Guide to Windows Dual Boot

Posted on September 16th, 2011 in Common Technique by admin

At the singular time, there was usually Windows as great as usually the singular Windows, Windows v3. Now there have been Windows, plural: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, as great as Windows Me. What’s more, the probability exists that you, as the energy user, have some-more than the singular duplicate of Windows — or some-more than the singular sort of Windows — upon the singular machine.
Having mixed installations of Windows upon the singular mechanism is called twin booting or mixed booting. Windows NT as great as 2000 have been created to be commissioned in as great as with alternative handling systems, in all Windows 95/98/Me. Windows 95/98/Me have been not: When we implement them upon the PC, they wish to be the usually OS upon that PC.

Is there any approach around this? Yes; in fact, there have been most possibilities. This essay will step we by how to get the assorted versions of Windows to coexist with any alternative upon the same PC. Over the years, Windows has grown somewhat some-more passive of carrying some-more than the singular designation of itself in the given Personal Computer — in all NT as great as 2000 — though the series of scenarios aren’t upheld during all by Microsoft as great as need the small coaxing or, in the little cases, trickery.

You can take multiform paths to grasp mixed booting. These rely upon what’s already commissioned in your computer, how most tough drives as great as partitions we have, as great as presumably or not you’re fair to (or means of) regulating third-party programs to carry out foot choices. If your appurtenance is amply absolute sufficient (500MHz or improved as great as during slightest 128MB of RAM), we additionally have the choice of regulating an simulation complement such as VMware to run your alternative OSes.

First, we need to establish that OS you’re right away running, as great as that OS we wish to supplement to your system. If you’re adding Windows 95, 98, or Me to the appurtenance regulating Windows 2000 or Windows NT, that’s the most formidable scenario. Because it’s additionally the unfolding about that we’ve perceived the most association from the readers, we’ll residence it first.

Adding Win NT or 2K to the appurtenance regulating presumably Windows 95, 98, or Me is essentially most easier, given both NT as great as 2K have been created to coexist to the tall grade with alternative handling systems. Some pitfalls might be in store, though we’ll cover them in the following pages.

Install 95/98/Me upon the NT/2000 PC

Installing Windows 95, 98, or Me upon the Windows NT complement is substantially the most formidable of the scenarios listed here. The reason is sincerely simple: Windows 95/98/Me wants to be the usually OS upon the given computer, as great as will take stairs to protection that zero else can foot up.
If we have Windows NT already commissioned upon the mechanism (on the FAT partition), for example, you’ll get the notice during the Win95/98/Me designation routine about the participation of NT complement files. If we have an NTFS partition, Win95/98/Me will inform it as being shop-worn as great as won’t let we do anything about this solely cancel the installation, given it doesn’t let we interactively repartition your hoop during setup.

If we have NT/2K upon the FAT assign as great as implement Win95/98/Me upon it anyway, any NT/2K foot files will be erased, as great as the foot zone will be transposed with the Win95/98/Me edition. Win NT/2K, however, has scold collection to residence this problem, that we’ll plead in item later.

Here have been the stairs for adding the Win95/98/Me designation to the Windows NT machine.

1. Ensure your NT Personal Computer has Service Pack 6a.
Windows NT, in an out-of-the-box installation, has problems that can equates to critical hoop crime if you’re regulating the expostulate incomparable than 2GB (and who isn’t these days?). Before we do anything else during all, have sure we have patched the complement with the ultimate Windows NT Service Pack as great as whatever hotfixes have been applicable to your computer. With Windows 2000, we can vegetable patch with Service Pack 1, though it’s not required, given it comes 95/98/Me-aware out of the box.

2. Make the Windows NT/Windows 2000 scold disk.
Repair disks in Windows NT/2K have been floppies, combined with the complement utility, that enclose copies of pass Registry entries as great as the outline of the assign geometry of the disk. If presumably of those things gets damaged, we can reconstruct them to an extent. A scold hoop is the singular of those underrated Win NT/2K facilities that can mostly save we when we slightest design it. If we have the inapplicable designation during this process, we won’t bewail carrying it.

To set up the scold hoop in Windows NT, operate the RDISK.EXE command-line utility. Just run it as great as follow the prompts. In Windows 2000, run the Backup focus as great as click the Emergency Repair Disk symbol upon the Welcome tab.

