Re: Advice on DOS / WinXP co-existence
From: Al Dykes (adykes_at_panix.com)
Date: 12/31/04
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Date: 31 Dec 2004 15:38:25 -0500
In article <O4GkYf37EHA.3840@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl>,
R. C. White <rc@corridor.net> wrote:
>Hi, René.
>
>Your plan should work fine, so long as you keep a few basic facts in mind.
>
>First, MS-DOS can't read, write, boot from or even SEE and NTFS partition,
>so be sure to keep Drive C: formatted FAT (12, 16 or 32). You should be
>able to simply move it into the new computer as primary master.
>
>Second, no matter how many drives and partitions you have in the computer
>and no matter where WinXP is installed, the boot process must start in the
>"System Partition", which is the Active partition on the first HD -
>typically Drive C:.
>
>Third, WinXP can be installed into just about any volume (primary partition
>or logical drive in an extended partition) on any HD in your computer. The
>boot process will still start in C:, but C:\ntldr will use C:\boot.ini to
>find WinXP on D: or X: or whichever volume you choose.
>
>Fourth, note some counterintuitive terminology: As many writers have
>pointed out, we boot from the system partition and keep the operating system
>files in the boot volume. This is legacy terminology that MS inherited and
>we're all stuck with it, at least for now. If you choose to install WinXP
>in D:, then D: will be your "boot volume" and D:\Windows will be your "boot
>folder".
>
>Fifth, as you said, install the newest OS last. (Don't buy a computer with
>WinXP pre-installed; install it from a retail CD-ROM. Either the Home or
>Professional Edition should work unless you need some of the networking
>functions left out of the Home Edition. An upgrade CD should work, so long
>as you have a CD from a qualifying earlier Windows version to show when
>Setup asks for it.) When WinXP Setup detects that MS-DOS is already
>installed, it will automatically create the dual-boot configuration. It
>will save the MS-DOS-style boot sector that is on Drive C: into a new file,
>C:\bootsect.dos, then write the NT-style boot sector into the first physical
>sector of C: and write WinXP's system files (ntldr, ntdetect.com and
>boot.ini) into the Root of C: and the rest of WinXP into \Windows on
>whichever volume you choose.
>
>After installation of WinXP, each time she reboots, she should see a menu
>from which she can choose to boot into MS-DOS or into WinXP (and she can set
>it to default to either one). When she chooses MS-DOS, the bootsect.dos
>file will be used to load C:\io.sys and C:\msdos.sys, just as if the
>computer was booting from an MS-DOS boot sector and all her DOS programs
>should run as before.
>
>WinXP includes two MS-DOS emulators; the 16-bit version is Command.com and
>the 32-bit version is Cmd.exe, also known as Command Prompt. Most MS-DOS
>programs run just fine in one of these "DOS" windows. WinXP deals with
>hardware through the HAL, so DOS programs that try to directly manipulate
>hardware often have problems in WinXP. Perhaps that legacy dBase
>application will run in a "DOS" window inside WinXP. Have you tried it?
>
>As Al Dykes pointed out, there are other ways to handle the dual boot
>situation. The only one I have experience with is the system that Microsoft
>built into all the NT-style Windows versions, which works as I have
>described.
>
>RC
>--
>R. C. White, CPA
>San Marcos, TX
>rc@corridor.net
>Microsoft Windows MVP
Detail: Virtual PC/VMware isn't dial boot. Your DOS machine is
running as a process on XP, along wikt your native XP apps. When you
set it up you tell it to create a virtual FAT file system that lives
on your NTFS C drive. The Best of both worlds.
I'm sure you knew that, I'm pointing this up for people that
are not familiar with virtual machines..
>
>"Rene" <presse_spammerssuck@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>news:qYgBd.54511$Tn1.1893832@news20.bellglobal.com...
>> Hello,
>>
>> My mom has an old DOS PC on which she is running a legacy DBase
>> application. We don't want nor can we change/upgrade/disturb this setup.
>>
>> But I want to provide her with access to Internet/email/browsing
>> capabilities - all on ONE platform.
>>
>> I'm looking for advice/comments on the following plan of mine.
>>
>> Get her a modern PC and install for dual boot: DOS, WinXP; I've read on
>> microsoft that WinXP must be installed last - that's fine by me.
>>
>> Questions:
>> Can I take her old disk (from the old Dos PC), and swap it into the new
>> system? (I will configure this as C: drive just to make sure!)
>> I plan to install WinXP on a separate drive (D:\). Is this Okay?
>> During the WinXP installation, is it straightforward to configure dual
>> boot (1) WinXP, (2) DOS ?
>> When I boot from the old DOS disk, will her legacy apps still work,
>> without reinstalling DBase for example?!
>>
>> Any comments/pointers/hints are greatly appreciated!
>>
>> René
>
-- a d y k e s @ p a n i x . c o m Don't blame me. I voted for Gore.
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