None of those operating systems will boot from a logical partition, period. You will have to make four primary partitions.

Keep in mind that whichever partition boots will always be drive C. You can't install DOS to drive C, Win98 to drive D, and Windows ME to drive E, or anything like that - whichever partition boots will always be drive C.

Thus, one way of going about this is:
-Make four primary partitions.
-Mark the first one "active".
-Install DOS to drive "C".
-Make the second partition "active".
-Install Windows 98 to drive "C". Since you changed the active flag, this will be a different partition from the one to which you installed DOS.
-Make the third partition "active".
-Install Windows ME to drive "C".

But really, there's very little point to installing DOS and Windows 98 on separate partitions – just install MS-DOS 6.22 to one FAT16 partition, and then install Windows 98 to the same partition. You will lose none of the functionality of either DOS or Windows 98 in doing things this way.

PLOP is a great boot manager. It's extremely powerful and configurable. It's also confusing as hell to get it set up correctly. However, once you get it sorted out it works beautifully.

I've got a system running PLOP and dual-booting Win98SE and WinXP. Those are the only two partitions and I have PLOP configured so that they can't see each other.

When I built the system I didn't have PLOP installed. I just wiped the drive, partitioned, formatted, installed Win98SE, and then made an image of it with Ghost. I did the same for WinXP. I then wiped the drive again, used PLOP to set up the two partitions, and loaded my Ghost images onto them. From the perspective of either Win98SE or WinXP, they are the only OS installed on the hard drive since they can't see the other partition. I think it works best this way. If you like, you can also set up a third FAT32 partition and leave it visible to both operating systems. In that way, it might be easier to transfer files between the two of them. Personally, I just use a USB drive if I want to transfer data between them.

Be sure to read the documentation for PLOP. If I remember right, there are a few tutorials and guides on the website which help alot.

I don't actually remember exactly what I did to get it working. I remember there being quite a bit of trial-and-error. One of these days, I'm going to make some screenshots and detail what I did to get it working so I won't forget. If nothing else, a series of screenshots will preserve the settings that are working for me.

I really suggest using a boot manager (like the one here which I lovingly use : http://www.masterbooter.com/main/news.php?lang=en)

The trick is, creating primary partitions in your hdd (max allowed is four) and making the one you want to install an OS as "active" and all others "hidden" just in case. The utility I suggested have very nice documentation, and its shareware version allows you to multiboot 3 OSes without any other non-registered software limitation. (registration will allow you to multiboot 8 OSes).

I generally use multiple HDDs for multiple OSes. In the machine I have in my signature, first disk has DOS and Windows 95 (in separate primary partitions), second disk has Windows 98, third disk has Windows ME and Windows 2000 (using Windows 2000 boot manager internally) and fourth disk has two partitions (2GB FAT16, and 120GB FAT32) for data sharing.

KT7AGuy wrote:

PLOP is a great boot manager. It's extremely powerful and configurable. It's also confusing as hell to get it set up correctly […]
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PLOP is a great boot manager. It's extremely powerful and configurable. It's also confusing as hell to get it set up correctly. However, once you get it sorted out it works beautifully.

I've got a system running PLOP and dual-booting Win98SE and WinXP. Those are the only two partitions and I have PLOP configured so that they can't see each other.

When I built the system I didn't have PLOP installed. I just wiped the drive, partitioned, formatted, installed Win98SE, and then made an image of it with Ghost. I did the same for WinXP. I then wiped the drive again, used PLOP to set up the two partitions, and loaded my Ghost images onto them. From the perspective of either Win98SE or WinXP, they are the only OS installed on the hard drive since they can't see the other partition. I think it works best this way. If you like, you can also set up a third FAT32 partition and leave it visible to both operating systems. In that way, it might be easier to transfer files between the two of them. Personally, I just use a USB drive if I want to transfer data between them.

Be sure to read the documentation for PLOP. If I remember right, there are a few tutorials and guides on the website which help alot.

I don't actually remember exactly what I did to get it working. I remember there being quite a bit of trial-and-error. One of these days, I'm going to make some screenshots and detail what I did to get it working so I won't forget. If nothing else, a series of screenshots will preserve the settings that are working for me.

