This is an interesting method of multibooting, one that I was not
aware of before. Here is what happens:
- The first partition is an NTFS partition. It contains Win2000 or WinXP.
- The second partition is a FAT32 partition. It is set to "active". It
contains the following:
- The Win2000 boot sector (which means that the boot process
invokes the file c:\ntldr located on this partition).
- The file c:\ntldr (which processes c:\boot.ini, containing the
OS selection menu).
- The file c:\ntdetect.com (which launches Win2000).
- The file c:\bootsect.dos (which passes control to the Win98 boot files)
- The Win98 boot files c:\io.sys, c:\msdos.sys, c:\command.com
- When you select Win2000 during the boot process then ntldr
passes control to the Win2000 system files on the FIRST partition.
Since it's the first partition, it acquires drive letter C:. The FAT32
partition will now appear as drive D:.
- When you select Win98 during the boot process then c:\bootsect.dos
passes control to c:\io.sys etc. The NTFS partition will remain
invisible,
because Win98 cannot see NTFS partitions.
And here is an alternative way to implement this solution, in steps
that show what actually happens.
1. Start off with a system where Win2000/XP is installed in the
first NTFS partition.
2. Copy the hidden files c:\boot.ini, c:\ntldr and c:\ntdetect.com to a
floppy disk.
3. Use a suitable tool to create a primary FAT32 partition. Format it.
4. Use a suitable tool to make this partition active.
5. Install Win98 in this partition.
6. Boot into a DOS prompt (press F8 during the early boot phase).
7. Copy the files made in Step 2 to c:\.
8. Get a copy of bootpart.exe from here:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/gvollant/bootpart.htm
9. Run these commands:
bootpart winnt boot:c:
This will create the Win2000 boot sector on the FAT32 partition.
bootpart win95 c:\bootsect.dos "Windows 98"
This will create the Windows 98 boot sector file. It will also create
a Windows 98 entry in c:\boot.ini
What you observe here is not really a phenomenon (singular: phenomenon,
plural: phenomena) but is entirely whithin the scope of the Windows
boot process. I'm not sure if Ole Martin Rockstad was the first to think
of it but it's certainly an elegant method of booting into Win98 on a
system where Win2000/XP is already installed in an NTFS partition.