Re: How to setup Multiboot environment with Windows XP Pro SP-2

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"Ernie" wrote:
I deployed Windows XP Home for years on different partitions...
I copied them around and changed just the entry in the boot.ini
to the according partition number. (On the same System) Now,
I am (trying) to setup a new system. With multiple partions also,
but with XP Pro.
I ended up in a confusing situation, [.......]
Is there anything different in XP Pro to setup such an environment?
Is there any guideline for Multiple boot with XP only?
I want to use a third Party bootmanager who hides the partition not in use. I do not want to install each partition individually, a base installation for each partition should be used.


You don't say what a "base installation for each partition"
means. You also don't say whether your OSes will be on
the same hard drive or on different (or several) hard drives.
When you say "multiple partitions", do you mean "multiple OSes"?
To answer your explicit question, XP Home and XP Pro both
use ntldr as the boot manager and boot.ini as the menu of
OSes. Multi-boot is set up the same way for both OSes -
the installer will see the other OSes and add entries to the
boot.ini in the "active" primary partition on the hard drive
that is at the head of the HD boot order. In the case of PATA
HDs, the *default* head of the HD boot order is the Master
on IDE channel 0. For SATA HDs, the *default* is the HD
with the lowest channel no. Most BIOSes give you the
capability to manually change the HD boot order, and that
boot order will persist until you change it or until the lithium
battery power is interrupted. For motherboards which have
controllers for both PATA and SATA HDs, consult the user
manual for your BIOS to see how to put the HD you want
at the head of the HD boot order.

Post back if you need more info, and include the answers
to the above questions.

*TimDaniels*
.

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