New Install of XP

[dwb]

I am currently running a dual boot with Win98 on 'C' Drive and Win2000 on
'F' Drive.
I would like to install WinXP as my only operating system and install it to
the 'C' drive. If I format the 'C' Drive will that also format over the
boot partition or do I have to take a special step to illiminate the boot
partition so that when I reboot, the computer will go directly to WinXP?

 

[Jabez Gan]

Hey,

If you only format C: drive (in DOS or during WinXP Installation), it will
only format the drive C: with your Win98 files on it. Your Win2000 drive
(drive F will not be touched and you will not lose any files on your drive
F:.

And once you have installed WinXP on your C: drive, when you boot into
WinXP, you will be able to see the drive F: in WinXP's My Computer. However
you will not be able to boot into Win2000 anymore (unless you further
configure the boot.ini file)

Hope this helps.

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Usually setup will detect the Win2K installation and automatically add it to
the bootloader. WinXP will be the timeout default entry though, so after the
pause it should still boot to XP without user intervention. However, if the
OP desires, it's a simple matter to edit it out and remove the option.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[dwb]

I really want to be rid of the dual boot process altogether. Once I have
WinXP installed, I would just like to it. I would no longer need Win2000
and would just format over it. I am just concerned that the dual boot
sector would remain after I formatted the 'C' drive and installed Windows XP
and I wouldn't be able to boot into either operating system

If I format

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

It won't, the installation will overwrite it with the XP bootloader.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[dwb]

Thanx for the help. I'll feel more confident doing the re-install now.

 

[Bud Norris]

If you fromat the C:\ drive you will wipe out everything on that drive
including the Master Boot Record (MBR) and the Boot Loader files (Boot.ini,
NTLDR & NTDETECT.COM). This will in effect stop you from dual booting, since
the boot loader file is gone. So you will only boot to the OS you install on
the reformatted C:\ drive. Windows, no matter the version, always looks to
the C:\ drive first when booting and if it doesn't find a boot loader file
it automatically opens the C:\ drive system.
Windows prefers you install OS in order of version, i.e. Win98 on C:\ then
Win2K then WinXP. To install the OS out of sequence, i.e. WinXP on C:\ then
Win2K or Win98, takes some special work to setup the boot loader file on the
C:\ drive so that you can dual boot to an earlier OS.
Since you don't want to do this putting WinXP on the C:\ drive with out a
boot loader file should be no problem.

NevBud