Dual boot XP with...XP 3

[JPJeffery]

I've found lots of articles on dual booting XP with Vista, Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows 98, but I can't find any that don't mention using Acronis or suggesing using a virtual machine.

So, is it possible to set up a second install of Windows XP on the same drive/partition albeit under a different path (e.g. first install is C:\Windows, second install is C:\WinXP)?

I do have a second physical drive (called F: in the current install) which I could install to instead. Just as long as I get the choice from boot.ini I don't really care where the install is.

And before you ask, my reason for doing this is to have the 'dirty', everyday install for surfing, email, games etc. but the second install as an ultra-clean version with no unnecessary processes/services (other than AV) running so I can dedicate resources to running music software.

JJ
[small][purple]Variables won't. Constants aren't[/purple]
There is no apostrophe in the plural of PC (or PST, or CPU, or HDD, or FDD, and so on)[/small]

 

[Lemon13]

i recommend u a vm like vmware, virtual pc or virtual box

it´s not that easy as u think, u would need 2 change the path in registry when u rename the windir folder

good luck

 

[vacunita]

Basically if you tried to install onto the same partition you end up having major difficulties. Even though you can define the path where you want to install XP onto, if you have 2 XP's on the same partition, they'll end up sharing the other set of folders such as Program Files, and Documents and settings etc...

Basically doing that would pretty much negate any real benefit of a dual boot system. So your clean installation would end up sharing the same junk as your non clean one.


Installing onto a different hard drive insures you have 2 separate versions of XP that are only barely linked by the boot.ini loader. So no real interference can occur.


To do this, Make sure both drives are connected. Then boot from the XP CD, and run the installation. Point it to the second drive, where you would want the installation and let it run.

It should by itself detect the existing installation and create a functional boot.ini to load either one.

You'll likely have to go in and edit the boot.ini so you can give the boot choices more descriptive names rather than Windows XP Professional 1 and Windows XP Professional 2.

----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[JPJeffery]

Lemon13
Virtual machines of any kind would entirely defeat the object. Music software (i.e. Cubase, Guitar Rig, Battery) eat up a lot of resources and aside from the fact that a virtual PC would share resources with the host physical PC, my experience of virtual machines suggest that it wouldn't be able to see the PCI soundcard at all and would at least have some issues with the USB ports.

vacunita
Having submitted my original post, and just before going to bed, I tried exactly what you suggested and found the install CD could see the extra drive. I switched the PC off at that point and went to bed but you've answered my remaining worry about what would happen to the boot.ini.

JJ
[small][purple]Variables won't. Constants aren't[/purple]
There is no apostrophe in the plural of PC (or PST, or CPU, or HDD, or FDD, and so on)[/small]

 

[edfair]

I've used partition magic to accomplish the same thing on a mix of other operating systems. Keeps the operating system and associated stuff separate but allows sharing of all the rest between them.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[wolluf]

Personal opinion - if you do this, use a boot manager and install the second copy of XP to the second drive with the first drive disconnected. Then use the boot manager (I have used

http://www.boot-us.com

with great success for many years - other people here recommend other managers too - eg bootit NG) to create the dual boot menu. This way the 2 installs will actually be completely independent (ie, if problem with one, the other will still work). If you go the boot.ini/xp bootloader route, if there are problems with install on first drive, likely you won't be able to boot install on second (as boot sector for both would be on first drive).

Boot-us will let you install the menu to the mbr, floppy or CD (I tend to use floppy or CD so the hard drives aren't actually updated by the process - but have also used mbr very successfully).

 

[JPJeffery]

wolluf: Point taken, I'll look in to it (although I've already gone ahead and installed to drive 2).

JJ
[small][purple]Variables won't. Constants aren't[/purple]
There is no apostrophe in the plural of PC (or PST, or CPU, or HDD, or FDD, and so on)[/small]