Dual Boot - W2K Pro Install - Inactive Partition

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rich
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R

Rich

I'm running a Win2K Server and wanted to add Win2K Pro to
the same partition for dual boot purposes. The basic
reason to add Pro is for backup and other programs
compatible with Win2k Pro but not with Win2k Server.

But, I can't install Win2k Pro. The Win2k Pro setup tells
me that the partion is "Inactive (OS/2 Boot Manager)" and
that Windows 2000 cannot recognize the partition you
selected". Even if I wanted to, it will not allow me
to "delete" the partition.

Any thoughts on getting around this?

Thanks,
Rich
 
Try removing the boot manager first. Always best to install operating
systems on separate partitions.
 
Sounds like you have the OS2 BM installed. If so, its small partition is
active and other partitions it can cause to boot are marked bootable.
With disk manager you should be able to inspect the hard drive and tell
whether the OS2 BM is present (and perhaps discover another large
partition currently unused and marked hidden. The OS2 BM partition is
typically 4MB and typically resides at the beginning or end of physical
drive space.

If the former only is true, you can make the W2kServer partition active
and proceed with the W2kPro install. You will have taken the OS2 BM out
of the boot process.

If both the former and latter are true you can install W2kPro in the
unused larger partition (if it's large enough), which on the whole is a
much sounder idea.

I forget the exact details, but I recall that there was a problem
installing W2k on a machine with OS2 BM already installed; W2k diddled
with the BM, making it inoperative. So you may be in for a surprise,
even the discovery that there's another OS or 2 on your system that you
didn't know about.
 
Dave;

Thanks! Rich
-----Original Message-----
Try removing the boot manager first. Always best to install operating
systems on separate partitions.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft MVP [Windows NT/2000 Operating Systems]

Rich said:
I'm running a Win2K Server and wanted to add Win2K Pro to
the same partition for dual boot purposes. The basic
reason to add Pro is for backup and other programs
compatible with Win2k Pro but not with Win2k Server.

But, I can't install Win2k Pro. The Win2k Pro setup tells
me that the partion is "Inactive (OS/2 Boot Manager)" and
that Windows 2000 cannot recognize the partition you
selected". Even if I wanted to, it will not allow me
to "delete" the partition.

Any thoughts on getting around this?

Thanks,
Rich
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