?Add Another OS To Harddrive

I have win Xp Home as my OS I would like to also put win98 on it. I think I know how to do it but I want to make sure first.I have a win98 cd (with key new) .

Intell MB
p4 3.2
160 WD
Win.XP Home SP2


I'm useing another pc now with win98 on it to walk friends through defrag,scan disk,.... over the phone .I would like just to be able to do it off mine. Thanks
EVEN THOUGH I DON"T POST EVERY DAY I READ EVERY DAY YOU ALL HELP ALOT OF US THAT YOU NEVER HEAR FROM THANKS CHUCK

 

No! Don't! Even if Windows9x installation doesn't see the newer version of Windows already installed and allowed you to install 9x, it would destroy the boot files and/or cause problems.
Rule of tumb:
Always install the older, less powerful version of Windows first!
So if you wanted to have a multi-boot system this is the order of installing Windows (first to last): DOS 6.22 > Windows9x/ME > NT > 2000 > XP
Don't forget to create a separate partition for each flavor of Windows.
So for your project (if you still wanted to go ahead with it you would have to re-install XP as well) I could suggest a scenario like this:
160GB Drive: (partition sizes could be different depending on what you want to do with each OS, ok?:
C partition, Format= FAT32, installed Operating System= Windows9x
D partition, Format=FAT32 or NTFS but for your HD size you will have to use NTFS, installed OS= WindowsXP

Remember: FAT32 partition size should not exceed 32GB, you could exceed it but it is not adviseable as OS could get corrupted or crash and files could get lost! NTFS shuld be used for partition sizes exceeding 32GB. It is also a much more secure 'File System'.
This info should help you for now.

 

Thanks for your reply, I'm going to stay with what I'm doing now with the other pc .I'll print out your post and save it for if I change HD I'll start with win98. I'm glad I asked FIRST Thanks again Chuck

 

Just A idea could I add a 2nd HD (slave) with the OS in order. Windows9x/ME > NT > 2000 > XP
A small partition for each
Would this work or would it mess with my master HD?

Thanks Chuck

 

I have a new 80 gig hd i'm not useing and would like to know if I could set this up as slave and install the OS (in Order)Windows9x/ME > NT > 2000 > XP and partition each one.? Thanks Chuck

 

Will your BIOS allow you to select which hard drive to boot from? Many do. If so why not set up one hard drive to use XP and the other hard drive to use W98. Should simplify things. That is how I am going tgo go when I get XP. Bazza

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Thanks for filling in BigBazza (your avatar cracks me up!)

To eloborate on dual-disk boot options let me give you this info as an addition to what BigBazza said:

What controls the Operating System to be loaded is the MBR (Master Boot Record), after POST (Power On Self Test) that BIOS runs, it looks for an Operating System to load according to the 'Boot Order' configuration configured in BIOS it checks applicable devices for an OS to load. IF you were to connect the new Blank 80GB Drive as your Primary Master and configure the boot order in the BIOS as 1st-HD, then it would check this Drive first, if it see the Drive and a MBR exists it will read it, a part of the MBR would have the partition table (if one exist) that shows which partition is marked 'active' and as it reads on that partition and finds the boot files, it will load it in Memory, then according to the boot files the related OS system files would start loading one by one....then GUI, then user settings, etc (whatever is applicable).
Back to Project 'I am so new to this':
You could connect your blank 80GB drive as 'Primary Master' and install whatever you need and that drive will be in charge, the other drive still intact should still be accessible and need be bootable when the other drive is not available or taken out of the loop.
Master/Slave positions are obtained by the jumper settings in the back of the HardDrive (see manual or some newer drives have the chart right on the drive itself)
Primary/Secondary positions are obtained by the way the drives are connected to the IDE ports on the mobo. IDE1 - IDE2 ,etc.

Notes:
~ Serial ATA (SATA) drives do not use drive jumpers (so no Master Slave configuration can be set on the drive).
~ Cable Select means, the Master/Slave configuration is set by the connector the IDE drive is connected on the IDE data (flat ribbon) cable.
If you are connecting more than one IDE drive with the same cable than either ALL or NONE should be configured as 'CS-Cable Select'.
For Cable Select configuration: the drives connected at the end would be Master and the ones connected in the middle would be Slave....

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks Turcoloco,& bigbazza For your replys this helps me out alot . When I get some time I going to set this up . I let ya know what happens Thanks again Chuck