Best method to get Win98 + Win2K dualbooting on FAT32

po0k

Don't know if this has been asked before, but here goes.....

I low-level-formatted my HDD (kinda paranoid that FDISK and FORMAT don't do enough), created one big partition, formatted it as FAT32, installed win98SE.
set my BIOS to boot from CD, popped in the WIn2k, installed though the DOS-a-like blue screen (coincidence?) onto my FAT32.
Happily found that there was an automatic OS chooser.
Booted into win2k to find it was very unstable.
Win98SE was also unstable.
Spent the next 8 hours low-level-formatting and installing Win2k on NTFS.

Is there a better way to do this?
I can't play a few games on NT that I'd like to play across my lan (to a Win98SE machine).
I forget whether I'd installed SP2 or not before it got unstable.

LoGiE

I've have dual boot set up on my machine using bootstar.
win98 and w2k are both on ther own HD but that doesn't make a difference as i've used one HD for both before. Like yourself I use win98 to play games with another win98 machine.
I've found both OS to be really stable with no crashes in w2k and the odd one in 98. maybe you should give bootstar a try..
http://www.star-tools.com/english/


Forgot to mention that w2k lives on a fat32 formatted drive

po0k

Yeah, I was thinking about buying a 60-80GB hdd soon enough, and using my curren 30GB Maxtor as a holding place for mp3s and stuff. With boot star would I be able to plop win98SE on the 30GB (primary slave or seconadary master drive most likely) with out any hassle?

Ronan|Raven

The way I managed to get 2k and 98 on my pc was to create two seperate partitions using partition magic, set my win2k partition as hidden, and set my new win98 partition as active.

Rebooted the PC having a win98 start up disk in the floppy drive, followed a few prompts inserted the 98 cd installed it to the new partition, configured it etc.

I then used the Boot disks I had made for Partition Magic to reboot up my machine and I set my 2k Partition as active.

Installed Bootmagic and bam select whatever OS I want.

This was prob a daft way to do it but it worked.....

amen

since you like format your disk so much
format into 3 paritions
2GB for Win98
min 2GB for win2k (go for 4)
rest for a shared data drive
install win2K first
Now pop your win98 cdrom in reboot and it should install on your nice clean parition

You should really get Win2K SP1 as well or SP2 (althought this does some funny things)

If you want to play games make sure you have the lastes
MS Win2K games compatibility patch. Its on support.microsoft.com somewhere

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

po0k

I think I'll just get a second hard drive and install win2k on it.
Or linux



Thnx

LoGiE

i had two disks 3GB and 30GB
set 3GB To master then installed 98 then put it back to slave. Booted up with w2k on 30GB HD installed bootstar adjusted the settings and that was it. very easy

amen

SP2 does some funny things..

If you are running a server with several componets in Com+ and using integrated security to access those objects from a client machine you may find that you need to specify an Interactive user for the objects package. Didn't need to do this under SP1.

I've also noticed that if you try and remotely shut down a SP2 system that is locked it doesn't actually shut down the system

sceptre

Originally posted by SyxPak
Don't know if this has been asked before, but here goes.....

I low-level-formatted my HDD (kinda paranoid that FDISK and FORMAT don't do enough), created one big partition, formatted it as FAT32, installed win98SE.
set my BIOS to boot from CD, popped in the WIn2k, installed though the DOS-a-like blue screen (coincidence?) onto my FAT32.
Happily found that there was an automatic OS chooser.
Booted into win2k to find it was very unstable.
Win98SE was also unstable.
Spent the next 8 hours low-level-formatting and installing Win2k on NTFS.

Is there a better way to do this?

Stop low-level form atting for s atart - think of how much time you'll save. Withoug being stroppy, what exactly do you think you're gaining by doing in your HD?

On a lighter note, don't ever install 98 and 2k on the same partition (or 95 and 98, or XP and 2000, or well, you get the picture). It's not rocket science as long as you follow the simple "not on the same partition" rule. Boot utilities are great but if you're looking for something simple, just let Windows do it.

Boston

http://www.3dspotlight.com/articles/dualboot/index.shtml

its an excellent guide to dual booting, its now i first learnt

po0k

slight problem with the url UBB code there boston

[:)url=http://www.3dspotlight.com/articles/dualboot/index.shtml]Full Giude to OS Dual Booting[/url:)]

I think the only option is to get a second hdd.
I have a SCSI connector and two IDE connectors free.
Just need a cheap 10GB+ hdd.
Might get another one and pop Linux on it

sceptre

Originally posted by SyxPak

I think the only option is to get a second hdd.

Might be the best or handiest option (particularly if you're low on space) but certainly not the only option. My laptop (all one HD) has a 3gig Win98 partition (fat32)for playing games, 8 gigs for XP(ntfs), bits left over for two Linux partitions and a free space for crap partition(fat16). Does it for me.

Gavin

A partition tends to be the easiest and the cheapest and the most common. Waste of money buying a new harddrive if you have space on the other one.

And as others have said, never put two microsoft os's on the same partition.

Gav

po0k

I'm starting to feel the strain of the 30GB. Too damn small.
I'll be getting another one soon enough so I might aswell just leave it till then

Krusty_Clown

I have Win98 and Win2k happilly co-existing on the same partition, on two PCs and a laptop, using the Win2K bootloader..

The only real problem is a shared \Program Files folder. No real other issues. Are you sure your instabilties are coming from the dual-boot nature, instead of a piece of HW for which you may not have the latest/greatest driver?

Admittedly, I dont use any of these PCs for

Here's another useful useful information source: Ars Technica - Multiboot Microsoft OSes

Saruman

I agree with Krusy... i have them working on one partition fine on many a PC... But at the end of the day you are always better with a second partition, less hassle when it comes to apps.. i.e always wanting to install in program files and then doubling up etc.. The OS itself though should not be unstable on a single partition..

Usually it works fine....

Anyway If you plan on actually using bot OS's then a second partition os the best way to go.. Or if you are buying a new hard disk then even better.. have one drive for each OS.