Yes, I have been struggling with the config options on PLOP. The idea is that the DOS partition is visible under W98 and ME partition in order to copy files from the "shared" partition visible from both OS. I dont want that ME can see W98 and the other way around. Every time that I f!"#@ up the PLOP config settings I have to reinstall the ME OS 😠 ... takes a lot of time... I am now trying the following: create 4 primary partitions, hide 3 of them and install ME, next hide ME partition , unhide another and install W98 and so on. After that, hide all of the and try PLOP. I set the boot flag on every partition according to the profile assoc. It boots but messes up with system files... explorer crashs, system hangs, turning them unuseable

Ive done a few installations its pretty easy when you get use to it, I use hirens Boot manager to create my partitions.

In your Case I would do the following, in this order:

1x Primary Fat 16 Partition (2GB max for Dos 6.22)
1x Primary Fat 32 (Windows 98)
1x Primary Fat 32 (Windows ME)
1x Primary Fat 16 (2GB as a shared drive that all of the oses can see)

Then Follow these steps

1. Create and format Partitions
2. Install Dos
3. Install Plop for the first time
4. In plop create 3 options (Dos , Win98, WinME)
5. In Each option you need to hide the os you dont want and make the OS partition for the one you do so for example 98 will look like this:

1 Hide
2 Active Fat 32 Partion with Windows 98 on it
3 Hide
4 Fat 16 partition that is shared

6. Repeat step 5 for the other two Oses
7. select Win98 , it will fail to boot
8. insert the win98 cd and boot it in plop
9 install it
10 when installation is done start the plop bootloader installer again
11 NB: select to reinstall plop, dont choose the first option or it will overwrite your settings you did.
12 Repeat for Windows ME

13 Enjoy.

This is helpful. I always wanted to try building a multi OS system with four hard-drives 😀

jcarvalho wrote:

Every time that I f!"#@ up the PLOP config settings I have to reinstall the ME OS 😠 ... takes a lot of time...

As suggested above, after you install Windows ME once, you can make an image of the partition using Norton Ghost or a similar utility and then restore the image whenever you need to. (Just make sure you watch your partition flags when you do.)

It boots but messes up with system files... explorer crashs, system hangs, turning them unuseable

Are you sure this system runs normally even with just one operating system installed? Generally I would expect something like this to either work perfectly or not work at all; sort-of-working but with a bunch of crashes suggests a different problem.

I've been using PLOP for years with dual-os setups on my retro builds (98SE/ME and DOS) and never faced an issue with crashes etc, like Jorpho wrote this behavior is caused by something else, not the bootmanager

Jorpho wrote:

As suggested above, after you install Windows ME once, you can make an image of the partition using Norton Ghost or a similar ut […]
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jcarvalho wrote:

Every time that I f!"#@ up the PLOP config settings I have to reinstall the ME OS 😠 ... takes a lot of time...

As suggested above, after you install Windows ME once, you can make an image of the partition using Norton Ghost or a similar utility and then restore the image whenever you need to. (Just make sure you watch your partition flags when you do.)

It boots but messes up with system files... explorer crashs, system hangs, turning them unuseable

Are you sure this system runs normally even with just one operating system installed? Generally I would expect something like this to either work perfectly or not work at all; sort-of-working but with a bunch of crashes suggests a different problem.

Hi my friend... With only one partition no errors at all!! All work 5 stars

What program are you using to create the partitions, are you creating all of them before installing plop, if you create them after you installed plop and have hidden partitions, it will overwrite the partition , and they could possibly corrupt each other, and cause what your experiencing.

Edit: you need to create all the partitions before doing plop(primary, logical, extended etc...), if you install plop and use hidden partitions your partition software will think that the space available from the hidden partition is free space and write to that, and corrupt the partition.

FaSMaN wrote:

What program are you using to create the partitions, are you creating all of them before installing plop, if you create them after you installed plop and have hidden partitions, it will overwrite the partition , and they could possibly corrupt each other, and cause what your experiencing.

Edit: you need to create all the partitions before doing plop(primary, logical, extended etc...), if you install plop and use hidden partitions your partition software will think that the space available from the hidden partition is free space and write to that, and corrupt the partition.

