Need Help With Windows XP Pro

[thom_j]

Hello All,
I just want to know can I install Windows XP Pro on any hardrive
like Windows 2000 Pro?.. I just got XP Pro but I can not seem to
find out if I can do this or not?.. All help is appreciated!
Cordially thom_j.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I just want to know can I install Windows XP Pro on any hardrive
like Windows 2000 Pro?.. I just got XP Pro but I can not seem to
find out if I can do this or not?.. All help is appreciated!
Cordially thom_j.

Not sure *you* understand what you are asking. heh I certainly do not.

Can you install Windows XP Pro on "any hard drive"? Yeah - if you have the
license(s) needed, you can pretty much install it where ever you want.

If you mean "tell it to install on d:\ instead of c:\" - yes.. But just
like 2000, part of it will still be installed on your primary device (c:\).

If you mean "multi-boot with other OSes" - yes.

Google may better answer whatever you meant. =)

 

[thom_j]

Thank you for the quick reply Shenan S..
I finally found my answer within a microsoft.com search..
First, yes, I want a multi-boot OS and I already have Win2000 Pro
on my c:\drive and I wanted to put WindowsXP Pro on my d:\drive
All was expalined except your information on:
"part of it will still be installed on your primary device (c:\)."
Does this mean if I already have Win2000 on the c:\drive that when
I install WinXP on the d:\drive there will be a problem with each on
the c:\drive? I am a bit unclear about this issue, & I certainly do not
want one crashing the other! Suggestions please!
Again all help is appreciated!

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Thank you for the quick reply Shenan S..
I finally found my answer within a microsoft.com search..
First, yes, I want a multi-boot OS and I already have Win2000 Pro
on my c:\drive and I wanted to put WindowsXP Pro on my d:\drive
All was expalined except your information on:
"part of it will still be installed on your primary device (c:\)."
Does this mean if I already have Win2000 on the c:\drive that when
I install WinXP on the d:\drive there will be a problem with each on
the c:\drive? I am a bit unclear about this issue, & I certainly do
not want one crashing the other! Suggestions please!
Again all help is appreciated!

Maybe this web site:
http://www.win.net/optimator/WinWiz/Tips/DualBoot.htm

Or this one:
(scroll down)
http://www.winxpfix.com/page5.htm

You said you have 2000 now, so this is not as useful, but:
http://www.adminlife.com/247reference/msgs/14/73669.aspx

Or any of this slew of articles:
http://windows.about.com/cs/dualboot/

 

[thom_j]

Shenan S.
I think these sites are exactly what I need and what I was looking
for.. Also they are very clear and concise. I will now do the steps
that are necessary to get my dual'boot Win2000 & WinXP done
on seperate physical drives.. Thank you.. thom_j.

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Thom.

The "system files" must be in the "system partition", which is almost always
the first partition on the first physical drive; this must be a bootable
("active") primary partition; it is almost always Drive C:. No matter how
many copies of Windows you have installed, or whether they are Win9x/ME,
WinNT/2K/XP (or even the new Longhorn), you need only ONE system partition.
It should have the system files for the latest version of Windows that you
have installed. All the system files (NTLDR, ntdetect.com and boot.ini,
plus io.sys and msdos.sys if you are dual-booting a version of Win9x/ME) are
named the same, but the earlier versions don't know how to handle later
versions of Windows. You can have a single copy of Win9x/ME, in addition to
as many installations of Win2K/XP, etc., as you have partitions, but I'll
ignore Win9x/ME from here on so that we don't have to think about such
things as FAT.

Setup will create a "boot folder" for the version of Windows being
installed. This folder, typically named \WinNT for Win2K and \Windows for
WinXP and most other versions of Windows, will be installed on whatever
volume (primary partition or logical drive in an extended partition) on any
physical drive in your computer. Whichever volume you choose becomes the
"boot volume" for THAT Windows installation. So your computer may have
several boot volumes, but only the single system partition.

As several writers have pointed out, we BOOT from the SYSTEM PARTITION and
keep the OPERATING SYSTEM files (except for the few SYSTEM files) in the
BOOT FOLDER in the BOOT VOLUME. It's counter-intuitive and confusing, but
it works.

So long as you put each OS in its own volume (on any HD) and install the
newest OS last, Setup should handle it automatically. With Win2K already
installed, just boot from the WinXP CD-ROM and follow the prompts. ;<)

RC