Sorry, Yet ANOTHER dual boot question.......

[dperez]

I bought a laptop that came with XP Home...

Fine little box but IT HAS NO FLOPPY DRIVE.

I need to access SQL Server Enterprise Manager on a server, and apparently XP
Home can't do this worth a damn... SO, I'm trying to install a dual boot with
2000 Pro........

I've read a bunch of stuff that says just copy the boot files, then boot from
the CD..........

Even when I set the laptop to boot from the CD first, IT DOESN'T. AND, when I
try to run SETUP or WINNT32 once the system is up, I get a message that Windows
2000 is incompatible with this version of windows... OR that the CDROM is from
an older version of Windows the one one I'm presently using.....

SO, HOW do I install 2000 Pro on this XP box WITHOUT a floppy drive and WITHOUT
being able to boot from the CD?

Is there a problem with my Win 2000 Pro CD that it isn't bootable? Or is that
the norm with 2000 Pro?

In any case, how the heck do I do this?

 

[Malke]

I bought a laptop that came with XP Home...

Fine little box but IT HAS NO FLOPPY DRIVE.

I need to access SQL Server Enterprise Manager on a server, and
apparently XP
Home can't do this worth a damn... SO, I'm trying to install a dual
boot with 2000 Pro........

I've read a bunch of stuff that says just copy the boot files, then
boot from the CD..........

Even when I set the laptop to boot from the CD first, IT DOESN'T.
AND, when I try to run SETUP or WINNT32 once the system is up, I get a
message that Windows
2000 is incompatible with this version of windows... OR that the
CDROM is from an older version of Windows the one one I'm presently
using.....

SO, HOW do I install 2000 Pro on this XP box WITHOUT a floppy drive
and WITHOUT being able to boot from the CD?

Is there a problem with my Win 2000 Pro CD that it isn't bootable? Or
is that the norm with 2000 Pro?

In any case, how the heck do I do this?

You will have to create a new partition for Windows 2k; you can't just
install it "on top of " WinXP. In order not to destroy your WinXP
installation, you will need third-party partitioning software, such as
Partition Magic or BootIt NG. Once the partition is created, you can
install Win2k there. I'm not sure why you are unable to boot from cd;
afaik the Win2k cd is bootable. Perhaps your cd drive is the removable
kind and you can't boot from that drive? Check your laptop manual. You
might try a network install. On the other hand, maybe it would be
easiest to just upgrade your current Windows XP Home Edition to Pro.

Malke

 

[Alex Nichol]

You will have to create a new partition for Windows 2k; you can't just
install it "on top of " WinXP. In order not to destroy your WinXP
installation, you will need third-party partitioning software, such as
Partition Magic or BootIt NG.

BTW when you download BootIT NG and run it, as well as making a boot
floppy (which would be no use here) it can also make an 'image' .iso
file that you can use as the boot-sector image when burning a CD (Boot)
in Nero or similar program. Remember to Finalise the CD on burning.
You can then boot that and use it for partition work - I would also
install it and use it as the Boot Manager, its original purpose

 

[dperez]

Guys, you ain't gonna believe this...... Just chalk this whole thing up to me
being the dumbest human that ever lived...........

I got Win 2000 Pro. Of course, the first thing I did was copy the CD. EXCEPT
that I APPARENTLY didn't do a CD copy, because the copy CD IS NOT BOOTABLE.

Which, of course, I've been trying to boot for 2 days......... I had created a
separate partition, I'd done everything I THOUGHT I was supposed to do, but
until I stuck the original w2k CD in, it no boot!

BUT, once I thought about it I realized it'd probably be simplest to pick up a
copy of XP Pro for $60 and be done with it... Although I haven't found too much
magical in XP over Win2K...