Boot from 2 discs

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Guest

I have installed XP on my C drive and also on my second hard drive, for games etc, to keep them separate. However I am not getting an option to boot into my D drive at start up. I have read all about dual booting in the articles and it does not seem to either apply or make sense to a novice. Can someonse please help or do i need something like OSL boot that I had when i was running 98SE?
 
7/24/2004 9:44:02 AM


<[email protected]>


I have installed XP on my C drive and also on my second hard drive,
Click to expand...
for games etc, to keep them separate. However I am not getting an
option to boot into my D drive at start up. I have read all about
dual booting in the articles and it does not seem to either apply or
make sense to a novice. Can someonse please help or do i need
something like OSL boot that I had when i was running 98SE?



I would say the problem stems from Windows only allowing one bootable
partition. You probably need some type of multi-OS booting software
to make this work (ie System Commander from VCOM (http://www.v-com.
com)).

If someone else knows how to do this without software, then I will
stand corrected...

Hope this helps!
 
Hi, ba'heid.

There are two ways to set up dual-boot: the Microsoft way and the
third-party boot manager way. I know nothing about third-party solutions,
but I've been using the MS way for several years, with varying combinations
of Windows versions, hard drives and partitions, so that's what I will
discuss.

No matter how many HDs you use or how many partitions, Windows always starts
the boot from the Root of the System Partition, which is almost always the
first primary partition on the first physical drive, which must be Active
(bootable). This is almost always C:\. The NT-style boot sector for this
partition loads C:\NTLDR, which reads C:\boot.ini to locate the various
copies of Windows on your computer's drives, and then C:\NTDETECT.COM finds
the copy you've chosen, loads it and starts it running.

Each installation of Windows creates is own "boot folder" (\Windows, by
default) on whichever volume (primary partition or logical drive) you choose
on any HD in your computer. Setup creates (or updates) C:\boot.ini to point
to that location (using HD and partition NUMBERS, not LETTERS).

So, your computer will always start in C:\, but will branch from there to
D:\Windows (or X:\Windows in the 3rd partition of your second HD - or
wherever you choose) and load and run Win98 or the second (or 5th) copy of
WinXP from there.

No third-party solutions are needed, unless you choose to use a different
system.

RC
 
Thanks Robert this is what I thought.

ba'heid
Robert Smith said:
7/24/2004 9:44:02 AM


<[email protected]>



for games etc, to keep them separate. However I am not getting an
option to boot into my D drive at start up. I have read all about
dual booting in the articles and it does not seem to either apply or
make sense to a novice. Can someonse please help or do i need
something like OSL boot that I had when i was running 98SE?



I would say the problem stems from Windows only allowing one bootable
partition. You probably need some type of multi-OS booting software
to make this work (ie System Commander from VCOM (http://www.v-com.
com)).

If someone else knows how to do this without software, then I will
stand corrected...

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
 
Thanks

I can see the D drive in explorer but i can't run window xp from there. Your reply would seem to indicate that i should. Can you tell me how to do it?

TIA

ba'heid
 
Hi, ba'heid.

No, you can't switch between Windows installations without rebooting. WinXP
is not a program that runs within a second WinXP; it's another operating
system and can be used only by booting into it.

When you boot into WinXP on C:, you can use D: for applications and data,
just like you can use E: or X: or any other volume. And when you boot into
WinXP on D:, you can use C: as a data drive. When you are booted into C:,
the C:\Windows folder is your "boot folder", but D:\Windows is "just another
folder". Each WinXP installation is independent of the other, but each can
access the files on all drives. Unless, of course, you, as Administrator,
restrict the use of files and folders by using permissions and policies.

RC
 
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