help wanted

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jagdish Chandra
  • Start date Start date
J

Jagdish Chandra

Last time when I had problem with boot.ini.file, newsgroup was of great help
to me.
Please help me with my problem this time also.
My comp config is P-4, 40GB partitioned in C: D: & E: drive with Windows xp
Pro.
Now I have a 10GB hard disc, which I would like to utilize for installing
window 98. As I have spare disc with me I dont want to load 98 version in
the older disc.
Last time I tried to use my spare disc by disconnecting the old one I had
boot.ini problem.
Can I simultaneously use both the disc without disconnecting the other one
from the system?
Is there a provision for using separate power and cable connector for the
other disc so that I dont have to connect and disconnect every time I want
to use the other one?.
Kindly guide me.
 
Last time when I had problem with boot.ini.file, newsgroup was of great help
to me.
Please help me with my problem this time also.
My comp config is P-4, 40GB partitioned in C: D: & E: drive with Windows xp
Pro.
Now I have a 10GB hard disc, which I would like to utilize for installing
window 98. As I have spare disc with me I dont want to load 98 version in
the older disc.
Last time I tried to use my spare disc by disconnecting the old one I had
boot.ini problem.
Can I simultaneously use both the disc without disconnecting the other one
from the system?
Is there a provision for using separate power and cable connector for the
other disc so that I dont have to connect and disconnect every time I want
to use the other one?.
Kindly guide me.
Click to expand...

You could use a boot manager for this. When the computer starts, the boot
manager appears asking which operating system you want to run.

With third party boot managers, such as Boot IT NG
(www.terabyteunlimited.com), you can install the operating systems in any
order.

Windows XP includes a mechanism that enables multi-booting. However it is
intended that the older operating system is already installed and then XP
is added to the setup.

How To Create a Multiple-Boot System in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;306559

MVP Doug Knox has a workaround that may work for you. Pay special attention
to the caveats he mentions if you decide to try his method of retrofitting
Win98 onto an XP system:
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_repair_9x.htm

Another alternative to consider would be using Virtual PC to create a
"virtual Win98": http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc/default.mspx
 
I think you are talking about installing in same hard disc.
I want to install in another hard disc available with me.
What I want to do is to run both the hard disc from same CPU.
Now I can do it by disconnecting one hard disc and connecting the other.
I want to run the disc alternately, as and when I want, without
disconnecting one or the
other.
 
See below.
--
Bob Noble
www.sonic.net/bnoble
Jagdish Chandra said:
Last time when I had problem with boot.ini.file, newsgroup was of great
help
to me.
Please help me with my problem this time also.
My comp config is P-4, 40GB partitioned in C: D: & E: drive with Windows
xp
Pro.
Now I have a 10GB hard disc, which I would like to utilize for installing
window 98. As I have spare disc with me I dont want to load 98 version in
the older disc.
Last time I tried to use my spare disc by disconnecting the old one I had
boot.ini problem.
Click to expand...

This should not happen if you set the jumpers on the new drive the same as
the old drive. You would have an empty drive and have no boot.ini. You would
have to boot from a floppy startup disk to load win98.
Can I simultaneously use both the disc without disconnecting the other one
from the system?
Yes.

Is there a provision for using separate power and cable connector for the
other disc so that I dont have to connect and disconnect every time I want
to use the other one?.
Click to expand...
Yes, there is usually another power plug or you can get a Y connector to
extend if you have to. There is a posibility of having four IDE drives on
the sytem. So, you have two cables in there with two sockets for a drive on
each.
If you only have one cable, you should have another socket for the other
cable which you can purchase if you don't have one. Otherwise, you need to
learn about jumper settings on drives. There is cable select which you can
use if your computer supports it, or you will have to use Master, slave or
single if it doesn't. Jumper settings are everything when you want to mess
with drive installations. Do some research on jumper setting for hard
drives. If the drive doesn't work when trying to install it, it is likely
jumper settings, provided you hooked up the data cable properly.
 
Hi,

Right, because only one of the disks can be the active boot drive regardless
of where the operating systems are installed. To boot Win98, the active
drive has to be using FAT32. Your WinXP system likely is not, so even if you
add Win98 to boot.ini, it will not load from it. This is why using a boot
manager may be the answer. It will become the active boot loader, then you
can choose which operating system to load from it. It will handle the
necessary adjustments.

An alternative solution is to change the BIOS boot order when you want to
change operating systems. This gets to be a bit tedious if you frequently
switch, though it does no damage to do so. Another alternative is to use
something like VirtualPC and run Win98 from within your WinXP installation.
For me, this is the easiest way.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Jagdish Chandra said:
I think you are talking about installing in same hard disc.
I want to install in another hard disc available with me.
What I want to do is to run both the hard disc from same CPU.
Now I can do it by disconnecting one hard disc and connecting the other.
I want to run the disc alternately, as and when I want, without
disconnecting one or the
other.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks a lot for all of your helping suggestions.
But I think Bob got to the crux of the problem, which cleared some of my
doubts regarding use of multiple disc from same CPU. I will indeed be
grateful if you further clarify my doubt regarding following points:
You have written:
(a) 'You would have to boot from a floppy startup disk to load win98.'
Can't I boot from cd rom drive to load win98.'

(b)'There is cable select which you can use if your computer supports it, or
you will have to use Master, slave or single if it doesn't.'
Will be very much thankful if you further elaborate this point.

Further I would like to partition my 10GB hard disc into two parts for win98
and Linux. Can I do that?
Thanks and regards.
 
I think you are talking about installing in same hard disc.
I want to install in another hard disc available with me.
What I want to do is to run both the hard disc from same CPU.
Now I can do it by disconnecting one hard disc and connecting the other.
I want to run the disc alternately, as and when I want, without
disconnecting one or the
other.
Click to expand...

No, I'm not talking about installing on the same hard disk. I'm talking
about ways that you can switch between operating systems that will be more
convenient than connecting and disconnecting your drives.

I see in a later post, you are considering adding Linux to a partition on
one of your drives. There are also Linux boot managers available.
 
Back
Top