Triple-Boot WinXP & Win98???

[FrogBait4]

I have WinXP and Win98/98lite set up to dual-boot, with two partitions on the same HDD on IDE1...

I added a 2nd bootable Win98 HDD to IDE2...

It shows up from the Explorer windows in both O/S's, but I'd like to add it to the boot menu...And boot from it, occasionally...

Is this possible?

If so, how?

[Bads]

I think you have just to edit the "boot.ini"

My computer--properties--advanced--startup (démarrage et récupération for me)parameters--default startup and click edit the boot.ini

You may try this

[FrogBait4]

Quote:

Originally posted by Bads 1@Dec 25 2002, 07:19 PM
I think you have just to edit the "boot.ini"

My computer--properties--advanced--startup (démarrage et récupération for me)parameters--default startup and click edit the boot.ini

You may try this

I found a link to the MS KB article -

hxxp://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;q289022

And by golly you are right...Editing the Boot.ini file is described...

...But it also describes using Bootcfg.exe, but it's not clear to me if you need to do both or just one...

...And to make it more complicated, my WinXP Boot.ini file is not the same configuration as the one they illustrate...

...But I will take a stab at it!...

[Dave]

You won't be able to add it to the boot menu.

The problem with trying to boot 2 versions of Windows 9.x is that no matter were you tell it to install certain boot files need to be put onto the root of the active primary drive.

The only good way I know how to do it is to use a third party boot manager like Boot Magic.

A couple possible work arounds if your not going to be doing it much might be manually hideing the old 98 partition with partition magic or maybe staring the second version of 98 from a floppy disk with an edited msdos.sys file.
Dave

[FrogBait4]

Quote:

Originally posted by DaveH@Dec 27 2002, 02:02 AM
You won't be able to add it to the boot menu...

Actually, I can add just about anything to the menu...It just won't boot into it... :P

My Boot.ini is different from all the ones in the MS KB and MSDN Library...

MS says it should look like this:

[start MS quote] This is a sample of a default Boot.ini file from a Windows XP Professional computer.

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

This is a sample of the above Boot.ini file after adding another partition running Windows 2000 Professional.

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windo ws XP Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNT="Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect [/end MS quote]


Now, here is *my* Boot.ini file -

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
C:\="Microsoft Windows 98SE"

If I try to edit my INI file to match MS's conventions, it won't boot into Win98, whether I'm trying to dual-boot or triple boot...

Just to clarify, I have Win98 and WinXP set up on one HDD, with a second HDD with Win98 on it. I'd like to add the 2nd HDD O/S to the boot menu, so I can boot that drive also. Both drives are stand-alone bootable.

In looking & printing out literally dozens of Triple-Boot articles, it appears that *all* the WinXP multi-boot articles at MS are re-badged Win2000 articles, just "updated" to WinXP...

...And my Boot.ini is not similar to any of them...

(whew, lotta writing...I need caffeine & sugar!)...

[Cactus]

I think your problem may lie in you partitions.

Just some questions: You first harddisk has two partitions right? The second partition (I guess containing WinXP) is it formatted FAT32 or NTFS?
And the partition on that second HDD, is it an pirmary or an extended partition?

Some explanation:
If you use FDISK to create partitions, you can create primary partitions, extended partitions, and logical drives on extended partitions. Extended partition can only be created on a disk if that disk already contains a primary partition. All clear? Primary partitions come before extended partitions. Your primay partition will always be C:, logical drivers of extended partitions will be D:, E: and so on.

Now when you add a disk, and use FDISK to create a partition on it, you'll have to create a primary partion first, it won't allow you to create only an extended partition. But because primary partitions always come first, the primary partition of the second harddisk becomes drive D:, and the logical partiotion (on the extended partition of de first HDD) becomes drive E:

This is only the case when booted with Win98 though, WinNT/Win2K/WinXP will keep the logical partition drive D: because it assigns letters in a different way.

Now if your boot.ini was

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
C:\="Microsoft Windows 98SE"

if should now look like

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
C:\="Microsoft Windows 98SE on the first HDD"
D:\="Microsoft Windows 98SE on the second HDD"

Tell me more about your partitioning scheme, and the sort of format you used if this info isn't enough for you to get it working . . .

[FrogBait4]

Quote:

Originally posted by Le Cactus@Dec 29 2002, 11:10 AM
I think your problem may lie in you partitions.

