I have a P1 100mhz 36mb RAM PC boot up by DOS6.2 running as a Netware 3.12 server connected with 5 workstations running netware client from Win95. Recently, I got a P2 350mhz 64mb RAm 10Gb HDD PC with Win98 to take over as 3.12 server. Have partition HDD into 40/60. Intend to use 4Gb as standalone PC with Win98 when 3.12 network is shut down. This partition properly installed and bootable. When installing 3.12, install software cannot recognise partition with 6Gb free space. Warn that 'The active partition on the HD is not a DOS partition'. Disregard warning, continue the installation process, assigned IPX number, files copied, filename format selected, after answer 'No' to 'Do you want to load server from autoexe.bat?', the screen flashed then read 'Insufficient memory to run Netware 386 (requires at least 3 MB of extended memory)'. How can this be? I have 64MB RAM. Please help! Hope I don't have to give up Win98, to boot from DOS6.2 in order to make NW3.12 work.

You don't have to give up Windows 98, but you will have to boot from a DOS partition as the Windows 98 memory manager will not work with NetWare. One solution that would allow you to have both operating systems is to use a boot manager such as supplied with Partition Magic or an old OS/2 boot manager. You would then have 4 partitions: 1 - A Boot Manager (16 MB or less) This has to be a primary partition 2 - DOS 6.22 (50 MB minimum) This has to be a primary partition The 6.22 operating system must be installed in this partition before NetWare 3.x can be installed. This will be the DOS boot partition for NetWare. 3 - Windows 98 (4 GB - size of partitions 1+2) This has to be a primary partition 4 - Empty partition to be used by NetWare I don't remember whether this has to be a primary partition or an extended DOS partition or simply left as free space. I would first try leaving it as free space and then see if NetWare uses it. The NetWare SYS volume would end up in this partition. It may be that the largest single partition you can make will be 4 GB given the partitioning software that you use. You would then at boot up time select to boot from the DOS 6.22 partition (making it the active boot partition) when ever you wanted to run NetWare 3.12. Also note, that you will probably have to later set the memory parameter to tell NetWare to use any memory between 16 MB and 64 MB.

Thank you Marc for your reply. Where to find a copy of the mentioned boot manager? I will try adding the new partitions to the existing partitions. Hope it will work. If not, seems like I have to delete existing partition made by Win98 and use DOS6.2 or Netware supplied DR DOS to make the partitions. Then re-install everything with Win98 in one of the partitions as you suggested. Will revert later.

Partition Magic will let you move your Win98 partition around the place and create up to 3 primary partitions-you won't need to delete 98 at all. The space for Netware you leave unpartitioned entirely- Netware will recognise massive disks out of the box. You can probably buy it online-can't remember where- but it was a very good £40-worth