Topic: duel boot question 2 seperate HD

[JNT]

I've been running Win 98 for a while now and recently installed XP Pro on a second HD.  For the time being I'm going to use both OS so I need to be able to switch between the 2.

My plan was to change the boot order of the drives in the bios durring startup to determine which OS would load. The problem is when the boot order is set for XP to load I get an error message.  Win 98 loads fine when it is selected.  The only way I can boot XP is by pulling the cable for the 98 drive.  This solution works but is less than convient.

Acording to my computer savey friend this is an issue with XP and is Microsoft's attempt to prevent people from running duel boot with another OS, Linux for example.  

Other than one of those HD selector switches is there another way to fix this?

Thanks,
Joe

[JNT]

Anyone have any thoughts on this before I buy a hard drive switch?

Joe

[leegeddy]

joe;
if you really have to have w98 and xp as dual boot, i'd put them on the same drive.  you'd have to go into your bios and change boot sequence everytime if you had them on 2 separate drive letters.

for example; if your boot sequence is like this:

floppy
cdrom
c: (w98 is here)
e: (xp is here)

you'll need to change boot sequence when you want to boot to xp.

but if you had xp on c:, then you'll be fine.

also, if you don't really need w98, i'd just get rid of it.

marc

[Cooker]

nonsense. this should work just fine, i have two machines where i have the exact setup you described, one with 2000 server and one with 2000 pro, both also have XP, and both have them on separate drives. when you installed XP it should have added a line to the boot menu for 98... do some more research, you may just have to edit the bootmenu and/or fdisk your MBR

FWIW you can't load linux with the windows bootmenu, you have to use loadlin or lilo. windows bootmenu will only work with M$ OSes.

[JNT]

joe;
if you really have to have w98 and xp as dual boot, i'd put them on the same drive.  you'd have to go into your bios and change boot sequence everytime if you had them on 2 separate drive letters.

for example; if your boot sequence is like this:

floppy
cdrom
c: (w98 is here)
e: (xp is here)

you'll need to change boot sequence when you want to boot to xp.

but if you had xp on c:, then you'll be fine.

also, if you don't really need w98, i'd just get rid of it.

marc

Marc,

So you are saying the way I have it set up now should work? I've changed the boot sequence but unless I pull the cable on the win 98 drive xp wont load.

The OS are already installed on the drives and I don't plan to reinstall them.  Windows 98 will be going away soon.  I will slowly be moving to xp for everything.

Thanks,
Joe

[JNT]

nonsense. this should work just fine, i have two machines where i have the exact setup you described, one with 2000 server and one with 2000 pro, both also have XP, and both have them on separate drives. when you installed XP it should have added a line to the boot menu for 98... do some more research, you may just have to edit the bootmenu and/or fdisk your MBR

FWIW you can't load linux with the windows bootmenu, you have to use loadlin or lilo. windows bootmenu will only work with M$ OSes.

Thanks, I'll google for information on editing the boot menu. I have Linux installed on a seperate drive currently not in my computer.

Joe

[Cooker]

search your pc for the file bootmenu. should be in the root dir of your c drive, if i remember correctly.

[hexyjones]

Uh...you did set the HD jumpers correctly?...one drive should be "Master" (XP) the other should be set as "Slave" or "cable select" (98)

Just let the XP boot manager do the rest...

[Simp-Dawg]

i'm pretty sure if you are loading a dual boot machine with xp...xp must be the first os installed or else it has problems.  so reload the os on xp without the 98 drive on, then do 98.

[macdaddy]

let us know how it works out, ....

____

still on-topic - how about this...

I have a c:\ drive formatted with win98 that I do NOT want to mess with. can't I just install linux from the cd-r iso to a newly installed drive..?

would the linux drive have to be d:\ (slave on the same cable as the win98 c:\ drive), or could I have it be another drive, like say f:\, as the slave on the same cable where the DVD drive is the master..?

thanks.

[Scooter]

i use a prog called XOSL.  It works awsome for dual booting.  No boot menu editing needed.