Using a previous version of windows in tandem with XP

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

I have a number of games and other bits and pieces of software (such as the game "Black & White") that will not run under XP, even in compatability mode. To combat this I want to have a working copy of a previous version of windows such as 98 so I can use my software. How would I go about doing this? If I attempt to install 98, will XP prevent it? Ideally what I'm looking for is a situation where my pc asks me what OS I want to use before it boots up. Is this possible? Will I need to make a new partition for the other OS? Advice and assistance please.
 
Hello George,



Yes, you are correct. You should create a new partition and give your self
the Dual Boot option. From my experience, this has been the best option for
optimal performance.



Let me know if you need instructions on how to have a dual boot between
Windows 98 and Windows XP.



Thanks,



Gurjot


--
Please do not send e-mail directly to this alias. This alias is for
newsgroup purposes only.

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
OR if you wish to include a script sample in your post please add "Use of
included script samples are subject to the terms specified at
http://www.microsoft.com/info/cpyright.htm"



George said:
I have a number of games and other bits and pieces of software (such as
Click to expand...
the game "Black & White") that will not run under XP, even in compatability
mode. To combat this I want to have a working copy of a previous version of
windows such as 98 so I can use my software. How would I go about doing
this? If I attempt to install 98, will XP prevent it? Ideally what I'm
looking for is a situation where my pc asks me what OS I want to use before
it boots up. Is this possible? Will I need to make a new partition for the
other OS? Advice and assistance please.
 
George said:
I have a number of games and other bits and pieces of software (such as the game "Black & White") that will not run under XP, even in compatability mode. To combat this I want to have a working copy of a previous version of windows such as 98 so I can use my software. How would I go about doing this? If I attempt to install 98, will XP prevent it? Ideally what I'm looking for is a situation where my pc asks me what OS I want to use before it boots up. Is this possible? Will I need to make a new partition for the other OS? Advice and assistance please.
Click to expand...

Yes you will need to create a separate partition for Windows 98 and
then install it there.

In order to do this without destroying your existing Windows XP
installation you will need to use a third-party partitioning utility
such as Partition Magic (www.powerquest.com) or BootItNG
(www.bootitng.com).

Both of these also include a boot manager program that will allow you
to select the desired operating system when you start the computer.
BootItNG is less expensive than Partition Magic but is not quite as
user-friendly, especially for users who are not familiar with disk
partitioning.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."
 
George said:
I have a number of games and other bits and pieces of software (such
as the game "Black & White") that will not run under XP, even in
compatability mode. To combat this I want to have a working copy of a
previous version of windows such as 98 so I can use my software. How
would I go about doing this? If I attempt to install 98, will XP
prevent it? Ideally what I'm looking for is a situation where my pc
asks me what OS I want to use before it boots up. Is this possible?
Will I need to make a new partition for the other OS? Advice and
assistance please.
Click to expand...

Your hard disk likely is full of the existing 98 partition and can't be
used to create a new partition for XP without buying a partition/boot
manager program (which might be a good idea anyway) to shrink your 9x
partition and create a new XP partition.

If you need to buy a new hard disk for XP, then unplug the old disk
before you install XP on the new disk. That way, all the boot loader
files for XP will end up on the XP disk and you will be able to boot XP
to the C: drive.

You can boot either 9x or XP by choosing your boot device in the BIOS
setup. If that is a PITA, then buy a boot manager like BING
(www.bootitng.com).

If you already have XP and want to install 98, then buy a new drive or
use an old one and reverse the directions above.
 
Greetings --

The simplest way I've found to dual boot between Win9x and WinXP
would be to partition your drive(s) roughly as follows:

C: Primary FAT32 Win9x/Legacy Apps
D: Extended NTFS WinXP/Modern Apps

Adjust the partition sizes according to your actual hard drive(s)
size and the amount of space you'd like to allocate to each OS and its
applications.

Create the partitions using Win9x's FDISK so you can enable large
disk support (FAT32). (No need for 3rd party partitioning
utilities/boot managers and their frequent complications.)

Install Win9x first, being sure to select "C:\Windows" (or
D:\Windows, if you prefer) when asked for the default Windows
directory. When you subsequently install WinXP, be sure to specify
"D:\Winnt" (or "D:\Windows," "C:\Winnt" as referred/applicable) when
asked for the default Windows directory, to place it in the other
partition. The WinXP installation routine will automatically set up a
Multi-boot menu for you. The default settings for this menu can be
readily edited from within WinXP. NOTE: If you elect to place Win98
on the "D:" drive, you'll _have_ to leave the "C:" drive as FAT32.

This method can be adapted to using 2 physical hard drives by
placing the boot partition (C:, which still must be FAT32) and either
of the operating systems on the Primary Master hard drive, and the
second operating system on the second hard drive.

It is also possible to have a 3rd partition for shared
applications, but it would be necessary for such a partition to be
formatted in the common file format (FAT32). The applications would
also have to be installed into each OS (to ensure proper system file
placement and registry updates), one at a time, but the bulk of the
program files could be located on this common partition. I do not,
however, actually recommend doing this as, if you were to uninstall
such an application from one OS, you may not be able to gracefully
uninstall it from the second OS, having already deleted crucial
installation data during the first uninstall action.

Just about everything you need to know (URLs may wrap):

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q217/2/10.ASP

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/gettingstarted/multiboot.asp


Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH


George said:
I have a number of games and other bits and pieces of software (such
Click to expand...
as the game "Black & White") that will not run under XP, even in
compatability mode. To combat this I want to have a working copy of a
previous version of windows such as 98 so I can use my software. How
would I go about doing this? If I attempt to install 98, will XP
prevent it? Ideally what I'm looking for is a situation where my pc
asks me what OS I want to use before it boots up. Is this possible?
Will I need to make a new partition for the other OS? Advice and
assistance please.
 
Back
Top