Dual Boot Windows NT, XP Pro

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

I was running windows NT, bought XP Pro and was hoping to make a dual boot
system. Windows NT was already installed, and I installed XP Pro on a brand
new hard drive. When I start up it goes right into XP Pro, I went to the
advanced properties to see a list of the OS and only XP was present. Can any
one help on how I can include the windows NT in the OS list or how I can
actually make the system dual boot?
 
Hi, Azazel.

You should be able to add your WinNT4 installation to C:\boot.ini. One easy
way is to go to System Properties | Advanced | Startup and Recovery
Settings, then click the Edit button. This will open C:\boot.ini in
Notepad.

Boot.ini is a simple text file (although it is normally Hidden, System and
Read-only). Here is a sample of one that boots either of two copies of
WinXP:

[boot loader]
timeout=5
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional (D:)" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional (X:)" /FASTDETECT

Yours probably has only one line under [operating systems], which should
point to your copy of WinXP. You should add a second line pointing to
WinNT4. Follow the pattern shown, using your HDD and partition NUMBERS, not
drive letters. Your new HDD is probably rdisk(0) (numbers start at zero)
and your WinXP might be in partition(1) (numbers start at one on each HDD).
After the partition(#) is the name of the "boot folder"; the default name is
\Windows for WinXP and \WinNT for WinNT4 (or Win2K), although yours might be
different. The label between quotes is only for human consumption; the
computer ignores it. Switches at the end of the line are usually as shown,
but can vary; let's not get into those here. So, if your WinNT4 is on the
second partition of your second HDD, your new line would probably look like:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(2)partition(2)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows NT" /FASTDETECT

When WinXP is installed into a system that already includes an existing
Windows installation, WinXP Setup normally detects the excising Windows and
updates C:\boot.ini include both old and new installations. If your WinNT
HDD was offline at the time you installed WinXP, Setup would not have been
able to detect it.

All NT-based versions of Windows (WinNT4, Win2K, WinXP...) use the same 3
"system files" (NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM and Boot.ini); although the filenames
remain the same, the actual file contents change with each generation.
These files must be in the root of the "system partition", the first Active
partition on the first HDD, which is typically Drive C:. Other copies of
these files will be ignored; only the ones in C:\ will be seen during the
boot process.
I went to the
advanced properties to see a list of the OS and only XP was present.
Click to expand...

I don't understand this line. What "advanced properties". Except for the
contents of Boot.ini (and all those files visible in Windows Explorer),
WinXP knows nothing of the existence of any other Windows that may be
installed.

RC
 
So, if your WinNT4 is on the second partition of your second HDD, yourmulti(0)disk(0)rdisk(2)partition(2)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows NT" /FASTDETECT


R.C.

The "/FASTDETECT" argument may cause problems:

Here is the NTWS line for my XP-NT dual boot setup:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(7)\WINNT="NTWS" /noserialmice
 
Hi, CZ.

Thanks for the heads-up. As I said, "Switches at the end of the line are
usually as shown, but can vary; let's not get into those here."

I used WinNT4 only lightly, and only until Win2K came along, so I'm glad
someone with more familiarity jumped in to help the OP. ;<)

RC
 
Thanks for the quick response R.C White and CZ. It was no problem following
your directions and I updated the Boot.ini file, but now when I try to choose
the WinNT option at start up it says that i must re-install <windows
root>\system32\hal.dll. Can you tell me how to do that. Can i just copy
that .dll from XP or download it and paste it in the appropriate directory?
And if so what would that directory be?

Again thanks for the help
 
Azazel said:
I was running windows NT, bought XP Pro and was hoping to make a dual boot
system. Windows NT was already installed, and I installed XP Pro on a brand
new hard drive. When I start up it goes right into XP Pro, I went to the
advanced properties to see a list of the OS and only XP was present. Can any
one help on how I can include the windows NT in the OS list or how I can
actually make the system dual boot?
Click to expand...

You have to run the XP installation CD *from* the NT. You will probably
need to take steps to make that partition the Active one again. Enter
Install, change Upgrade to New install. Then when it asks for
confirmation where, in order to ensure there are no confusions, hit ESC
and delete the partition where you now have XP and make a new one to
use.

That sets up the XP boot files in the NT partition and a dual boot of
the two
 
Hey Gents,

Just wanted to let you know that I fixed the problem with the hal.dll. When
I originally created the new boot line in the boot.ini file it looked like
this

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows NT"
/FASTDETECT

so i forgot to change the "WINDOWS" to "WINNT," once I did that is worked
like a charm.

Azazel
 
Thanks for the quick response R.C White and CZ. It was no problemyour directions and I updated the Boot.ini file, but now when I try to
choose
the WinNT option at start up it says that i must re-install <windows
root>\system32\hal.dll. Can you tell me how to do that. Can i just copy
that .dll from XP or download it and paste it in the appropriate directory?
And if so what would that directory be?

Azazel:

No.

Does the partition(x) value reflect the number of the partition on your hard
disk?

Example:
Normally, if your NTWS op system is in vol D: and you have one hard disk
only, then the entry in boot.ini should be:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNT="NTWS" /noserialmice
 
CZ said:
your directions and I updated the Boot.ini file, but now when I try to
choose
the WinNT option at start up it says that i must re-install <windows
root>\system32\hal.dll. Can you tell me how to do that. Can i just copy
that .dll from XP or download it and paste it in the appropriate directory?
And if so what would that directory be?
Click to expand...

That indicates that the line in boot.ini is not pointing to a correct
directory for Windows, so on looking for files they are not being found.
Hal.dll just happens to be the first one it looks for.

This usually is best handled by rebuilding the boot.ini from the ground
up.

Set the BIOS to boot CD before Hard Disk. Boot the XP CD and, instead
of Setup, take the immediate R for Repair. Assume any password
requested is blank, and TAB over.
Give:
ATTRIB -H -R -S C:\Boot.ini
DEL C:\Boot.ini
(thus deleting the old one)
BootCfg /Rebuild
 
Back
Top