Re: It gets worse -- Uninstall of W2k? Not simple for me!

From: Slip Kid (G-2_at_worldnet.att.net)
Date: 02/12/05 

Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2005 23:52:39 GMT

On or about 2/11/2005 4:51 PM, R. C. White with due consideration, replied :
> Hi, Michael.
>
>> You've been more than kind and patient - thanks!
>
>
> You're welcome. I'm glad I could help. That's why I hang out here.
> I've reread my last post and spotted a few typos, but they apparently
> didn't keep you from understanding what I meant, so I won't bother to
> point them out and correct them now.
>
>> So, the ball is in your court.
>
>
> Not really. I'm a volunteer here and can cut out anytime I want to.
> But this thread is getting very long and I'm not really saying anything
> that wasn't said much earlier. I'm just saying it again and again - and
> the saying is getting longer each time. So I'm about ready to quit.
>
>> Is XP sensitive to changes made in 2k in a multiboot environment?
>
>
> No.
>
> The only exception to that is the "system files" in C:\. If you look,
> you'll see that NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM have the same names in Win2K and
> WinXP (and WinNT4 and Win2K3 and Longhorn), but they have different file
> sizes and dates. The original WinXP NTLDR, dated 8/23/01, was 222,368
> bytes; the latest post-SP2 version, dated 9/24/04, is 250,032 bytes. If
> you do manage to reinstall Win2K, it will install its NTLDR, probably
> the one dated 12/7/99, 214,416 bytes. That version knows nothing about
> WinXP, which did not exist in 1999, and can't boot WinXP, so I guess you
> could say that WinXP is "sensitive" to this change. If no other changes
> were made, you could correct this by booting into the Recovery Console
> and running FixBoot. Or you could simply boot into MS-DOS (since your C:
> is formatted FAT) and copy the current versions of NTLDR and
> NTDETECT.COM from wherever you can find them (a WinXP CD-ROM, for
> example). Then, if C:\boot.ini is current for your computer, you should
> be back in business.

Fine! If there are only two files and a boot.ini entry that are
affected? No sweat.

Seems like I either missed tht in all my research or - it wasn't out
there.

Yes, the fixboot did the job the second time - I didn't have a clue
it was only replacng/udating the two files.

Seems like if that is such an easy solution to a problem that prevents
an OS to boot? Well, seems like you have a nice secret!

>> OK, I bought a new machine. It had XP installed. I wanted a FAT/DOS
>> partition - I'm goofy and use a lot of DOS utilities and floppys are
>> garbage - plus it had XP in a single partition and I needed to move
>> multiple partitions over from the old box..
>
>
> This is a genuine "can of worms"! Not that you can't have a FAT
> partition, obviously; you and I both have FAT partitions. But creating
> one AFTER Win2K/XP is installed is too much hassle to get into in this
> thread! It's possible, but let's not talk about it now. :>{

The DOS partition and all the files were created/copied first. I know
that is a 'can't go back later' decision.

I've had no problem since!

>> The plan (against all advice) to migrate the W2k from an old machine
>> to the new one (via a network).
>
>
> I know nothing of networks, so I won't comment at all about this.
>
> Good luck. Let us know how you finally work this out.

Well, I'll go for the install of XP and trust the fix with the few boot
files is a 'standby' solution if I ever do something drastich to W2k
that requires a repair.
>
> RC

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