Dual Boot - - XP with 98SE, or Vista with 98SE

[infoseeker]

Hi,

I am planning to buy a new PC with Windows XP, Home or PRO, or Vista Home
Premium installed and I would like to install my existing copy of Windows
98SE on it with a Dual Boot option at startup.

I need 98SE's option to run a few DOS-based programs like AutoCAD v11 which
cost me $2500 back in 1993 and still works perfectly.

Instead of running DOS window from 98SE, when I boot or reboot, I press F8,
enter the Startup Menu, choose DOS PROMPT. From there I have a batch
program that modifies MSDOS.SYS so it does not load Windows upon restart and
the same batch program modifies the AUTOEXEC.BAT file to load the AutoCAD
program upon restart.

When I exit AutoCAD, another batch file restores MSDOS.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT
to their Windows 98SE defaults.

I would like to accomplish the same with the new Windows XP computer, and if
I can boot to a DOS PROMPT without loading Windows XP, I will not need the
Dual Boot option.

As an alternative, if I can accomplish the same DOS PROMPT tasks described
above with Windows Vista Home Premium, I will buy a new PC with it installed
instead.

Unfortunately, when it comes to XP or Vista Home Premium, the morons at Dell
fail to agree on whether any of this can be accomplished successfully and
that is why I am posting here.

Thanks in advance for you thoughts and or recommendations.

Best regards to all,

Grant

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

Only way to do what you want is to either dual-boot (and that *will* be iffy
on new hardware), or, the best solution, use Virtual PC or VMware to run a
virtual DOS or Win98 system inside your XP/Vista system.

To run Virtual PC, you need XP Pro. Not sure what the required Vista version
is.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/virtualpc/default.mspx
http://www.vmware.com/

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hi,

I am planning to buy a new PC with Windows XP, Home or PRO, or Vista Home
Premium installed and I would like to install my existing copy of Windows
98SE on it with a Dual Boot option at startup.

Answered in another newsgroup. Please do not send the same message
separately to more than one newsgroup (called multiposting). Doing so
just fragments the thread, so someone who answers in one newsgroup
doesn't get to see answers from others in another newsgroup. And for
those who read all the newsgroups the message is multiposted to, they
see the message multiple times instead of once (they would see it only
once if you correctly crossposted instead). This wastes everyone's
time, and gets you poorer help than you should get.

If you must send the same message to more than one newsgroup, please
do so by crossposting (but only to a *few* related newsgroups).

Please see "What is the accepted way to share a message across
multiple newsgroups?" at http://smjg.port5.com/faqs/usenet/xpost.html

 

[infoseeker]

Thank you for education, Ken. I will do my best to follow your newgroup(s)
directions in the future.

Best regards,

Grant

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Thank you for education, Ken. I will do my best to follow your newgroup(s)
directions in the future.

You're welcome. Glad to help.