3. Prepare the FAT partition.
Windows 9x can’t implement onto anything alternative than the FAT or FAT32 partition. FAT, additionally referred to as FAT16, is the strange assign format used by DOS and, later, Windows 95. Windows 98 introduced FAT32, the revised chronicle of FAT that could await bigger assign sizes as great as was some-more reliable. But NT supports usually FAT, so we need to have the FAT assign with sufficient giveaway space for Windows 9x to be installed. FAT32 cannot be review or created by the Windows NT machine.

To be conscientiously honest, it’s probable to have Windows NT review as great as write FAT32 partitions with the third-party utility. However, if we wish your complement to be as arguable as possible, we do not suggest regulating such the method.


Only FAT16 or FAT32 partitions, not NTFS, can await the Windows 95/98/Me installation. FAT16 provides the most suitable cross-compatibility with alternative handling systems.

The assign in subject doesn’t have to be the initial foot assign in the computer, though it contingency be the DOS-accessible assign for the designation to succeed, as great as the bootable assign in the complement contingency be FAT. If there’s no such gangling assign in the system, we will have to have the singular regulating the third-party apparatus such as PartitionMagic. Windows doesn’t await the resourceful modifying of partitions as great as conjunction does Windows NT, for that matter!

You can operate the same assign that binds Windows NT itself, though we do not suggest it for twin reasons:

1) You contingency not operate the same office name for both handling systems. This essentially varies by default: NT installs in WINNT, as great as Windows 9x installs in WINDOWS. However, if NT were commissioned in WINDOWS for whatever reason, it would emanate problems, as great as the little applications stupidly design Windows to be commissioned in WINDOWS as great as nowhere else.

2) The Program Files office is used by both handling systems to reason apps that have been commissioned by default — all from IE to Solitaire. Because the little of these apps have been OS-specific — the little have been privately for NT that aren’t for 9x as great as clamp versa — we might breeze up violation the singular OS’s default app set if we implement it upon tip of the other. This alone is reason not to implement both OSes upon the same partition, given the Program Files office can’t be simply redirected during the implement process.

Preparing the assign in Windows NT is accomplished by the Disk Administrator utility. Right-click in the listed giveaway space upon the expostulate as great as name Create; right-click in the same space again as great as name Commit Changes Now; afterwards Format.

4. Create the Windows 9x foot floppy.
Sure, you’re regularly ostensible to have the foot hoop handy, though some-more mostly than not, we don’t. For twin booting, you’ll unequivocally need the Windows 9x foot floppy disk. Find the Personal Computer regulating Win9x as great as the vacant floppy disk. You’ll be scheming the bootable floppy hoop that will have zero upon it save the command-line chronicle of Windows, that is basically, DOS. To do this, foot Win 95/98/Me as great as run the following command-line operation: FORMAT A: /S with the vacant floppy in expostulate A:.

From the WindowsCommand directory, duplicate the SYS authority to the A: hoop as well.

NOTE: Don’t brew as great as compare OSes here. If you’re installing Windows 95, do not operate the Windows 98-prepared foot disk. It won’t work. Windows 95, 98, as great as Me all operate flattering unrelenting rider carry out over their own inner files as great as utilities.

5. Copy Win98 designation files onto the tough drive.
With Win NT running, insert the Windows 98 CD-ROM as great as duplicate the essence of the SETUP printed have the difference onto an accessible FAT partition. Use the same printed have the difference name unless the printed have the difference declared SETUP is already there. If it is, try the printed have the difference name such as NewSetup.

6. Boot with the floppy; afterwards run the implement files from tough drive.
Put the rebuilt foot floppy in your A: expostulate as great as reboot. Once you’ve booted in to command-line Windows (DOS mode), sort “SYS C:” to send the foot files. The authority should lapse the have the difference “System transferred.”

Switch to the SETUP printed have the difference we copied over as great as run SETUP.EXE. Windows Setup should proceed the implement process.

As we referred to before, you’re starting to get the notice about Windows NT complement files being benefaction (or the ubiquitous notice about files from an additional OS, depending upon what else might be in your computer) when we go by the implement process. Ignore this for now, as we’ll be behind after to take caring of it.

The designation routine for Windows 98 should not shift severely from the approach we would routinely set it up. The the singular vital disproportion needs to be the place of the Windows installation; it can’t be upon the same assign with your NT install, or your Program Files printed have the difference will enclose unsuitable copies of the little programs.

Once the designation finishes, have sure your complement boots rightly in to Windows 98 prior to continuing. If Windows 98 refuses to boot, unrepaired hoop problems might have occurred during Setup.

