WinXP-SP2 doesn't allow Dual-Boot with Win2K any more !

[H. Debs]

I have been dual-booting Win2K Pro SP4 with WinXP SP1 just fine for
ages.

Then I installed WinXP-SP2 and now have a problem: Only one of the 2
OS's will boot.

If I restore the XP-SP2 boot files (ntdetect.com, ntldr) then
Win2K-SP4 doesn't boot (complains that the registry SYSTEM file is
corrupt). If I restore the Win2K-SP4 boot files, then WinXP-SP2 won't
boot, complaining exactly the same thing.

So WinXP-SP2 boot process is NOT backwards compatible any more ?

What is the way out of this dilemma ?

 

[Microsoft]

Microsoft Never goes Backwards but uninstall the SP 4 from 2000 and then try

www.helpline4it.com
The Best IT Community Portal!
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[George Birbilis]

HOW COME YOU USE THE NAME "Microsoft"???
Wonder why they allow usage of such name

-----
George Birbilis ([email protected])
http://www.kagi.com/birbilis
--------------

Microsoft Never goes Backwards but uninstall the SP 4 from 2000 and then
try

www.helpline4it.com
The Best IT Community Portal!
www.helpline4it.com
----------------------------------------

 

[H. Debs]

Microsoft Never goes Backwards but uninstall the SP 4 from 2000 and
then try

You mean uninstall SP4 then reinstall it ? I don't think I'd like to
stay with SP3.
Please explain more giving some steps, and at which step you think the
problem will be solved.
Thanks.

 

[George Birbilis]

I've found in the past when I had a corrupted Win2000 system that
uninstalling SP4 fixed the system (since it brought back a working SP3),
then reinstalled SP4 OK

 

[H. Debs]

I've found in the past when I had a corrupted Win2000 system that
uninstalling SP4 fixed the system (since it brought back a working SP3),
then reinstalled SP4 OK

How do you propose I do this?
- If I leave the WinXP-SP2 boot files, I can't boot into Win2K to
uninstall SP4.
- If I leave the Win2K boot files, I can't boot into XP again, but I
can uninstall and reinstall SP4. Do you think
uninstalling/reinstalling Win2K-SP4 will repair the WinXP boot ? (I
have a doubt).

 

[George Birbilis]

1) remove XP SP2
2) boot in 2000 SP4, remove SP4, reinstall SP4
3) install XP SP2 again (does all work now?)

another idea to be able to boot in your 2000 SP4 without uninstalling XP SP2
is to install 2000 again at separate folder (in the same partition as the
other 2000 installation!) using Windows 2000 CD. Then fix the "boot.ini"
file in root folder using notepad to add entry for the other 2000 folder you
had before (don't remove the entry for the new 2000 installation). Also add
entry for the XP SP2. If that doesn't work OK, boot into the old 2000 now
and uninstall-reinstall Win2000SP4, then edit boot.ini to add XP folder at
boot options and reboot. If managed to enter XP SP2, maybe leave it as it is
or reinstall XP SP2 (over the existing installation, seem to allow it, else
remove and reinstall it) if you have other problems too

sounds a bit complicated? why not try editing boot.ini at your WinXP SP2
installation to add the 2000 folder too at the boot options? Maybe it's just
that XP SP2 didn't detect your 2000 SP4 and removed that entry from boot.ini

 

[H. Debs]

sounds a bit complicated?

Yes it is, especially since the results are not guaranteed to work,
and since this my development machine I don't want to waste it or have
to reinstall all the software.
Have you already solved this problem with the methods you are
recommending ?

I think the solution is much simpler, but I need someone who knows
about this problem in particular and how to solve it to give me a
clue.

why not try editing boot.ini at your WinXP SP2
installation

As you know, there's only 1 boot.ini file on the computer, no matter
how many windows versions you have installed there.

to add the 2000 folder too at the boot options? Maybe it's just
that XP SP2 didn't detect your 2000 SP4 and removed that entry from

boot.ini

I have the option to boot both WinXP and Win2K when I boot. The
problem comes after I select which windows to start up. As I said in
my first post, after I select which windows to start, I get an error
message complaining that the system cannot start up because the
registry file (SYSTEM) is corrupt, and I'm advised to repair the
installation. I have already repaired the Win2K installation and
reinstalled all Win2K patches, but that did not solve the problem.

