Hello there. I have ONE hard drive, this hard drive has 2 partitions, a NTFS and a FAT32. On the NTFS partition there is Windows XP Pro SP2 installed and it must stay exactly where it is now. What I want to do is install Windows ME on the FAT32 partition.

Problem is, everytime I attempt to install Windows ME, I get a "message SU0013" error which does not allow me to proceed with the installation.

After some testing, I came up with the conclusion that Windows ME won't install (at least not without trickery) on a working/active FAT32 partition as long as a NTFS partition remains in the same hard drive.

Is there a workaround that would allow me to install Windows ME on the FAT32 partition while keeping the NTFS one intact?.

PD: I'm not insterested in hearing anything about dual-booting and the like, I have that covered already, focus on the installation problem.

Thanks in advance :)

"I'm not insterested in hearing anything about dual-booting and the like"

But isn't that what you're trying to do...create a dual-boot setup with XP/ME?

Generally, the older OS should go in 1st & the C: partition MUST be FAT32. But since your HDD is setup @ss-backwards with the C: partition as NTFS, it's not possible:

http://www.petri.co.il/install_wind...

But you could use Microsoft Virtual PC:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/pr...

"But isn't that what you're trying to do...create a dual-boot setup with XP/ME?"

Sometimes, when 2 or more OS' are installed in the same HDD, boot menus may not work correctly or at all, and I wanted everyone to ignore such scenario when replying to my post as I'd know what to do about it.

"http://www.petri.co.il/install_windows_98_after_windows_xp.htm"

Useless link.

"http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/virtualpc/default.mspx"

I could, but I'd rather not, it's too slow for what I have in mind.

You will need a 3rd party boot manager like XOSL:

http://www.ranish.com/part/xosl.htm

How can that possibly be of any help?

?? Windows ME by default wants to install the ME Base Files on the C Partition, this is a hangover from MS-DOS, Windows ME can not read the C: Partition because it is NTFS Formatted.

By using a Boot Manager Windows ME will not realise that you have a NTFS C: Partition and therefore will be able to install to the D: Partition. Unfortunately you will have a GUI Boot screen to choose what O/S you wish to load.

GOOGLE what we have all stated and you will find similar answers and other work-arounds, but a Boot Manager is easy and simple solution. ??

Edited: lol. forget that, it's not worth it :p

So you basically mean this program would allow me to hide the NTFS partition to fool the Windows ME installation into thinking the FAT32 partition is the only one?, if so, would I be able to unhide the NTFS partition from the boot menu (once ME has been installed of course) so XP can be accessed again?

Maybe read the XOSL web page ??

Maybe refrain from suggesting an application whose official documentation does not have anything to say about the problem you somehow believe could solve?

I'll ask the question anyway...what is the exact reason why you can't format and reinstall an ME - XP dual boot set up?

If you don't like the answers you're getting, maybe you should refrain from asking questions. Either that or be sensible about what you're trying to accomplish.

You cannot do what you're proposing with an NTFS C: partition...you either have to use MS Virtual PC (which you apparently don't want to use) or a 3rd party boot manager. A boot manager has been recommended, now you have to read up on it to see if it will fulfill your needs. This statement, "would I be able to unhide the NTFS partition from the boot menu (once ME has been installed of course) so XP can be accessed again?" suggests that you don't know how a boot manager works, so maybe some research on your part might be in order?

BTW, why was the link I posted in response #1 "useless"? The 1st couple of sentences back up what you're being told:

"Drive C: must be FAT16 or FAT32 to be able to install Windows 98 after XP is already installed. The 98/Me installation routine cannot write to an NTFS partition"

Here is a COMMERCIAL Boot Manager with full support:

http://www.v-com.com/product/System...

"I'll ask the question anyway...what is the exact reason why you can't format and reinstall an ME - XP dual boot set up?"

Because my Windows XP has been extensively modified and tweaked for performance and has too many programs installed that work with non-default settings. Reinstalling and setting up all that would be somewhat complicated and time-expensive, also, my DVD burner died thus I can't even burn an image of my XP installation and write it back into my HDD.