7. Repair your Windows NT foot files.
Once Win98 is in as great as running, the final step is to scold the Win NT/2000 foot files. This will concede we to operate the NT foot loader to name in in in between NT/2K as great as Windows 9x.

Repairing the foot files is sincerely automatic. Boot the Windows NT/2000 setup disks — or the CD-ROM, if we can foot CD-ROMs — as great as name R in Setup to repair. Choose to scold usually the Windows NT foot zone — zero else. Note that if your Windows NT/2K designation can’t be found, we should cocktail in the scold hoop we done (you DID have the singular in step 2, correct?) as great as operate that to assistance the scold module find your installation.

Once the scold operation is finished, foot the mechanism to see presumably we get the Win NT/2K foot options menu with the latest entrance during the bottom for Windows 9X. Usually we will. If not, you’ll need to supplement the line to the record BOOT.INI, that should be the read-only record in the base office of your foot drive. You’ll need to cgange the file’s permissions so that it’s not read-only in routine to shift it.


Editing the BOOT.INI record is easy sufficient — operate Notepad or an additional plain-text editor — though you’ll need to spin off the file’s read-only charge prior to we can save it. Also be clever not to revise anything solely the anxiety to Windows 95/98/Me

Add the line:
C:=”Windows 95″

to the bottom of the BOOT.INI file, as great as reboot. The criticism in quotes can be anything we like, as prolonged as it’s graphic from the alternative menu choices.

The subsequent time we reboot your system, simply name the suitable preference from the foot menu to foot presumably Win 95/98/Me or NT/2K.

Install NT upon the Win2000 PC

Adding Win NT to the Win2000 Personal Computer should in the little ways be treated with colour similar to adding Win95/98/Me to the Win NT/2000 installation. The categorical reason for this is, upon the whole, that NT cannot commend Win2000 NTFS partitions (unless we have Service Pack 6A, as great as even afterwards it seems to have problems). Win2000′s book of NTFS contains the little features, such as changes to how permissions work, that have been not wholly backwards-compatible with WinNT. The most suitable thing to do is place NT upon the apart partition, where it can operate the own chronicle of NTFS.

You’ll additionally need to scold Win2000′s foot files, usually to be safe. The routine for we do this is matching to the scold routine in Windows NT.

Install NT/2000 upon the 95/98/Me PC

Adding Windows NT or Windows 2000 to the appurtenance that already has Windows 95, 98, or Me upon it is most easier than the retreat for the singular elementary reason: Windows NT/2000 is intelligent sufficient to acknowledge the participation of an additional handling complement during designation as great as modifies the foot files accordingly. Because of this, if we implement WinNT/2000 in the appurtenance that already has an additional chronicle of Windows upon it — as great as it doesn’t have the difference what chronicle — you’ll see an entrance in the foot physical education instructor for both editions of Windows.

The designation procession to follow when adding NT/2000 to the 95/98/Me mechanism isn’t enormously opposite from installing NT/2K in general. There are, however, the integrate of discipline to follow.

1. Do not implement NT upon the FAT32 partition.
This is substantially the singular most critical rule. NT supports usually FAT as great as NTFS, not FAT32, as great as can’t be commissioned upon the FAT32 partition. In fact, it in all can’t even review FAT32 partitions. So if you’re formulation to have interpretation entertaining by both handling systems, be sure not to place it upon the FAT32 partition. Place usual interpretation presumably in the FAT assign or upon the networked drive.

Also, do not modify the FAT16 assign that has NT commissioned upon it. Converting the assign with NT commissioned upon it to FAT32 will describe it unbootable.

The solitary difference to this order is with Windows 2000. Win2K can review as great as write FAT32 partitions though problems. Installing Win2K upon the FAT32 partition, however, equates to we won’t be means to operate NTFS confidence facilities upon your complement partition.

2. Don’t operate hoop compression.
In fact, this is the tellurian rule: Never operate hoop focus upon any mixed booting system. It’s not value it, as great as it creates some-more problems than it solves. Most drives currently have been large sufficient that hoop focus is contraindicated, anyway. Windows Me won’t even implement onto the complement that has hoop focus running.

3. Do the hoop check prior to an installation. Lingering hoop errors can equates to distressing problems after upon down the line when we implement an handling system. During Windows installation, there’s the hoop check; do not jump over this step.

