Win XP/98 creating partition help

[jamey709]

I have Win XP running on an old laptop. It's installed on an NTFS
partition on a 10GB hard drive, which is the only partition on the
drive. I'd like to install Windows 98 on a different partition
(probably as a temporary thing so will most likely want to delete the
partition soon after) but I don't know how to do this. I know that Win
98 needs a FAT32 partition (I think so anyway) but I don't know if I
can create one with the current setup. If it is possible to do this
could anyone please give me a straightforward explanation on how it
can be done (and also how I can redo it afterwards).
Thanks a lot for any help.

 

[Jim]

I have Win XP running on an old laptop. It's installed on an NTFS
partition on a 10GB hard drive, which is the only partition on the
drive. I'd like to install Windows 98 on a different partition
(probably as a temporary thing so will most likely want to delete the
partition soon after) but I don't know how to do this. I know that Win
98 needs a FAT32 partition (I think so anyway) but I don't know if I
can create one with the current setup. If it is possible to do this
could anyone please give me a straightforward explanation on how it
can be done (and also how I can redo it afterwards).
Thanks a lot for any help.

So, you want to install Win98 to coexist with XP on a disk which is barely
big enough for XP?

The first thing to would be to replace the extremely small 10 GB disk with
something with lots more space.

And, yes one can install Win98 on the same disk with XP but they must exist
in separate partitions. Quite a few people have done that, but I am not one
of them. I neither need nor want to know.

Jim

 

[Claymore]

I have Win XP running on an old laptop. It's installed on an NTFS
partition on a 10GB hard drive, which is the only partition on the
drive. I'd like to install Windows 98 on a different partition
(probably as a temporary thing so will most likely want to delete the
partition soon after) but I don't know how to do this. I know that Win
98 needs a FAT32 partition (I think so anyway) but I don't know if I
can create one with the current setup. If it is possible to do this
could anyone please give me a straightforward explanation on how it
can be done (and also how I can redo it afterwards).
Thanks a lot for any help.

To do that, you would first have to uninstall XP; install Windows 98;
re-install Windows XP. Normally Windows 98 has to be installed before
XP in order to dual boot. There is a way to do the opposite, but the
drive has to be FAT32. See here:

http://www.petri.co.il/install_windows_98_after_windows_xp.htm

And the drive space problem would be an issue, unless you had just
about nothing else other than the operating systems plus maybe a few
programs and documents.

 

[Malke]

I have Win XP running on an old laptop. It's installed on an NTFS
partition on a 10GB hard drive, which is the only partition on the
drive. I'd like to install Windows 98 on a different partition
(probably as a temporary thing so will most likely want to delete the
partition soon after) but I don't know how to do this. I know that Win
98 needs a FAT32 partition (I think so anyway) but I don't know if I
can create one with the current setup. If it is possible to do this
could anyone please give me a straightforward explanation on how it
can be done (and also how I can redo it afterwards).
Thanks a lot for any help.

Your hard drive is on the small side for this and you left out how much RAM
you've got but if you've got at least 512MB of RAM, I think I'd just do
virtual computing with Virtual PC 2007 (free) or VMware Workstation (not
free, but my personal preference) and create a virtual machine running
Win98. My reasoning for this is that 1) you don't know whether there will
be drivers for Win98 for your laptop and virtual machine drivers are
virtualized som you don't need to bother about them; 2) it is very easy to
delete the Win98 virtual machine when you are tired of it; 3) usually you
want to install the older OS first and while you can install Win98 after
XP, it is more complicated and will be harder to undo afterwards.

Malke

 

[jamey709]

Your hard drive is on the small side for this and you left out how much RAM
you've got but if you've got at least 512MB of RAM, I think I'd just do
virtual computing with Virtual PC 2007 (free) or VMware Workstation (not
free, but my personal preference) and create a virtual machine running
Win98. My reasoning for this is that 1) you don't know whether there will
be drivers for Win98 for your laptop and virtual machine drivers are
virtualized som you don't need to bother about them; 2) it is very easy to
delete the Win98 virtual machine when you are tired of it; 3) usually you
want to install the older OS first and while you can install Win98 after
XP, it is more complicated and will be harder to undo afterwards.

Malke

Thanks Malke, Claymore and Jim for the advice.

Based on what you've told me, I think I'll just give the idea a miss,
I was hoping it would be a bit easier.

Cheers.