"If you don't like the answers you're getting, maybe you should refrain from asking questions"

If you (anyone) don't have the answers, maybe you shouldn't bother with people's questions.

"A boot manager has been recommended, now you have to read up on it to see if it will fulfill your needs"

I did and it doesn't offer any info relevant to the subject.

"suggests that you don't know how a boot manager works"

Maybe you could explain how it works and what I'd need to do (in detail) in order to accomplish the task instead of assuming I didn't read the official documentation or exhausted the goods of a search engine. If I knew and comprehended it all, I wouldn't be here.

"why was the link I posted in response #1 "useless"?"

Because it didn't help, in fact, it doesn't even explain it properly. You see, I used to have a test computer with one hard drive. This hard drive had 2 partitions (FAT32/C:, created first and NTFS, created later), but no OS was ever installed in any of the partitions. When I'd attempt to install ME on the FAT32 partition, which was set as the active partition, I'd get exactly the same error (message SU0013). The logic?, it has nothing to do with XP being installed after or before, it's the sole existence of a NTFS partition in the same HDD as the FAT32 what apparenlty keeps ME from installing.

Did you bother to research the SU0013 error message?

"Error SU0013
Setup could not create files on your startup drive and cannot set up Windows. If you have HPFS or Windows NT file system, you must create an MS-DOS boot partition."

"Did you bother to research the SU0013 error message?"

Did you bother reading what I wrote?, the answer is there. Anyhow, even if I hadn't done the research, a short explanation for the error can be found in setup.txt from the Windows ME CD.

Glad you found the answer yourself, cheerio!

"Glad you found the answer yourself, cheerio!"

I already had the explanation for the error before I posted here, but the answer as to what should be done with these boot managers in order to execute what's been suggested as workaround (in case possible) is still pending.

"Because my Windows XP has been extensively modified and tweaked for performance and has too many programs installed that work with non-default settings. Reinstalling and setting up all that would be somewhat complicated and time-expensive, also, my DVD burner died thus I can't even burn an image of my XP installation and write it back into my HDD."

Well you're talking XP here, you can back most things up using FAST - that's what it's for. ....which leads me to the most important part - I wouldn't make any move to do anything, until you have a burner and/or some method of backup.

...and I'll tell you now, what you want to happen, won't happen for the reason you've already stated - you have an NTFS partition with XP on it installed first, sat in the way. No way round that, no matter how you spin it.

http://www2.arnes.si/~fkomar/xosl.o...

Found by GOOGLING

"Well you're talking XP here, you can back most things up using FAST - that's what it's for. ...."

What I do and don't to backup my files is a matter ultimately extraneous to the problem being discussed here.

"...and I'll tell you now, what you want to happen, won't happen for the reason you've already stated - you have an NTFS partition with XP on it installed first, sat in the way. No way round that, no matter how you spin it"

I kind of figured that out from the borderline generic, incomplete, evasive and even offtopic "answers" posted in here. I gave everyone the benefit of the doubt hoping for actual help, and all I got in return was boot manager fiction.

Thanks anyways.

"What I do and don't to backup my files is a matter ultimately extraneous to the problem being discussed here."

Actually it's very pertinent to how you would proceed to get out of your "dilemma". But hey, you know it all. I'm sure you'll figure it on your own.

"Actually it's very pertinent to how you would proceed to get out of your "dilemma"

Not quite. Apparently (according to "No way round that, no matter how you spin it") all there's left is repartitioning and reformatting, and the method I could use to backup my system would have no effect on that since what's actually important is having no NTFS partition in the HDD when attempting to install Windows ME.

true to a point, but with your "extensively modified and tweaked for performance XP" voodoo you have going on there. There's a painful reinstallation and there's a less painful reinstallation path which you could do in a relatively short time.

But none of it's applicable for the reason already stated.

I never really had problems backing up my entire system and getting it to run afterwards.

What I always do is burn every single file on the HDD to a DVD from another OS and then copy/paste everything back into the HDD after it's been properly partitioned and formatted. The relative challenge came with backups for systems originally installed in a drive different to the destination drive, but that's easily taken care of by modifying a few path lines here and there.