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Upgrading to WinXP

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First post, by Carrera

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Hi All,
Might be the wrong forum for this so please rant if I am wrong.

I have to upgrade to WinXP as most of my video editing software doesn't run under Win98SE.
Now I have my Win98SE system tweaked for max compatibility with old games and most run without DOSBox etc. To keep this state I want to dual boot with WinXP Professional.
So I have a few questions...

1. How big is WinXP's footprint? I don't want the HDD it's on to be partitioned too big. Win98SE is on a 3.2 GB Western Digital right now FAT16 partitioned to 2 GB and 1.2 GB. I ould probably merge the paritions unless there is an issue with older DOS games (see qustion 3).

2. According to the M$ website, I simply install Win98SE and then install WInXP in another directory ON THE SAME drive/partition. Is this wise?

3. Since I often reboot to DOS using a DOS disk I have all my oldies on a FAT16 partition. Is this still necessary, i.e. can I access the files if they are on a FAT32 partition?

Thanks in advance!

Reply 1 of 18, by eL_PuSHeR

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Here are my answers:

1) 10-20GB should be enough for a Windows XP installation. It depends on your needs. I would place the pagefile (swap) on a different partition, though or create several pagefiles (on several partitions).

2) Yes you can have a dual-boot setup. Do as you say: install W98SE first and Windows XP last. IMHO, after you are accostumed to WinXP you will never want to go back. Besides, DOSBox is great. You will have a nice time tinkering with it. On a last resort, you can always boot real ms-dos from a floppy (filesystem must be FAT32 though), NTFS can also be accessed using special software but it's rather a nuissance. BTW - NTFS is WAY BETTER than FAT32, specially for big hard drives, but FAT32 is more backwards compatible.

3) Read the above response. ms-dos 6.22 and upwards can read FAT32.

Reply 2 of 18, by Banquo

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MS-DOS 6.22 does not support FAT32 actually, it didn't exist at that time. FAT32 was introduced with Windows 95 OSR2 (MS-DOS 7.1). Most games should run fine with Windows 98's DOS however so dual booting with 98 and XP should be sufficient. 😀

Reply 3 of 18, by Carrera

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So in theory if I have a FAT16 partition (probably 2 GB) for the cute little DOS proggies and drivers and I boot with a DOS 6.22 diskette I should still be able to access everything even if Win98SE and WinXP are on a FAT32 drive?

I didn't mention it, but of course all other drivers except the two above will be NTFS. 😀

Reply 4 of 18, by MiniMax

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FYI, my partions looks something like this:

C: 400 MB FAT16 (primary, active) - DOS/Win95/XP boot disk
?: 800 MB (primary, hidden) - DOS/Win98 boot disk
D: 2 GB FAT32 (logical) - DOS games + data
H: 20 GB NFTS (logical) - WinXP for ordinary use
J: 10 GB NTFS (logical) - WinXP for tests

My initial boot menu (C:\BOOT.INI) allow me to boot from C:, H: or J:.. If I boot from C: I get the old Win95 boot menu, from where I can choose to continue with Win95, or to boot DOS.

Works like a charm...

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Reply 5 of 18, by Banquo

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So in theory if I have a FAT16 partition (probably 2 GB) for the cute little DOS proggies and drivers and I boot with a DOS 6.22 diskette I should still be able to access everything even if Win98SE and WinXP are on a FAT32 drive?

You would only be able to access the FAT16 partition. MS-DOS 6.22 cannot read FAT32 or NTFS partitions, unless you use a third party utility such as this one:

http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/ntfsdos.shtml

Reply 6 of 18, by eL_PuSHeR

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My apologies. Yes FAT32 was introduced with Windows 95, so you will need a bootable disk created under it.

Reply 7 of 18, by HunterZ

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Unless, of course, you make a DOS 7 setup (the version of DOS that Win9x/ME sits on top of). I've made a pure DOS 7 setup before and it works great - except that some Creative Labs DOS drivers refuse to load because they think you're running under Windows (even if you try to use DOSVER to fake 'em out)

Reply 8 of 18, by DosFreak

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I wouldn't install XP on a FAT32 partition.
I also wouldn't install XP on a partition less than 4GB. I'd possible go as low as 6GB but I recommend 10gb just in case.
Also don't install XP on the same partition as your 9x because \Program Files will get all messed up.

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Reply 9 of 18, by Carrera

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Dosafreak: But M$ says to install on the same partition just different directories. Can I dual boot when I instll like that?

Reply 10 of 18, by MiniMax

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Carrera - as the old saying goes: When i doubt, follow the money. M$ does not really want you to run their old operating systems - there is no money in it for them. They would much better like to see you to abandon DOS/Win9x/WinME and only use Win2K/XP.

So if they can get you to install Win95 in C:\WIN95 and WinXP in C:\WINXP, and let both OS'es fight and overwrite installed programs in the one and only C:\Programs (with terrible results for you), then it is much more likely that you will abandon the old stuf and buy new stuff => More money to M$.

So yes - you can install both OS'es on the same partition - but it will be a mess!

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Reply 11 of 18, by VirtuaIceMan

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I got a slightly broader question: my sister is running WinME, badly infected with adware/spyware/whatever, with countless pop-ups and toolbars appearing in Internet Explorer, despite me unistalling them and running Spybot Search & Destroy (couldn't even start Ad-Aware for some reason).

Now if I upgrade her PC using a WinXP upgrade (plus SP2) will all the adware/bugs/whatever remain or will ME be submerged in XP?

Just wondering, otherwise I'd have to port all her stuff off, nuke it, install ME again, then XP (as it's an upgrade...).

Any info would be cool!

Ice

Reply 12 of 18, by Snover

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Trying to upgrade a spyware-infected machine is suicide. And NO, you don't need to install Me first, you just need the original disc when you are installing XP fresh to confirm eligibility. (Boot from CD.)

Yes, it’s my fault.

Reply 13 of 18, by ribbon13

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For pc's like that, I'd say get whatever she wants to keep off of it, and NUKE and PAVE. Reformat, clean install, and for damn sakes install Firefox or Opera first thing.

Reply 14 of 18, by Qbix

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ribbon13 wrote:

For pc's like that, I'd say get whatever she wants to keep off of it, and NUKE and PAVE. Reformat, clean install, and for damn sakes install Firefox or Opera first thing.

M$ stuff is bad so why not install a proper os while you are at it ?

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Reply 15 of 18, by VirtuaIceMan

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heh, kinda valid points, but I think she'd prefer to use what she knows, she'd probably get annoyed if I install Linux or something!

Ice

Reply 16 of 18, by Carrera

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Back to my original post:
Is there anything I have to watch out for running WinXP on a different partition than Win98SE?
Thanks...

Reply 17 of 18, by MiniMax

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Nope - as long as you install WinXP on a different partition, there is no problem.

OBS: If the installer offers to convert your Win98/boot partition from FAT to NTFS, say NO!

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Reply 18 of 18, by Carrera

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Cool! Thanks!