cannie

Even when my question was not very specific, as jaclaz says, I have found the answer to one half of my intended question, that is: I must use "bootsect /nt60 C:" to build the boot sector of a cloned copy of Windows 7 installed in a different primary partition and, of course, the old methods to build the boot sector of cloned primary partitions of Windows 98 or Windows XP The other half of my question, more correctly posed, would be: Is it possible to have Windows 7 and Windows XP or Windows 98 in different primary partitions of the same HD, and to use the Microsoft doubleboot screen to switch to the older OS? And if it is not possible, is there any other way for doing it? I hope I've explained it more clearly now. Thank you, jaclaz, e-t-c and dencorso for your hints! I think your answers are very, very useful not only for me but also for many users who have felt the security and freedom that doublebooting means. Cheers.

Before trying it myself and to avoid loosing my time, given the great level of experience of many members of this forum, I would like to know if it is possible to use fdisk / mbr and bootpart.exe to create the mbr/pbr when using Windows 7, and also if it the Microsoft doubleboot screen appears by itself as usual when you install Windows 7 after Windows XP or Windows 98. Thanks!

Corrected omission at paragraph F1 in the first post (added "Copy all the boot floppy files to the CD root using the Nero windows"). HTH

Slight changes in the contents and improvement in the shape of the first post. Included a quote about the posible need of modifyng BIOS before using the DOS boot floppy. HTH

Maybe you find something useful here: http://www.msfn.org/board/create-easily-se...er-t118623.html HTH

Trying to make the first post better: essential improvements in the shape, some text corrections, three new paragraphs, color titles and different font sizes to make the text "lighter" for any reader, taking into account that after so many succesive additions it became considerably complex. Greetings. HTH

In the wish of being helpful to XP visitors of this forum who otherwise would presumably never find it because they never look into the Windows 98 section, I leave here this link connecting to a long ago opened tutorial thread, after introducing into its first post, which collects and resumes many member's contributions, a new paragraph in which it is explained how you can implement a cloned copy of Windows XP at a free primary partition of the same HD and make it work instead of the original, using as instruments a DOS boot floppy provided by the XP file manager and a "Live CD" downloaded from the Internet, no need of any specific Windows 98 material at all: http://www.msfn.org/board/create-easily-se...er-t118623.html (Paragraph H) HTH

Improved the text edition of the first post using colors to separe more clearly the concepts for a better comprehension. Several corrections in the text concerning the possibility of using the interactive mode of fdisk in all cases, to help newbies who don't know the partition number of the cloned XP unit before running DOS. HTH

Hi bizzibody! The subtitle of this thread mentioned by jaclaz is "using Windows 98 to clone, maintain, repair and rebuild Windows XP". It means a different approach to your idea, by installing Windows 98 first and XP afterwards. You can use XP as main OS, of course, using a reduced Windows 98 only for maintenance operations. It allows you to make active a cloned copy of any of both OS using another partition of the same HD or another HD unit. HTH

Even when it is wholly operative, at present I use Windows 98 only to clean, clone and rebuild Windows XP, using the dual boot screen of MS, and it's the best support I could ever imagine for it.

Some corrections into the first paragraph and also into paragraph B1, and a change in the subtitle to "using Windows 98 to clone, maintain, repair and rebuild Windows XP", for an easier understanding. Some minor improvements of the text in other points. HTH

I edited throughly that post, hope everything is clear enough now. HTH

Paragraph G modified, improved and renamed to HOW TO REBUILD TOTALLY YOUR HARD DRIVE. Several minor corrections in other points. HTH

Rebuilt the last paragraph "What to do if everything fails" to correct some detected omissions which could mean problems for newbies. Also improved the text in several other points for a better help to users. HTH

Taking into consideration that the boot CD is only used when the OS fails, the F3 option of building a boot CD using the doubleboot screen has been removed because F1 and F2 options are considerably more secure. Paragraph A has been rebuilt for better results, and also the redaction of the initial paragraph has been corrected and improved. HTH

Modified paragraph A to include the option of cloning Windows 98 not only into a different unit into the extended partition but also to another primary partition by simply using XXCOPY.EXE, introducing also several improvements in the redaction of the text for a better understanding of it. HTH

Paragraph C4 has been rewritten into C7 and C8 to include the use of Deltree.exe under Windows XP and in order to a better understanding. HTH

Concerning floppy drive cleaning procedures, maybe you find funny and also useful to know what happened to me during a weekend, about one year ago . The CD drive stopped working. I thought that the device head was dirty. I didn't have anything at reach to clean it, but the home vacuum cleaner. Well, I opened the CD tray and held the vacuum cleaner tube end just against the center of it, then I switched it on at full speed and kept sweeping for a couple of minutes. It seemed like a miracle: the CD worked again and it still keeps working OK one year later, no problems at all and no need of anything else. So I think: if the only problem is accumulated dust at the floppy device head, the home vacuum cleaner could be a solution. After this excellent and unexpected experience, if I ever have this problem the vacuum sweeper will be the first thing I'll use, before trying any other solution. HTH

Modified paragraph G.- WHAT TO DO IF EVERYTHING FAILS, to beware against the possibility of omitting the hidden boot files when rebuilding the primary partitions. It may happen very easily because the hidden files are not shown by the XP explorer unless you configure it properly, and if you don't see you can't copy them. HTH

Hi, dencorso! A very helpful program for any Windows user. I've included your suggestion in the C4 paragraph of the first post, just under the precedent one. Cheers.

Being very interesting for any user who has two HD units, I've included the precedent suggestion of yours into the paragraph C4 of the first post. Thank you once more, dencorso!

Applying this idea to the XP cloning procedure described at paragraph C of the first post, it would be excellent if your hardware allows you to create the XP2 clone into a primary partition of a second HD in order to switch to it in case of failure of the first HD.

OK. The text has been corrected in the first post. Thank you!

Modified paragraph C4 of the first post to include this advice.

Maybe it is convenient to say that, even when you can install both OS in the same main partition, if you have an XP cloned second primary partition you need to copy/paste Windows 98 into it in order to use it from any of both. You can avoid the need of such a double copy by installing Windows 98 in any logical drive into the extended partition. This way, after building the mbr/pbr for both XP units you only need to keep the Windows 98 boot files and the option in the boot.ini file in the root of both primary partitions in order to use the Microsoft doubleboot screen. Doing it this way you can even delete all files into both main partitions without formatting any of both, and defragment them afterwards, before rebuilding both XP OS from a clean copy previously saved into any unit of the extended partition, or into a .rar or .zip file saved on CD. Remember that you should never format any primary partition while using Windows 98 from the extended partition! You would destroy the mbr/pbr and the computer would not work any more, no matter if all files have been perfectly rebuilt. If it ever happens to you, as it once happened to me, you must rebuild the boot sectors as described in the first post (reboot using the DOS boot diskette and run "Repair.bat"). HTH