Make a dual boot without losing win2k config

[binio2001 0]

Hi I currently have win2k prof installed, but i want to make a dual boot with windows me, to play games.

The problem is that i have a huge amount of programs installed and i want to make that dual boot without having to reinstal everything, and i also don't want to loose my network configs.

Can anyone help me? Do i need a special program for it?

Thanks

[Brian Frank 0]

You will need to have a FAT32 partition for ME set aside, so you will need 3rd-part software--Partition Magic is very good. Second, please know that Win9x does not read NTFS.

Okay, once you have your partiton setup, go ahead install ME and let it finish all the setting up, then boot off the Win2k CD and run the repair option by hitting R to repair the Win2k install instead of Enter to install Win2k on the selection screen.

 

Boom you're done. You should have a bootloader that you can choose between ME and Win2k. Win2k will be the default with 30 seconds until it boots into it.

 

If you want to change the booting w/o editing the boot.ini file:

Right click on My computer, go to Properties--Advanced tab--Startup and Recovery. Change to your liking and enjoy.

[binio2001 0]

thanks for asking, but i have one little question, what do you mean with "boot of the win2k cd", could you explain a bit?

I'm not realy a boot expert, or maybe my english is just not good enough, thanks a lot for helping me.

And if i make one of my drives fat32, do i have to format them?

[rgodart 0]

Here's how i do it:

 

1. Install partition magic 6.0

2. Resize your win2k partition using partition magic and move the partition to the end of the drive, as your win9x fat32 partition has to be on the beginning of the drive (seems to be a limitation of fat)

[rgodart 0]

Here's how i do it:

 

1. Install partition magic 6.0

2. Resize your win2k partition using partition magic and move the partition to the end of the drive, as your win9x fat32 partition has to be on the beginning of the drive (seems to be a limitation of fat)

[binio2001 0]

i have already a harddrive that is set to fat32, but it's my slave hard drive, will that do too?

[rgodart 0]

Here's how i do it:

 

1. Install partition magic 6.0

 

2. Resize your win2k partition using partition magic and move the partition to the end of the drive, as your win9x fat32 partition has to be on the beginning of the drive (seems to be a limitation of fat)

 

3. Make a new partition in the free space you've just created, choose fat32.

 

Make sure your win2k is allways your activated partition tho. Otherwise your won't be able to boot to win2k once those modifications are done.

 

4. Make the fat32 partition active and reboot your computer.

 

5. Boot from a win9x boot floppy, format your partition to fat32.

 

6. Start the win9x setup

 

7. After win9x is installed, install partition magic and look at your partitions in bootmagic. You'll be able to setup a bootmenu there.

 

I think this way of dual booting is way better, win2k and win9x are both on primary partitions then.

[Brian Frank 0]

Oops. I meant boot off the Win2k cd, just like you would to install it, but you should see the option to repair a Win2k installation. You will have the option to use an ERD (Emergency Repair Disk) but you won't need it for this at all. Of course do this after the WinME install is completed and after you've booted into it so you can use it.

 

If you've got a second hard drive, just install ME on that and then run the repair option off the Win2k CD. It's not necessary to put ME on a primary partition, though. Of course, that doesn't hurt anything.

Win2k has a boot loader, which I like better than Boot Magic, but that's just me. Once you've run the repair option, you will have your choice of Win2k and WinME (it may say just Microsoft Windows for it though) with the default booting OS as Win2k and 30 seconds till it boots to it, unless any key is hit.

[binio2001 0]

Thanks alot, one of these days, i'm gonna give it a try!!