Hello!! I am doing the partitions before installing PLOP.
I started to use Partition Magic Pro 8.05 with no good results and now I am trying to do the partitions using Acronis Disk Director Suite 9.0.554 from Hirens Boot CD 9.8
I started by putting all partitions visible and in plop select the boot flag on each partition that I wanted to install OS. The problem was that the format disk in setup wizzard (ME and W98) always fails, now different approach. All hidden, except the one to install OS, backup the thing with Ghost, after all OS installed put the PLOP

You can't install all the oses and afterwords install plop

Here is a video I made not long ago with the steps I took to install oses om a new machine with plop https://youtu.be/A0_AS2Ms_CU

jcarvalho,

I think you're making this way more difficult for yourself than it needs to be.

1
First off, wipe your hard drive. Use DBAN or something.

2
This is critical.
Make sure your HDD Is 127GB or less. If it is more than 127GB you are gonna run into problems with Win9x. There are ways to make larger drives work with Win9x, but let's just keep life simple and stress-free, OK? Just don't use a drive larger than 127GB. Personally, I prefer 80GB drives whenever possible.

3
Use the Win98SE boot floppy or CDROM to boot into DOS. Use FDISK to create a single, primary active partition. Reboot. (For Win9x, format the partition with FAT32. For WinXP, format it with NTFS during the install.)

4
Install Win98SE, configure it, and tweak it to your heart's desire. Make it perfect.

5
Use Ghost (or something similar) to create an image of your perfect Win98SE configuration.

6
Wipe the drive again.

7
Repeat steps 1-6 for any additional operating systems you want to run.

8
Now configure your system partitions and PLOP to work its multi-booting magic. If you screw up, it's way easier to restore from an image rather than re-installing all your operating systems over again.

FaSMaN wrote:

Here is a video I made not long ago with the steps I took to install oses om a new machine with plop https://youtu.be/A0_AS2Ms_CU

Hi!!!!!!!!!!! Yes!!! You are the one!!!! I saw that video!!! It was my inspiration to try the same thing... The HD is about 40GB... Tried with another of 80GB... The ranish partition is difficult.. I didnt understand why you pressed enter from minute 6:31 to 6:41

6:31 to 6:41 you don't have to press enter, I just got into the wrong section of the menu and had to hit enter to exit it, you also don't have to number the partitions 😀

Hi again my friends! All is working fine now!!! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
The problem was: In BIOS Boot sequence definition it was CDROM, A, C so, when booting in order to start OS instalation, the boot order in MBR assigned in Ranish or other partition manager takes priority. I have changed the startup sequence to A,C, SCSI to give PLOP a chance 😊 Now I can boot to empty partition, boot fails, returns to plop, I select boot from CDROM but the startup partition is already assigned. So no troble at all to boot MSDOS, W98 or ME... I can make dos partition visible in both OS to transfer files withe zero problems and no OS crash's!!!!
Problem solved!!!! Many thanks for all the help that everyone provided!!!! Everything is working!!! Tomorrow will swap for a larger disk...

BTW there is a patch in ranish partition to increase FAT16 partition to 8GB, (MSDOS partition) if I apply that patch will it work in 6.22 using plop as boot manager??
THANKS TO ALL!!!

jcarvalho wrote:

BTW there is a patch in ranish partition to increase FAT16 partition to 8GB, (MSDOS partition)

I've never heard of that before. Windows NT 4.0 will support 4 GB FAT16 partitions, but Windows NT 4.0 is the only operating system that will be able to read and write to the resulting partition. Win9x and MS-DOS otherwise will only support 2 GB FAT16 partitions. See for instance https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/118335 .

I have no idea what you would do with an 8 GB FAT16 partition. It would be pretty undesirable anyway. The cluster size on that disk would be a whopping 128 KB, meaning every eight files, no matter how small, would consume a minimum of 1 MB. That's a lot of wasted space.

I was always under the impression that maximum FAT16 partition size was 2GB. I suppose you could try out that FAT16 -> 8GB patch and let us all know how it works. 😀

I stopped being an MS-DOS purist over a decade ago. There's just no reason for it unless you want a challenge or you're running a 386 or earlier. Personally, I lived through all the "fun" of getting things to work in DOS. I have no nostalgia for that mess. Win98SE DOS Mode works great. Phil has some awesome tutorials for getting it all set up and working correctly. In fact, his methods are so good that I abandoned all of my own home-grown autoexec.bat and config.sys files for his versions. You should check it out. Good stuff.