Making XP ignore 98

[mitsubishi]

Hi I installed XP with 98 and now its broken.

I had 98 in the first gig. I wanted to install XP on the 3rd partition, but XP didn't like it, so it deleted it and created a new partition. First problem, its made it a logical partition, why would it do this?

Then I cloned 98 into the second partition with xxcopy.

To get to XP I have to boot the first partition, Xp has put a boot menu on its boot sector, then it has a go at booting XP, get as far as the blue screen with the XP logo and just stops. I think it was G: when I installed it, but its now calling it E:

I think I'm going to have to start again.

Does anyone have advice or free tools that work well?

What I need is something that can true hide partitions so XP install will completely ignore them? If I create my extended partition beyond where I install XP first, it will create a primary? Or are there formatting tools that XP likes (last time I did it, it worked fine, it just turned it from FAT32 to NTFS, must have done it different).

Thanks.

[Zxian]

It's much better to install XP from boot rather than from within another operating system.

The installer would create a logical partition because you can have a maximum of 4 primary partitions on a drive. Typically, any partition other than the first will be created as a logical parition.

In my opinion, you're better off wiping the drive clean and starting from scratch. If you need to access the files to back them up, you can use Knoppix (a live Linux CD) or you can transfer the hard drive to another computer and access it that way.

Once you've got the backup of all your files, put the XP CD into your CD drive and set the BIOS to boot from CD. When you get the option of where to install XP, delete all partitions and then create a new one to install XP on.

It will probably save you a lot of headaches in the long run.

[mitsubishi]

It's much better to install XP from boot rather than from within another operating system.

I never said anything about installing from 98? Like I said I want to have nothing to with 98

The installer would create a logical partition because you can have a maximum of 4 primary partitions on a drive. Typically, any partition other than the first will be created as a logical parition.

Yeah I know, thats why I wanted on the 3rd, the 4th would then be my extended. Last time it used the partition I made, this time it wouldn't. So why would XP want to create a logical partition when it can't even boot it?

In my opinion, you're better off wiping the drive clean and starting from scratch. If you need to access the files to back them up, you can use Knoppix (a live Linux CD) or you can transfer the hard drive to another computer and access it that way.

Everything is backed up, this was a full reinstall

Once you've got the backup of all your files, put the XP CD into your CD drive and set the BIOS to boot from CD. When you get the option of where to install XP, delete all partitions and then create a new one to install XP on.

See reply 1

I thought, apart from XPs crazy idea of installing its boot loader in HDA1's boot sector that it would be independant when installing from disk.

Or is it independant and its a drive letter issue? Does the drive letter need to stay the same?

I'm going to try wiping everything after my 2 98s and trying again. Last time I had all my other partitions in place and nothing broke.

Why cant windows be more like Linux....?

EDIT: OK I'm certain its a drive letter issue, its created a "program files" folder on HDA4 with subfolders. HDA4 wasn't even there when I installed XP

Edited October 4, 2005 by mitsubishi

[mitsubishi]

Whoops, I was forgetting to hide the partitions Guess that explains why XP got its teeth into 98. Ok just a coupla questions.

1) Does normal hiding work for the XP installer, or would they need to be true hidden, it does seem XP only screws with my active partition.

B) Once installed, I hide the partitions before XP (not TRUE) so they don't upset the boot process, then XP finds them once loaded? This is the right policy?

which stems to

2) The partition letters arn't important as long as XP has system and boot together?

B) And it doesn't matter that it can 'see' partitions in front of it?

Out of interest, what the criteria for lettering partitions? It seems different depending on which partitioning tool is used, I think some add lines, other rewrite the whole table?

Right now If I boot XP my partitions are in physical order:

H C E D

C is win98 and 'system', E is XP and 'boot'. My DVD drives are G&F. None were hidden on this boot, although 'H' was hidden on install.