Ok, I will be formatting and reinstalling Windows 2000 Pro in a few days (Starting to have some system problems, and I am upgrading my hard drive, and I'd prefer a clean install of 2k.) - Anyways, after I install my new hard drive, I am hooking the one thats currently in here up as slave, I want to install 2k on my new drive, and 98SE on the drive thats in here now, I know I can't use the NTFS file system (I plan on formatting both drives using FAT32.) - However, how would I go about setting up dual boot? (I want Win2k first, and then 98SE, not 98SE and then Win2k.) I want it so that say, I start my PC up and it gives me a option to boot to 2k or 98se (Like the windows startup menu?) and after a delay, it will automatically boot to 2k, I found a tutorial, but first I want to make sure its right before I attempt to do it, heres the tutorial (And any tips you may have on this is greatly appreciated.): http://www.winnetmag.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=8312 - it seems fairly simple, I figure I'll do that, and then configure and update 2k (I have all the updates saved to disk, including SP4.) and reinstall all of my programs and restore my backups, and then boot to 98SE and configure and update. Does this sound like it will work?

Hi,

You're about 99% of the way there.

2k will set up a dual boot for you if you install 98 first. But not vice versa.

M2

Current drive = '98 (set as Master); you want that drive to be Slave to a new W2K Master and have a dual-boot???

Presuming so then you "will" have problems with path statements for '98 - when its drive is in Slave position... '98 was installed with its path references to c: - now it will be d: or whatever... '98 will not boot - if its current drive is Slaved... Using an add-in boot-util may allow you to overcome it but I'm not totally sure about that...

Leaving '98 as Master to the new drive (set as Slave) and installing W2K to slave posn will preserve all path statements for '98 - and allow dual-boot (with default OS to boot option as you wish). However if '98 drive is significantly slower than the new W2K (Slaved) drive then the newer (Slaved) drive will be obliged run at access/rates of the older '98 (Master) drive... This may or may not be an issue you can live with???

Presuming you do go with '98 as Master to W2K Slave then it's relatively simple to set it all up. Preconfigure/preformat the W2K drive using a '98 bootdisk (Fdisk/format utils). Then run W2K setup as per norm; point it to install to Slaved drive posn. W2K will deposit its boot/start-up files ino the '98 c: root - the actual OS (system files) will go where you point them (on W2K/Slaved drive). The dual-boot will be established automatically - and (by default) W2K will set itself as default OS to boot.

Preconfigure the (Slaved) W2K drive to have both Primary and Extended partitions; Primary for OS etc., Extended for shared data.

If you really want to have newer drive as Master then you could transfer/copy '98 to that drive - using utils provided by the new drive's manuufacturer? It would go into the Primary partition (the drive would have to be preconfigured to have at least two partitions (Primary/Extended). Ideally again you would have a (third) shared partition (a logical-drive) for data, and W2K would be in the first logical-drive. Then you install W2K as per norm.

Once dual-boot established, simply use current '98 drive for data. You could leave current '98 installation intact - although it won't be bootable, or delete it as preferrred.

Need more input/clarification - post back?

As MechanixtoGo has suggested you are most of the way there. Install 98 first on whichever HD you prefer and then install Win2000 from within win98. Windows will create the bootlog file to give the choice of OSes. Win2000 will be the first choice on the menu by default but the order can be changed from within Win2000. The 30 second default time can also be shortened.