Guest Wayne Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 My friend has an e-machine approx. 2 years old. He has windows 98 on the secondary drive and windows xp on the primary drive. What would he need to do to be able to boot up from either drive the easiest way without going in and out of the BIOS each time? Thanks -- Wayne
Guest Anteaus Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 RE: Easiest way to boot between to hard drives. http://www.ranish.com/ -------------------------- "This is a wonderful computer. It''s 20yrs old and absolutely reliable. And, in all that time it''s only had four mobos, six processors, two cases, seven OS''s ...." "Wayne" wrote: > My friend has an e-machine approx. 2 years old. He has windows 98 on the > secondary drive and windows xp on the primary drive. What would he need to do > to be able to boot up from either drive the easiest way without going in and > out of the BIOS each time? Thanks > -- > Wayne
Guest Wayne Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 RE: Easiest way to boot between to hard drives. Do I see a little sarcasm here, or what? -- Wayne "Anteaus" wrote: > > http://www.ranish.com/ > > -------------------------- > "This is a wonderful computer. It''s 20yrs old and absolutely reliable. > And, in all that time it''s only had four mobos, six processors, two cases, > seven OS''s ...." > > > "Wayne" wrote: > > > My friend has an e-machine approx. 2 years old. He has windows 98 on the > > secondary drive and windows xp on the primary drive. What would he need to do > > to be able to boot up from either drive the easiest way without going in and > > out of the BIOS each time? Thanks > > -- > > Wayne
Guest John John (MVP) Posted July 20, 2008 Posted July 20, 2008 Re: Easiest way to boot between to hard drives. Get him to install the Recovery Console. It will automatically create the necessary bootsect.dos file for Windows 98 and it will add it to the boot.ini file. Once you are satisfied that the Windows 98 installation is properly added to the boot.ini file and that it can be successfully booted you can easily uninstall the Recovery Console and remove it from the boot.ini menu. John Wayne wrote: > My friend has an e-machine approx. 2 years old. He has windows 98 on the > secondary drive and windows xp on the primary drive. What would he need to do > to be able to boot up from either drive the easiest way without going in and > out of the BIOS each time? Thanks
Guest Brian A. Posted July 21, 2008 Posted July 21, 2008 Re: Easiest way to boot between to hard drives. "Wayne" <Wayne@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:C4FEB0AA-E934-4DF9-86E7-CC9371E3C2F1@microsoft.com... > My friend has an e-machine approx. 2 years old. He has windows 98 on the > secondary drive and windows xp on the primary drive. What would he need to do > to be able to boot up from either drive the easiest way without going in and > out of the BIOS each time? Thanks > -- > Wayne http://thpc.info/how/editbootini.html -- Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Windows Desktop User Experience } Conflicts start where information lacks. http://basconotw.mvps.org/ Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://dts-l.com/goodpost.htm How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375
Guest Wayne Posted July 21, 2008 Posted July 21, 2008 Re: Easiest way to boot between to hard drives. John, are you talking about the recovery console on the windows XP disc.? Do you know of any website that will give a little more information on how to do this? Thanks. Thank you also Brian. -- Wayne "John John (MVP)" wrote: > Get him to install the Recovery Console. It will automatically create > the necessary bootsect.dos file for Windows 98 and it will add it to the > boot.ini file. Once you are satisfied that the Windows 98 installation > is properly added to the boot.ini file and that it can be successfully > booted you can easily uninstall the Recovery Console and remove it from > the boot.ini menu. > > John > > Wayne wrote: > > My friend has an e-machine approx. 2 years old. He has windows 98 on the > > secondary drive and windows xp on the primary drive. What would he need to do > > to be able to boot up from either drive the easiest way without going in and > > out of the BIOS each time? Thanks >
Guest Brian A. Posted July 21, 2008 Posted July 21, 2008 Re: Easiest way to boot between to hard drives. Description of the Windows XP Recovery Console http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314058 How to enable an administrator to log on automatically in Recovery Console http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;312149 How to install the Windows Recovery Console http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;216417 How to install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307654 How to remove Windows Recovery Console -- Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Windows Desktop User Experience } Conflicts start where information lacks. http://basconotw.mvps.org/ Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://dts-l.com/goodpost.htm How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375 "Wayne" <Wayne@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:7DB78A98-3379-4CD5-A59C-E94B366F7D94@microsoft.com... > John, are you talking about the recovery console on the windows XP disc.? Do > you know of any website that will give a little more information on how to do > this? Thanks. Thank you also Brian. > -- > Wayne > > > "John John (MVP)" wrote: > >> Get him to install the Recovery Console. It will automatically create >> the necessary bootsect.dos file for Windows 98 and it will add it to the >> boot.ini file. Once you are satisfied that the Windows 98 installation >> is properly added to the boot.ini file and that it can be successfully >> booted you can easily uninstall the Recovery Console and remove it from >> the boot.ini menu. >> >> John >> >> Wayne wrote: >> > My friend has an e-machine approx. 2 years old. He has windows 98 on the >> > secondary drive and windows xp on the primary drive. What would he need to do >> > to be able to boot up from either drive the easiest way without going in and >> > out of the BIOS each time? Thanks >>
Guest HeyBub Posted July 21, 2008 Posted July 21, 2008 Re: Easiest way to boot between to hard drives. Anteaus wrote: > http://www.ranish.com/ > > -------------------------- > "This is a wonderful computer. It''s 20yrs old and absolutely > reliable. And, in all that time it''s only had four mobos, six > processors, two cases, seven OS''s ...." > > I saw a hatchet for sale on eBay billed as "the very hatchet used by young George Washington to chop down his father's cherry tree!" The description went on "... during the intervening 300-odd years, the hatchet has had its handle replaced nine times and its head replaced twice, but other than that, it's the original hatchet."
