloaded and working fine, correct? You can install XP as a second OS, and the bootloader will allow you to select which you would like to use.

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[vetplus40]

Thanks........I guess a Windows/Linux dual boot is probably more common that what I was trying to do.I'm now getting errors from my xp cd,when it rains it pours............lol
Is the bootloader part of XP?........

If ya don't ask..How ya gonna know.

 

[Crashman]

Yep. In fact, I had a Pentium 133 system I tweaked and overclocked to 267MHz (using a 233MMX chip), with 384MB of PC133, a 40GB main hard drive, and an 80GB second drive, that I was using for a server under Windows95. I added Windows XP because 95 has a problem with out of socket errors when used as a server. When I set it up, I added XP to Windows 95, installing it on Drive D. The bootloader was automatically installed.

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[vetplus40]

I'm guessing that if the bootloader is part of XP,then if you try a win98/winME dual boot idea,you would need possibly a third party bootloader type software? My understanding of the intricacies of dual booting is weaker that I thought it was.Man,do I miss the old dos syntax days.I could make it do anything......

If ya don't ask..How ya gonna know.

 

[Crashman]

I still do things in DOS. Anyway, I've never seen a bootloader for 9x, so my guess is it would be a third party software without some version of NT (2000, XP) to install one.

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[DaveP]

<A HREF="http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q306559" target="_new">How to create a multiple boot system in windows XP</A>. Does this help at all?

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[DaveP]

Also, I had a problem with the system hanging on start up. Just as you described. Turned out to be an incompatable video card or something, I really can't remember, but it was hardware related. This "video" card was not compatable with XP, but worked perfect with 98. Just an idea.

<font color=blue>GOD BLESS THE U.S.A.</font color=blue>

 

[vetplus40]

Thanks for the link and the info.For some reason,I always forget about checking the Microsoft site for information.I still am a bit foggy about how it all transpires,but I'm getting enough feel for it that I think I can survive.......Thanks.

If ya don't ask..How ya gonna know.

 

[vetplus40]

It would appear that since 98 is an upgrade of 95,and ME is similar to the point that all 3 use the same .ini file,then I could feasibly tap into the power cable to the respective drive,install a front panel (in an open drive slot)and simply toggle which drive that I wanted to boot from.Probably more work than I want to do,but seems as though it would work anyway.........

If ya don't ask..How ya gonna know.

 

[Crashman]

Yes, you could do that. In fact, you could load both drives individually if you want to and wire an old three wire "turbo" button to switch the master and slave assignments of the drives, and set BIOS to boot off "C" with autodetect, so that it would boot off whichever drive you made master with the switch. A standard toggle would work in the same way.

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[Crashman]

BTW, that would be a DP toggle.

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[vetplus40]

Well my XP problem ran into another snag.I have a bud at work that made me the copy of XPthat I was playing with.When I tried to load it again,I get a "set-up has caused a error in kernal 383.dll".Maybe its some kind of hidden copy protection,or a limit on how many installs you get.If its not one thing,its another............lol


If ya don't ask..How ya gonna know.

 

[vetplus40]

Okay,I am still not where I need to be.
("If you want create a multiple-boot system by using Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me along with Microsoft Windows XP, you have to format the boot volume by using FAT16 because Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows Me do not support the NTFS file system.")...From the xp help site.

Also,the instructions there imply that you are using both o.s on a single partitioned hard drive.
I have xp on the master,and 98 on the slave.
I followed the instructions about setting the default o.s.,and seconds to default,but there was no option for using 98.I am not sure how I messed up,but xp loads just fine,but it never gives me an option to use 98..Any thoughts?????

If ya don't ask..How ya gonna know.

 

[Crashman]

YOu have to have FAT on a drive, yes. I've always set up 98 first. 95B, 98, etc can use FAT32. There's some rule about two partitions on a drive (I think FAt partition has to go first), but this shouldn't affect you if you're running two drives.

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[vetplus40]

"but this should affect you if you're running two drives".
Did you mean to say Shouldn't instead of should?
I never saw a set -up option that addressed any boot order.What am I missing?.

If ya don't ask..How ya gonna know.

 

[Crashman]

Right, sorry.

OK, normally when I install XP on a 98SE machine, it will set it up on the "other" drive or the "other" partition, ie the one not used for Win98.

You should be able to select the second drive for use under Win98 when you run Win98 Settup. I don't know if the boot loader is automatically added or not, but I do know it iw when things are done the other way.

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[vetplus40]

Since I first had ME on the second drive,it would have been formatted with fat32 so that shouldnt be the problem anyway.Where,and how the bootloader comes into play is where I am in error.I have never seen it,nor have I been prompted about it.I'm guessing it might look something like the "safemode type screen"?,and display the contents way before you get to the Windows "start-up" music?,but this is only a guess.
One thing jumps out at me,you did a fresh install,where as I did an upgrade.This may have got you the bootloader option.The only problem with that procedure is that it doesnt factor in if you have another o.s. on another physical drive....

If ya don't ask..How ya gonna know.<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by vetplus40 on 10/27/02 06:11 AM.</EM></FONT></P>