Creating a Dual Boot Windows XP AFTER Installation W/O Reinstalling Win XP

[Haywood Torrence]

I got a new computer. I previously ran Windows 98. The
new machine came with Windows XP operating system
pre-installed. I began loading applications and programs
on it, configured the desktop and e-mail as I like them,
etc. before I discovered that there are a couple of key
pieces of hardware I have whose drivers are incompatible
with Windows XP and whose manufacturers are not providing
Windows XP compatible drivers for downloading.

What would solve my problem, obviously, is a dual boot
system, with one boot running Windows 98. I have an extra
hard drive on which to run Windows 98, so I don't have to
partition my new hard drive. But here is the problem.

I have seen lots of documentation about setting up for dual
boot/multiboot operation. However, they all assume that
one has not installed Windows XP, with one starting out
running the old OS (in my case, Windows 98) and then
installing the new one and specifying dual boot.

I can only think of one solution. I can physically make
the new drive (with XP) from my new computer the "slave
drive", put the drive from my old computer (running Windows
98) into my new computer, boot up in Windows 98 and then
reinstall Windows XP on the other drive, using the
procedures that are well-documented for creating a dual boot.

I don't want to do that, because I am afraid all the
settings and/or programs that I have been inputing into
Windows XP will get wiped out with the reinstallation. I
am also leery of doing that, because the Windows 98 may
mess with some of the hardware settings in a way I don't want.

It seems to me that that there must be a way, starting out
with Windows XP already loaded and running as a single boot
system, to alter the appropriate systems files so that the
new computer will dual boot (when it is rebooted). I would
assume the parameters that create dual booting are embedded
into a system file somewhere.

So, my question is this: Is there a way to edit the
appropriate file/files so that they will have the same
information they would have had, had I started with Windows
98 on my machine and installed Windows XP using the
procedures to operate in dual boot mode? And/or are there
other procedures I can follow that will achieve this result?

Thanks for your help.

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

Install Win98/Me after WinXP
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_repair_9x.htm

HTH&GL,

Bruce Chambers
__
Always store beer in a dark place. -- RAH

"Haywood Torrence" <htor...@post.harvard.edu> wrote in message
news:3a9a01c247a5$33044910$36ef2ecf@tkmsftngxa12...

[Michael Stevens]

"Haywood Torrence" <htor...@post.harvard.edu> wrote in message
news:3a9a01c247a5$33044910$36ef2ecf@tkmsftngxa12...

> I got a new computer. I previously ran Windows 98. The
> new machine came with Windows XP operating system
> pre-installed.

If the PC shipped with XP using the NTFS file system, you will need to use
third party partitioning/boot manager software.

Power Quest PartitionMagic with BootMagic and Terabyte BootIT NG are two
popular applications.
http://www.powerquest.com/
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/

You could do the swap you suggested if you didn't want to spend the cash.
You shouldn't encounter any problems doing the dual boot that way. You would
need to do a new install of XP, as the option to repair install would not be
an option. This would mean you should back up your important data. If you
run the FAST Wizard [Files and Settings Transfer wizard] on the current XP
configuration, it make the new install much easier.
Check Help and Support for more info on FAST.
--

Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
xpn...@michaelstevenstech.com
http://michaelstevenstech.com
http://mlstevens.net

--

Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
xpn...@michaelstevenstech.com
http://michaelstevenstech.com
http://mlstevens.net