 

[jamey709]

Your hard drive is on the small side for this and you left out how much RAM
you've got but if you've got at least 512MB of RAM, I think I'd just do
virtual computing with Virtual PC 2007 (free) or VMware Workstation (not
free, but my personal preference) and create a virtual machine running
Win98. My reasoning for this is that 1) you don't know whether there will
be drivers for Win98 for your laptop and virtual machine drivers are
virtualized som you don't need to bother about them; 2) it is very easy to
delete the Win98 virtual machine when you are tired of it; 3) usually you
want to install the older OS first and while you can install Win98 after
XP, it is more complicated and will be harder to undo afterwards.

Malke

Thanks Malke, Claymore and Jim for the advice.

Based on what you've told me, I think I'll just give the idea a miss,
I was hoping it would be a bit easier.

Cheers.

 

[Lil' Dave]

Suggest you buy a copy of Partition Magic 8.0. It makes partitioning a
breeze, and doesn't require reformatting with its attendent loss of data.

V-Com has a similar package, but I'm not familiar with it.

Jack

Its called Partition Commander. Comes with the boot manager, System
Commander. Partition Commander is available at boot time as part of that
boot manager's menu. Or, you can buy Partition Commander as a separate
entity by itself.

 

[Lil' Dave]

I have Win XP running on an old laptop. It's installed on an NTFS
partition on a 10GB hard drive, which is the only partition on the
drive. I'd like to install Windows 98 on a different partition
(probably as a temporary thing so will most likely want to delete the
partition soon after) but I don't know how to do this. I know that Win
98 needs a FAT32 partition (I think so anyway) but I don't know if I
can create one with the current setup. If it is possible to do this
could anyone please give me a straightforward explanation on how it
can be done (and also how I can redo it afterwards).
Thanks a lot for any help.

If you had a bigger hard drive...

I would recommend using a partition manager program that boots from CD or
floppy. Shrink the XP partition a bit to create about 2GB of freespace.
Hide the XP partition. Create a FAT32 primary partition from that
freespace, then make the primary partition active. The 98CD will that
partition as the "C: " drive. Install 98 as usual. After you're satiisfied
with Win98, unhide the XP partition then make the XP partition active again
with the partition manager software. You should be able to boot from XP
from that point.

 

[jamey709]

If you had a bigger hard drive...

I would recommend using a partition manager program that boots from CD or
floppy. Shrink the XP partition a bit to create about 2GB of freespace.
Hide the XP partition. Create a FAT32 primary partition from that
freespace, then make the primary partition active. The 98CD will that
partition as the "C: " drive. Install 98 as usual. After you're satiisfied
with Win98, unhide the XP partition then make the XP partition active again
with the partition manager software. You should be able to boot from XP
from that point.

Thanks Dave and Jack!

I've just got Partition Magic to do it and it was really
straightforward using the "Install another operating system" option.
I've installed BootMagic too so now I can choose which operating
system I want to use when I start up the laptop, which is exactly how
I wanted it.

Cheers to all for your help.

 

[Bill in Co.]

If you had a bigger hard drive...

I would recommend using a partition manager program that boots from CD or
floppy. Shrink the XP partition a bit to create about 2GB of freespace.

But why only 2 GB? If he's going to make any use of it, wouldn't he want
it to be larger, to accommodate all the applications he's going to have to
install? Say maybe like a 20 GB partition would make more sense (assuming
he had enough space), wouldn't it?

This is an interesting thread - it's giving me some ideas. Thanks.

But damn, this is a Dell which is already tying up two other primary
partitions. Oh well, first things first...

 

[Bill in Co.]

MANY people prefer to have apps on a separate partition, and sometimes
data on a third.

Makes backups simpler.

But most of the programs install their own stuff in the \Windows\Program
Files and Windows\Application subdirectories, so it seems almost pointless.
You can't really separate it all out (except for the user data files - and
that's about all). What's the point in splitting all the installed
programs into two partitions (which is what you are doing, IF you attempt to
install a program in a separate partition - for the reasons I just
mentioned)

 

[Lil' Dave]

Thanks Dave and Jack!

I've just got Partition Magic to do it and it was really
straightforward using the "Install another operating system" option.
I've installed BootMagic too so now I can choose which operating
system I want to use when I start up the laptop, which is exactly how
I wanted it.

Cheers to all for your help.

See my reply to Jack regarding vcom.com. I'm using that partitioning
program from within the boot manager program system commander. It has a
similar menu, one being to add an operating system. I gave you the manual
method. That, I prefer to use. Also works with more simplistic
partitioning programs without those fancy menu selections.

If you see a small partition on your lapop's hard drive within the PM
program, leave it alone at all costs.
--
Dave

Hypocrisy. Big SUV, filament lights on all night. You think your neighbor
should be changiing to compact fluorescent light bulbs and driving the
hybrid.