Hi , What's a good boot manager to use? I got a new harddrive and I want to put winxp on it as a bootable partition and the rest for storage space. I got winme on my current HD with all my data on C:. I want to leave that as it is and just dual-boot.

You don't need a third party boot manager for that. All you do is carve out a system partition for XP on the new drive and leave the remainder for storage as you planned.

When you run the installation (XP) don't use the upgrade option but full install and point it to the system partition you've created on the new (secondary) HDD & your dual boot is done.

Computer Components

its fairly easy but you must first be able to get the correct PRIMARY partition and then the EXTENDED partition done unless you want the entire drive to be one partition. You must also decide whether you want to HD to be fat-32 or NTFS... if you dont understand these things YOU SHOULD NOT BE MESSING WITH DUAL BOOT OS's really - --- they read the files differently, AND it makes everything you do much more sesitive to you directions!!!

partitioning thread!
http://www.computing.net/cgi-bin/AT-search.cgi?mode=concept&search=partitioning&forum=WindowsXP&sp=sp&x=11&y=9

dual boot threads!!!
http://www.computing.net/cgi-bin/AT-search.cgi?mode=concept&search=dual+boot+os&forum=WindowsXP&sp=sp&x=34&y=10

seriously my sugestion would be is to take OUT the old HD install the new and most likely LARGER HD as your HD-0 (one) LOAD XP as your pri. OS. (it will take better care of ME than ME will of XP) and of corse you will likely have to double check all your hardware drivers when that's done - which if you are in need of any they can typically be grabbed online) AGAIN if you cannot do this you prob shouldnt be using dual boot..... ONCE this is done you can simply install your OLD HD as the second or HD-1 and still grab your old files onto the NTFS drive and do what you will with the ME and extra space :) Coverting it all to XP NTFS and getting out of ME all together SHOULD BE - WILL BE YOUR BEST BET. the fact that you are installing XP proves that WE are the last of the old school boys and we're getting s--- on now so I finally made the complete change over. I actually got to know ME so well that I NEVER have prob's w/ it hahaahahha no s---! I love it and hate the temperment of it.. but tiimes are such that you will soon no longer be able to get ANYTHING for ME so good luck..... Software companies are making this the reality.

"Time is Time and it's Slippin' Away, it's Passin' Us By, You're Wonderin' Why, but It's Gone... Gone Forever My Friend and it Won't Come Again so Don't Try To Pretend You Feel Fine Killin' Time."

I'm sure the original poster is overwhelmed with all of this, so just add the second hard drive, make sure it is jumpered as a slave drive (SL) and then install XP on there. It will install it's own boot manager and everything is really simple.

Is that better?

To make it a little easier (I hope)...just install the 2nd HDD as the primary slave. Partition it & format** it as you wish using the software that came with the new drive.

**NOTE: If you want to be able to read the XP files from WinME, use the FAT32 file system. WinME cannot "see" NTFS.

Once that's done, boot into WinME. Wait until all startup programs have loaded & the activity has stopped, then pop in the WinXP CD. A screen will popup asking whether you want to ugrade to XP & it will have (Recommended) next to it...DON'T DO IT! Instead, select ADVANCED & direct XP to install on the 2nd HDD. The rest is easy....

Thanks for the replys. Can I have both Fat32 and NTFS? I'm thinking of making my 160GB HD into 15/32/32 Fat32, and 81 NTFS. 4 partitions per drive, right? Tell me if this is ok ---- I run fdisk to make a primary partition for winxp(actually repartition, because the drive came preformatted as a single fat32 partition), and format it. Then I install winxp on it. Then boot winxp, and use it's program to make the fat32 extended partitions, and NTFS partition.

Hey, lets pick up discusion where we left off...OK?