I've found out, as I said in my first post, that the problem can be
half-solved by replacing only 2 files: ntdetect.com and ntldr. If I
use the ones belonging to Win2K, then Win2K will boot fine, but not
WinXP-SP2. If I use the ones for WinXP-SP2 then it will boot fine but
not Win2K. In both cases the error given is about a corrupt SYSTEM
file (registry). I.E. each set of boot files thinks the other OS's
registry is corrupt, but it is not. None of the SYSTEM files are
corrupt (since I can boot both using the correct files). I suspect the
problem lies elsewhere, perhaps in ntdetect.com and ntldr.
I even tried to put back the ntdetect.com and ntldr which came with
WinXP-SP1 (and with which I had no problems dual-booting), but I get
the same error if I try to boot Win2K.

Here's my boot.ini, and I think it's OK (the partitions are correct):

[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNT

[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000
Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
C:\bootsect.98D="MS-DOS 7.1 (from Win98-SE)"
C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons

Do you see anything wrong with it?

Regards,

Hab

 

[/..]

By Thu, 2 Sep 2004 23:29:18 +0200, "H. Debs" <[email protected]>
decided to post "Re: WinXP-SP2 doesn't allow Dual-Boot with Win2K any more
!" to microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment:

I've found out, as I said in my first post, that the problem can be
half-solved by replacing only 2 files: ntdetect.com and ntldr.

Regards,

Hab

The os's should be installed to different partitions. I've had most
success installing xppro to c:\ and w2k to another, say d:\. The two files
that mention, that are part of w2k are on the same partition as w2k, not in
c:\, and they are in the root directory, eg d:\ntdetect.com, etc. This
works.

HTH,

/ts



--

find / -iname "*gw*" -exec rm -rf {} \;

In heaven, there is no beer,
That's why we drink it here,
And when we're all gone from here,
Our friends will be drinking all the beer!
-- Famous old Czech song about beer --

 

[H. Debs]

By Thu, 2 Sep 2004 23:29:18 +0200, "H. Debs" <[email protected]>
decided to post "Re: WinXP-SP2 doesn't allow Dual-Boot with Win2K any more
!" to microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment:



The os's should be installed to different partitions. I've had most
success installing xppro to c:\ and w2k to another, say d:\. The two files
that mention, that are part of w2k are on the same partition as w2k, not in
c:\, and they are in the root directory, eg d:\ntdetect.com, etc. This
works.

Yes, of course Win2K and WinXP are installed in 2 different
partitions, E: (for Win2K) and F: (for WinXP), both partitions being
on the same hard disk, the one which also has C:. (But I have 2 other
hard disks.)
There is only one set of [ntdetect.com, ntldr] on my system, on C:\.
There are no such boot files on E: nor on F:, which is where the OS's
reside. That was always the case for me, and it always worked fine.
I never heard that there can be 2 sets of these files on the system,
and not anywhere except on the Active Primary partition of the 1st
hard disk (i.e. C: - that's where windows boots from), unless perhaps
you are using a 3rd party boot manager, which I am not. Normally
there's only one set on drive C:\, no matter how many versions of
windows you have installed in how many partitions. Or I am completely
nuts ?

Your partitions c: and d:, are they on the same hard disk ?

Hab

 

[George Birbilis]

I've found out, as I said in my first post, that the problem can be
is it an option to use a boot disk with an AUTOEXEC.BAT file and "NTFS for
DOS" from SysInternals (their demo version provides just readonly access to
NTFS though) to switch between these files?

I think you should try installing another copy of W2K in the SAME partition
as the original W2K, but at a different folder (it's allowed OK, have tried
it). Similar should be allowed for XP I suppose, though I'm not sure if you
can put both WXP and W2K in the same partition at different folders. That
way the last OS you installed with set the boot driver and say that was
XPSP1 it will allow boot to both WXPSP2 and W2KSP4 you had I hope (and then
keep XPSP1 hunging arround unused at that other folder, till MS fix this
problem)

on my machine the boot.ini is:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn

and if I remember well from my W2000 machine, were 2 W2000 installations are
on the same disk at the same partition (at different folders), it was just
an extra entry under the [operation systems] part

maybe you can play with the "/fastdetect" parameter or some other parameter
there (not sure where docs are for that, probably at MSDN)