How Do I Move Partition Magic's Boot Manager?

[jim evans]

When I began using XP I installed it on a new bootable partition using
Partition Magic's BootMagic so I could migrate to XP at a convenient
pace. I also have a third special purpose bootable partition.

I'm now ready to eliminate my original Win98 partition. When I try to
install BootMagic on my main partition (XP) it won't install saying
BootMagic is installed on another partition and must be removed from
that partition before I can install it in XP. It's installed on my
original Win98 partition because that's how things all began.

So, I will have to be in the Win98 partition in order to uninstall
BootMagic, and after I uninstall it it won't exist on my computer at
all. The way I get to the XP partition is by using BootMagic (which
will no longer exist). So, how am I going to get back to the XP
partition?

It seems like a Catch 22 to me.

jim

 

[John]

Create the PartitionMagic/BootMagic DOS floppies - they are very useful.
You can use these floppies to set whatever partition you want "active" until
you can put a boot manager back in place to boot your 2 or 3 partitions.
Also keep a Win98 boot floppy handy for booting to DOS, after which you can
insert the PartitionMagic program floppy.

 

[jim evans]

Are you sure? If I have my Win98 partition hidden and BootMagic
turned off when I boot with the BootMagic floppy I get this message:

"The BootMagic home partition is either hidden or not marked active.
BootMagic will activate the home partition and reboot."

It gives you no other options.

I believe the home partition is Win98, where BootMagic is installed.
Thus there will be no home partition to activate if I uninstall it.

jim

 

[John]

Yep. You can blow away Win98/BootMagicProgramFiles now, or later. Take you
pick.

While Bootmagic is installed in the Master Boot Record it will continue to
re-hide partitions every time you boot up the PC (and change the active
partition to something it's happy with). On one of the floppies there is a
file called "RESTRMBR.EXE". If you run this, it will remove bootmagic from
the Master Boot Record. Once BootMagic is removed from the Master Boot
Record, the PC will boot up whatever partition you make active (using the
PartitionMagic floppy). You can leave the Win98 partition there if you like,
and remove it once you are happy you have things sorted out.

You'll need to create a small FAT partition somewhere else for BootMagic to
live in, if you want to reinstall it to provide your dual boot of WinXP and
your other partition you have. BootMagic won't live in an NTFS partition, so
although you can install it from WinXP, it can't reside in WinXP's NTFS
partition.