Just some questions: You first harddisk has two partitions right? The second partition (I guess containing WinXP) is it formatted FAT32 or NTFS?
And the partition on that second HDD, is it an pirmary or an extended partition?

Tell me more about your partitioning scheme, and the sort of format you used if this info isn't enough for you to get it working . . .

Le Cactus -

Thanks for replying!

This is info from FDISK & DriveImage 2002 -

My 1st HDD has 3 partitions

C:\ Part 1 Pri DOS FAT32 (Active)
Part 2 Ext DOS
E:\ Logical FAT 32

My 2nd HDD has only one partition

D:\ Pri DOS FAT 32 (Active)

The NTFS partition on HDD # 1 shows as a "Logical" partition under the Extended partition, but only in PQDI; FDISK doesn't recognize it (Win98 FDISK).

When I set this HDD # 1 up 12 days ago, it was set up on a 80GB WD HDD; two 37GB partitions, plus one 6GB partition. C:\ is active & Win98; WinXP is on Part # 2, Part # 3 is just FAT32 not active.

Under the dual-boot that WinXP set up, it works just fine. It's trying to add the 2nd HDD to the Boot.ini for a triple-boot that is hard for me to do...Mostly because the MS/MSDN articles have the different Boot.ini formats than my WinXP Boot.ini...

Anyhow, You are saying to add my 2nd bootable HDD to the Boot.ini menu, I should just call it D:\="Microsoft Win98" or C:\="Microsoft DOS" or C:\="Microsoft Win2000" or *whatever* MS O/S I have on it, and it should boot from it???

Because no matter what O/S, it will be an active stand-alone bootable O/S and will always be assigned D:\ in the Boot.ini sequence???

(I know enough not to add Win2000 with other drive "visable" because of Win2000 overwriting bootloader; but I may install it as stand-alone HDD and then add it to system under WinXP bootloader).

(Ummm...BTW: Shouldn't your sig be "safe" love???) :P

Edit: I tried adding formatted /s hard drive (no Windows), and it would not boot (it is MSDOS bare HDD)...

Does it matter if 2nd HDD with 3rd boot option is on IDE 1 or IDE2??? It would be Slave on IDE1 but can be master on IDE2...

[craftyc]

I don't think that doing "C:\Windows" will do the trick. Try doing "multi(0) ...". Also to me the MS stated boot.ini is very similar to the one FrogBait4 uses.

[Cactus]

Quote:

Originally posted by FrogBait4@Dec 29 2002, 09:23 PM
(Ummm...BTW: Shouldn't your sig be "safe" love???) :P

*lol* Yes it should! Thanks for that hint.

And yes, as long as the OS on the second HDD is a Win9X based OS, simply by adding a ling to the D: drive should do the trick. MS-Dos won't work, since it's not able to boot from anything but a C: drive. Win98 should be able to though.

If you boot from a floppy, and that first partition of the second HDD is drive D: that line should be enough.

If all else fails there is the possibity to dual-boot the Win98 system: First you choose between WinXP and Win98, and as soon as Win98 boots yoú choose between Win98 and a previous OS, witch i it's turn boots Win98 again.

[FrogBait4]

I guess I'm not making myself clear, what I am trying to do is add a bootable Win98 HDD to an already existing dual-boot HDD. The dual-boot HDD has Win98 and WinXP on two separate partitions, it dual boots just fine.

The 2nd HDD is a Win98 HDD, one partition.

I've been trying various ways to get the 2nd HDD/partition added to the boot menu and then boot it. I can add it easily enough, but it won't boot.

My Boot.ini does not use the multi(0) format for the Win98 (C:\) partition; it uses C:\="Windows 98 SE". I tried to change it to the described MS format; when I do, it won't dual boot.

Just thought maybe someone else had tried it and could tell me what I was doing wrong.

Both O/S's can "see" the 2nd HDD and I can use it, transfer files, etc, I just can't boot it as a triple-boot configuration.

I have Mozilla 1.2.1 on one HDD, and Netscape 7.01 on the other. WinXP has MSIE.

I like to compare all three, but as of now, I have to physically disconnect the 2nd HDD and boot it singly...

I imagine if I'd had it set up for 3 O/S's to begin with, XP would have cataloged them and I wouldn't have this problem.

Maybe next time...