Heya all, I have a hard disk with 3 partitions
c:\ Windows 98
d:\ Stuff
e:\ Windows XP
I installed windows 98 first, then I installed windows XP onto the E:. It worked 
fine until today, when i ghosted another windows98 image off another machine (that 
was set to c:\). So now it can only boot into windows 98. I am kicking myself because 
the MBR has been overwritten, i had no backups, and because windows xp needed to 
point to c: in order to boot, i dont have the original system files. I wonder if 
this has happened to anyone else. I am not too worried tho, because i have ghosted 
my XP image I can just re-install windows xp to the e: again and then once setup 
has changed the mbr again, i can reghost it, but i wonder if theirs any advice anyone 
can give me to install windows xp that doesnt point to the primary partition (so 
i can use OSLoader to boot it instead)

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

You will have to reinstall Window XP. If you are using ghost, you should creat image of your entire hard disk after you have installed XP and all applications. Creating individual image per OS will not work in the future. However, you can creat individual image for the partition for "stuff".


On Saturday, March 5, 2005 at 3:08 am, Nathan wrote:
>Heya all, I have a hard disk with 3 partitions
>c:\ Windows 98
>d:\ Stuff
>e:\ Windows XP
>I installed windows 98 first, then I installed windows XP onto the E:. It worked
>fine until today, when i ghosted another windows98 image off another machine (that
>was set to c:\). So now it can only boot into windows 98. I am kicking myself because
>the MBR has been overwritten, i had no backups, and because windows xp needed to
>point to c: in order to boot, i dont have the original system files. I wonder if
>this has happened to anyone else. I am not too worried tho, because i have ghosted
>my XP image I can just re-install windows xp to the e: again and then once setup
>has changed the mbr again, i can reghost it, but i wonder if theirs any advice anyone
>can give me to install windows xp that doesnt point to the primary partition (so
>i can use OSLoader to boot it instead)

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Ok, thanks. And there is no way to install windows XP on a partitioned drive WITHOUT 
having to pont to the primary partition??? (to use OSLoader, XOS etc etc). 
I am guessing I will just have to get another pyscial hard disk, install xp on that, 
ghost that partition, then re image my e: ? lol sounds tricky and long, maybe there 
is a shorter way????




>You will have to reinstall Window XP. If you are using ghost, you should creat image 

>of your entire hard disk after you have installed XP and all applications. Creating 

>individual image per OS will not work in the future. However, you can creat individual 

>image for the partition for "stuff". 

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Nathan,

You CAN install XP on a primary partition without it using the same boot sector as 
98. You have to hide the 98 (and any other primary) partition(s) before you start 
the install. XP will then create its boot sector on its own partition, and you can 
install a boot manager to create dual boot (I use www.boot-us.com - free for personal 
use, which also has partition hiding tools) - after you've unhidden the partitions 
of course. This XP will also see its system drive as C:, not E: or any other letter.

You can also access your current XP installation by creating a boot floppy. Newly 
formatted floppy - copy ntldr and ntdetect.com (they're on XP install CD in \i386) 
to it together with a boot.ini file which you can create in notepad looking like 
this (assuming XP is on the third partition on the drive - you might have to 'play' 
with the partition number to get it to work if you have an extended partition):-

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect 
/noexecute=optin

If your current XP is on a primary partition, you can also make it bootable as is. 
Copy those 3 files (ntldr, ntdetect.com & boot.ini) to its root (if its ntfs, you 
can use recovery console to do this). Then from recovery console, run fixboot X:, 
where X: is XP partition drive letter as seen from recovery console.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307654







On Saturday, March 5, 2005 at 3:47 am, Nathan wrote:

>Ok, thanks. And there is no way to install windows XP on a partitioned drive WITHOUT 

>having to pont to the primary partition??? (to use OSLoader, XOS etc etc). 

>I am guessing I will just have to get another pyscial hard disk, install xp on that, 

>ghost that partition, then re image my e: ? lol sounds tricky and long, maybe there 

>is a shorter way????

>

>

>

>>You will have to reinstall Window XP. If you are using ghost, you should creat 
image 

>>of your entire hard disk after you have installed XP and all applications. Creating 


>>individual image per OS will not work in the future. However, you can creat individual 


>>image for the partition for "stuff". 
 

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

You can repair your boot sequence by booting to the Recovery Console from your XP CD and using commands such as

bootcfg  /rebuild
fixboot
fixmbr

The Wereotter

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Yup, do what Otter says first.

Here's an MS KB with detailed background info:

Description 
of the Windows XP Recovery Console

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

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