4. Always operate the dissimilar assign for alternative handling systems. As with installing Win 95/98/Me upon an NT/2K system, this order additionally relates here, as great as for the same reasons. Installing the singular Windows focus set over an additional can equates to horribly indeterminate things to happen. In most cases it will mangle IE as great as Outlook Express, as great as if usual .DLLs have been overwritten, it might equates to alternative apps to malfunction, too.


Each handling complement should regularly reside upon the own assign for the most suitable probable results. Here, the FAT32 assign has been prepped for the latest designation of Windows Me.

If we wish to share applications in in in between handling systems, the most suitable approach to do this is to implement the app upon the singular OS, foot the alternative OS, as great as afterwards reinstall it in to the expect same folder. However, the integrate of applications might not work rightly if we do this: for instance, any focus that uses CTL3DV2.DLL or CTL3D32.DLL, given there have been dissimilar versions of those .DLLs for 95/98/Me as great as NT/2K. Your safest gamble is to implement apps in apart partitions, nonetheless the integrate of programs can be coaxed in to regulating though being reinstalled.

Another thing to be wakeful of when adding the latest assign to the Windows 9x appurtenance is how Windows 9x translates partitions as drives. In the little cases, if we supplement the partition, we might mangle your drive-lettering intrigue as great as presumably describe your Windows 9xsystem unbootable.

Here’s an e.g. of this: On the mechanism that had twin initial partitions, C: as great as D:, we had Windows NT upon C: (which was noted as bootable) as great as Windows 98 upon D:. When we combined the third, judicious partition, the expostulate type was thrown off as great as D: incited in to E:, creation Windows 98 unbootable.

There have been twin elementary ways to better this. One is to operate usually initial partitions (a limit of 4 per tough drive) as great as to supplement them in sequence. Another is to supplement Windows 9x final during your convenience we set up the system, to safety the firmness of the expostulate mapping. The downside of this routine is that it goes opposite the usual knowledge of putting 95/98/Me upon the complement first, so this is endorsed with the little reservations. Forcing Win9x to map drives the sure approach is formidable as great as not regularly successful. (Windows NT as great as 2000 let we map drives any approach we similar to as great as have been not as disposed to this problem.)

Third-party Programs for Multiple Booting

Sometimes the easiest thing to do in mixed foot scenarios is to let someone else take carry out of the total process. The Windows NT/2K mixed foot loader is not elementary to configure as great as has no easy approach to supplement handling systems that aren’t but delay supported. If you’re booting in in in between some-more than the singular OS, or assorted revisions of OSes, the foot loaders we have might not be sufficient to do the job.

Boot loaders work in the integrate of opposite ways. Some of them have been commissioned in the special partition, usually the integrate of megabytes in distance that is noted as bootable. When that assign is booted, the foot loader module takes over as great as presents the user with the menu of probable foot choices. Usually the module analyzes the accessible partitions during any boot, to establish presumably anything has altered given the final boot.


System Commander functions with usually about any PC-based handling complement to let we name the OS we wish to boot.

The most suitable third-party foot loader out there so distant appears to be System Commander from Vcom. System Commander automatically detects any changes done to your Personal Computer given the final foot as great as updates the menus automatically to simulate those changes.

The makers PartitionMagic additionally have the mixed foot physical education instructor module declared BootMagic, that does most of the same things as System Commander as great as supports Windows 2000 as well.

VMware is an additional approach to run mixed OSes upon the same system, though though regulating mixed booting. Instead, VMware creates the practical mechanism console upon your Personal Computer — basically, the mechanism inside of the computer. The practical mechanism runs during about two-thirds the speed of your genuine mechanism as great as has entrance to most of the same resources — hoop drives, printers, network, etc. This allows we to run the singular or some-more handling systems, as most as we can persevere hoop space for, though carrying to reformat the expostulate assign or fool around around with dualboot settings.


VMware lets we run the ‘virtual computer’ in your computer, vouchsafing we implement any handling complement we choose. But it’ll usually work in NT or Windows 2000 as great as needs copiousness of memory.

One categorical debility of VMware is it runs usually underneath Windows NT or Windows 2000, as great as it won’t work in Windows 95, 98, or Me. VMware additionally needs the lot of mental recall as great as estimate energy to get great results: On anything reduction than the Pentium II 400, it crawls, as great as it needs during slightest 128MB of RAM to unequivocally work well. You can try prior to we buy, though; the central site contains instructions upon obtaining the 30-day hearing permit around e-mail


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