Presently I have Me on partition c: and xp on partition d:. How would I replace my windows ME with windows 98? The reason is that I only have a recovery cd for ME but have the full version of 98. Having problems getting everything working right with ME after installing it with recovery cd. Thanks

It is possible to format your C drive and instal 98 then repair the dualboot. I composed this for restoring ME/XP dualboot but it will work for 98 just the same. substitute 98 where you see ME. Make sure you have your XP Instal CD as well as 98. Format your C drive using a 98 bootdisk. Instal 98 and then do the following: "Here's how to do it. Boot up into ME. Insert your XP disk into CD-ROM but do not load Just exit the XP setup and leave the disk in the drive. Next use Explorer to locate the following files in the I386 folder of the XP CD: NTLDR and NTDETECT. Copy these two files to the root directory of your C drive. Next you will need to create a file called READ.SCR using notepad and save this file also in root of C drive.and run debug command in MS DOS to create a new bootsect.dos file. the contents of READ.SCR as follows: L 100 N 0 1 N C:\BOOTSECT.DOS R BX 0 R CX 200 W Q N in the first row is replaced by number corresponding to drive letter of the dos partition where ME is loaded. 2=C 3=D 4=E. In my case 2. To run the program open MSDOS and type: debug read.scr press enter. To verify the success check the C root directory and you should have a new file called BOOTSECT.DOS Lastly you need a new BOOT.INI file. Copy the following into notepad and save it as BOOT.INI also in the root directory of your C drive: [boot loader] timeout=30 default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS [operating systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect C:\="Microsoft Windows ME" If this Boot.ini file does not work for you then there's another way to recreate the file. After completing all the other steps except the Boot.ini file restart your system with the XP disk in. when prompted press R for recovery. Setup will detect your existing XP install and you should log in using admin password. Once logged in type FIXBOOT press enter, answer Y. Then type FIXMBR press enter, answer Y. Remove XP CD, reboot. Your dualboot options should be restored.

" How would I replace my windows ME with windows 98? " Boot to XP; locate/delete the ME folder from the drive, also the ME boot/start-up files, and the bootsect.dos. Defrag the partition where ME was instaleld. Reboot with the standard '98 boot-floppy and install '98 in place of ME (i.e to same drive/partition); or you can boot via the '98 CD and install '98 that way - providing your '98 CD is bootable... You will (should) now boot only to '98. Run any one of assorted recovery routines to restore access to XP, recreate a bootsect.dos, and complete the dual-boot. The recovery/repair routine in post #1 is essentially the routine in Doug Knox's XP tips... A possibly easier approach - as you have to recreate the boot-sect.dos (and it can be a little labour intensive/daunting for "some" folks) - is to run a temp (parallel) install of XP (after installing '98) as: c:\temp\winnt-t Abort/cancel it at first reboot and remove all disks. You will (should) now boot to an XP boot-menu listing the original XP, the newly installed '98, and the aborted/cancelled XP installation; the latter will be set as default OS to boot. Boot to original XP, and set it as default OS to boot. Locate/delete the c:\temp\winnt-t folder from the drive. Also any folders/files that start with the $ symbol. These latter items are temp items created/used during the NT family OSs setup; normally deleted automatically upon completion, they have to removed manually this time... Edit out reference(s) to the c:\tenmp\winnt-t version from the boot.ini. Reboot- again to verify you can boot to '98 via XP boot-loader; and also still to original XP. Presumng so, empty XP recyle-bin, and then defrag the partition where the temp XP was installed. Job done. Running a parallel/temp install as above, allows XP to automatically recreate the bootsect.dos (required for '98 to boot via XP boot-loader); thus you don't have write/create it manually. It also rewrites the mbr to XP version. The reason for deleting the previous bootsect.dos (derived from the ME installation) is so that a new bootsect.dos (derived from the '98 installation) 'can' be created via XP set-up. The gurus advise that if a bootsect.dos already exists (be it safe/sound/OK, or even corrupted) then an additional one cannot be established... M$ however "seem" to imply otherwise? Were you to reformat c: (to lose ME) it would mean you lose the XP boot-files too, and thus have to run the full blown fixboot/fixmbr - and restore the bootsect.dos manually; the repair routine doesn't restore/recreate a bootsect.dos - as I understand it. The routine I've outlined avoids the need to reformat the c: (ME?) partition, allows for an automatic recreation of the bootsect.dos (once '98 installed), amd restoration of the XP mbr - all courtesy of the XP temp installation...