Guest Wayne Posted July 21, 2008 Posted July 21, 2008 Re: Easiest way to boot between to hard drives. Thanks Brian, and to the rest of the folks who answered my question. It is much appreciated. -- Wayne "Brian A." wrote: > Description of the Windows XP Recovery Console > http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314058 > > How to enable an administrator to log on automatically in Recovery Console > http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;312149 > > How to install the Windows Recovery Console > http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;216417 > > How to install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP > http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307654 > > How to remove Windows Recovery Console > > -- > > Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Windows Desktop User Experience } > Conflicts start where information lacks. > http://basconotw.mvps.org/ > > Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://dts-l.com/goodpost.htm > How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375 > > > "Wayne" <Wayne@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:7DB78A98-3379-4CD5-A59C-E94B366F7D94@microsoft.com... > > John, are you talking about the recovery console on the windows XP disc.? Do > > you know of any website that will give a little more information on how to do > > this? Thanks. Thank you also Brian. > > -- > > Wayne > > > > > > "John John (MVP)" wrote: > > > >> Get him to install the Recovery Console. It will automatically create > >> the necessary bootsect.dos file for Windows 98 and it will add it to the > >> boot.ini file. Once you are satisfied that the Windows 98 installation > >> is properly added to the boot.ini file and that it can be successfully > >> booted you can easily uninstall the Recovery Console and remove it from > >> the boot.ini menu. > >> > >> John > >> > >> Wayne wrote: > >> > My friend has an e-machine approx. 2 years old. He has windows 98 on the > >> > secondary drive and windows xp on the primary drive. What would he need to do > >> > to be able to boot up from either drive the easiest way without going in and > >> > out of the BIOS each time? Thanks > >>
Guest Anna Posted July 21, 2008 Posted July 21, 2008 Re: Easiest way to boot between to hard drives. >> Wayne wrote: >> > My friend has an e-machine approx. 2 years old. He has windows 98 on >> > the >> > secondary drive and windows xp on the primary drive. What would he need >> > to do >> > to be able to boot up from either drive the easiest way without going >> > in and >> > out of the BIOS each time? Thanks > "John John (MVP)" wrote: > >> Get him to install the Recovery Console. It will automatically create >> the necessary bootsect.dos file for Windows 98 and it will add it to the >> boot.ini file. Once you are satisfied that the Windows 98 installation >> is properly added to the boot.ini file and that it can be successfully >> booted you can easily uninstall the Recovery Console and remove it from >> the boot.ini menu. >> >> John "Wayne" <Wayne@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:7DB78A98-3379-4CD5-A59C-E94B366F7D94@microsoft.com... > John, are you talking about the recovery console on the windows XP disc.? > Do > you know of any website that will give a little more information on how to > do > this? Thanks. Thank you also Brian. > -- > Wayne Wayne: First of all, multibooting Win98 & WinXP can be a bit more complicated than invoking some simple commands in the XP Recovery Console and modifying the boot.ini file. We're assuming, of course, that your friend has good & sufficient reasons for working with a Win98 installation. Presumably he needs to use some programs/applications that can only work in an Win98 environment, right? All things considered, it might even be best to continue his practice of accessing the BIOS to change the boot priority order so that he can boot to either HDD containing the two OS. On the other hand if he has is a more-or-less constant need to boot to one or the other OS I suppose he finds it somewhat onerous to continually access the BIOS so it would be best to create a multiboot configuration. If that be the case it really would be wise for you and/or he to Google for "multiboot win98 and winxp" where you'll be pointed to a number of websites that deal with the ins & outs of this process. In particular, access... http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_repair_9x.htm Actually our preferred method of creating a multiboot configuration is through the use of a removable HDD. Through this process the internal HDD contains one OS; the removable HDD contains the other OS. The systems are physically separate from each other and each OS can be easily booted to through an ON-OFF switch on the mobile rack that contains the removable HDD. But in order to use a removable HDD one needs a desktop PC with an available (vacant) 5 1/4" bay to house the mobile rack. The entire process is similar to installing an optical drive. But you haven't indicated whether this eMachines PC is a desktop machine with an available 5 1/4" bay so this may not be feasible in your friend's case. Anna
