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Problem with multiple boot menu


ectavares

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If W98 was installed first and then WXP, the contents of boot.ini residing in C: drive can not be as that which you posted unless they were subsequently edited.

Is there a file "Bootsect.dos" in the root of C: drive? If so, that is the boot sector file I mentioned in my previous post. If there is, then you can just use this in place of xxxxxx.xxx in my previous post. If W98 and WXP are installed in this order, the boot sector file is automatically created and placed in C: drive when WXP is installed.

Editing boot.ini is neccessary to use NT boot manager for selecting W98 or WXP IF the second OS is installed in another PRIMARY partition AND the second OS installation is made independently of the first.

kaz

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By using Windows Explorer, can you see a drive where W98 is installed? If so, what is the drive label? C: or what?

Navigate as right-click My Computer -> Manage -> Disk Management, then look under Status. You will see "(System)". Do you also see "(Boot)" at a different location under Status?

Post partition information which can be obtained as follows:

Insert W98 Startup disk and start the PC to boot to DOS.

Execute FDISK at command prompt.

Select 4 in the displayed list being "Display Partition Information".

Then partition information will be displayed. The heading will be as follows:

Partition Status Type Volume Label Mbyte System Usage.

Post What are under these headings.

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Explain in detail how did you install W98, especially about how the drive letter became D:.

I am waiting for your post for the Partition Information.

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Please answer the following questions:

1. Provide detail of how W98 was installed especially how drive letter became D:

2. Partition information. See my previous post how to obtain it.

3. Is there a boot.ini file at the root of D: drive?

4. Post copy of Disk Manager display. The following is an example(My laptop pc).

post-34-1083502569_thumb.jpg

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i assigned it to D: myself.. there were 2 freshly formated partition, D: for w98 as i made it smaller in size, and C: for xp

theres no boot.ini with w98's drive

Partition Status Type System

C: A Pri Dos Fat32

D: Ext Dos Fat32

post-34-1083572541_thumb.png

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Now, I see the whole picture. Here are your options to resolve the problem:

1. This option requires starting from scratch: Install W98 in C: drive, then install WXP in D: drive. That is it. You will see OS selection menu durring boot-up process, and select one you want to boot.

2. This option avoids reinstalling WXP but lot more complicated works involved:

To do the following you need hard disk utility such as Partition Magic.

1) Resize the extended partition to make free space between the primary partition and the extended partition.

2) Create a new primary partition using the free space and format in FAT32.

3) Set the new primary partition active.

4) Boot to W98 Startup FD and install W98 in C: drive.

Now you have WXP and W98 each is stand alone installation.

To switch one OS to another I use boot manager utility called PQboot which comes with Partition Magic. Changing boot OS can also be done by switching acive partition using FDISK from W98 to WXP, and using Disk Manager of WXP from WXP to W98.

To use the boot manager which is built in WXP, you need to create a file of W98 boot sector using one of the Windows Support Tools which is called dskprobe.exe. The setup files for the tools are in WXPCRROM\Support\Tools. The tools have to be installed to use. The boot sector file created need be stored at the root of WXP drive, and boot.ini file is edited using the name of the boot sector file.

If you want to pursue setting up NT boot manager which will display boot option menu as 1. above, Which requires creating W98 boot sector file, post to that effect.

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