Guest Mike Posted July 22, 2008 Posted July 22, 2008 Re: Easiest way to boot between to hard drives. =?Utf-8?B?V2F5bmU=?= <Wayne@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in news:C4FEB0AA-E934-4DF9-86E7-CC9371E3C2F1@microsoft.com: > My friend has an e-machine approx. 2 years old. He has windows 98 on the > secondary drive and windows xp on the primary drive. What would he need > to do to be able to boot up from either drive the easiest way without > going in and out of the BIOS each time? Thanks Using the BIOS to choose the boot order is better described as the safer way but is at best a somewhat clumsy way to go about a mutli-boot. Whether there's an OS on the master, slave, wherever, is irrelevant. It's something called the MBR (Master Boot Record) that controls what boots from where. With Windows controlling the MBR it's a complete pain in the ass to set up for multi-boot for different OS's on either the same drive or different drives. At least I never got the darn thing to work right doing it Windows. (At present I multi-boot three OS's on two drives and use something called Super Grub:-). In theory, you need to set up the MBR so that when your computer boots up you get a text menu coming up just after all the POST stuff that shows you a list of OS's and you can select one to boot up with. However, messing around with the MBR is not for the feint of heart or the clueless. You could seriously trash things playing around with that. Mike
Guest Wayne Posted July 22, 2008 Posted July 22, 2008 Re: Easiest way to boot between to hard drives. Thanks for the information Mike. This is for a friend of mine so I will pass this along to him. -- Wayne "Mike" wrote: > =?Utf-8?B?V2F5bmU=?= <Wayne@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in > news:C4FEB0AA-E934-4DF9-86E7-CC9371E3C2F1@microsoft.com: > > > My friend has an e-machine approx. 2 years old. He has windows 98 on the > > secondary drive and windows xp on the primary drive. What would he need > > to do to be able to boot up from either drive the easiest way without > > going in and out of the BIOS each time? Thanks > > > Using the BIOS to choose the boot order is better described as the safer > way but is at best a somewhat clumsy way to go about a mutli-boot. Whether > there's an OS on the master, slave, wherever, is irrelevant. It's something > called the MBR (Master Boot Record) that controls what boots from where. > With Windows controlling the MBR it's a complete pain in the ass to set up > for multi-boot for different OS's on either the same drive or different > drives. At least I never got the darn thing to work right doing it Windows. > (At present I multi-boot three OS's on two drives and use something called > Super Grub:-). In theory, you need to set up the MBR so that when your > computer boots up you get a text menu coming up just after all the POST > stuff that shows you a list of OS's and you can select one to boot up with. > > However, messing around with the MBR is not for the feint of heart or the > clueless. You could seriously trash things playing around with that. > > Mike >
Guest Mike Posted July 22, 2008 Posted July 22, 2008 Re: Easiest way to boot between to hard drives. =?Utf-8?B?V2F5bmU=?= <Wayne@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in news:EA6C950F-4BC4-4B50-B642-7E978092EB2D@microsoft.com: > Thanks for the information Mike. This is for a friend of mine so I will > pass this along to him. > -- > Wayne > Hey Wayne, Now if I could figure out why my reply showed up two days after I sent it. Then again, I am on Verizon. :-) It should be noted that Super Grub is more or less for Linux OS's, but it's damn handy to have around. I haven't looked into it but you can be fairly certain that there are Windows type programs that will do the same thing.
Guest Wayne Posted July 22, 2008 Posted July 22, 2008 Re: Easiest way to boot between to hard drives. Thanks Mike. I will do some more checking. I don't have any idea why your reply showed up two days late. Whow! that is not good. -- Wayne "Mike" wrote: > =?Utf-8?B?V2F5bmU=?= <Wayne@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in > news:EA6C950F-4BC4-4B50-B642-7E978092EB2D@microsoft.com: > > > Thanks for the information Mike. This is for a friend of mine so I will > > pass this along to him. > > -- > > Wayne > > > > Hey Wayne, > > Now if I could figure out why my reply showed up two days after I sent it. > Then again, I am on Verizon. :-) > > It should be noted that Super Grub is more or less for Linux OS's, but it's > damn handy to have around. I haven't looked into it but you can be fairly > certain that there are Windows type programs that will do the same thing. >
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