Now we're multibooting (was the Non Multibooters return)

Having (a) got my new 2nd HDD installed,partitioned and formatted and
(b)installed a 2nd version of W98SE from a proper CD onto
the primary but not active partition of the 2nd HDD but
(c)thereby lost access to my original version of W98SE on the
primary active and only partition of the 1st HDD and lost with it my
access to the internet and therefore my advisors in UPS but
(d) eventually by embarking on my first major fiddling and
faffing session eventually restoring access to my original W98SE along
with access to the internet and my advisors but
(e) having not solved the multi booting issue with the 2
versions ofW98 and with some divergence of opinion as to which brand
of faffing would overcome it best -

pmj...

Well, it sounds to me like you've become fairly adept at several
different kinds of "Faffing" around!
:-)

& what you have achieved with it all (so far) sounds like a pretty
fair achievement!
:-)

So, you could always try *all* of the different kinds?
:-)

Or at least several of them?
:-)

But I presume your available time is limited to some degree, so that
may not be really very practical?

So...

I decided to take the more general advice that had been urged on me

pmj...

for some time that multibooting 2 versions of w98 was a side issue to
which we could return later and a better priority would now be to get
on and install XPH on the 2nd HD where multibooting I was assured

pmj...

Well "better" priority will really depend on what your priorities are!
:-)

If you really like Faffing around (& possibly having to start all over
again at some, indeterminate, point), then it might well be a "better"
priority (& use of your time!) to continue along with getting the
2 w9x installations MultiBooting?
:-)

But if you do decide to leave (for the moment) the MultiBooting of
the w9x Installations, don't worry, yes, you can come back to that
& do it after the other WinXP Installations have been Installed
& are up & Running OK.

BUT...

You must remember that there is a strong possibility (in fact
a definite Probability, or rather an almost certainty!) that when
you *do* come to do the W9x MultiBooting, you might have to do a bit
of stuff in the WinXP "Recovery Console", to sort things out, if you
find that you have to do stuff to the w9X Boot Files (& more
particularly the Boot Sector).

Luckily, you *have* got both w9x Installations Installed OK, so
(hopefully) you will be able to get away with not having to do a
w9x install again.
But if you *do* do another w9x Install, you need to be aware that
since w9x knows nothing about WinXP, it will happily Overwrite the
WinXP Boot Sector.

I'm not saying that to put you off!
Far from it!
:-)

But I think it's a good idea to be aware of that sort of thing.
It can all be got around & made Fixted OK, but sometimes (if you
haven't come across the prob before), it can be a bit disconcerting,
to find that you have, all of a sudden, lost the ability to Boot Up
into *any* of the WinXP Installations!

pmj...

LOL!
:-)

Remember - "doddle" is also a relative expression!
:-)

But yes, compared to all the Faffing around that can often be
involved with getting several w9x Installations to MultiBoot OK,
it *is*!
:-)

would be a doddle.

And broadly speaking so it has proved.I have now installed a single

pmj...

Great!!!
But don't let that stop you from wanting to get back on with sorting
out the MultiBooting w9x Installs!
:-)

version (so far) of xp on the first logical partition of the extended

pmj...

partition of the 2nd hd ie drive E:\. And now when you start up the pc
you are presented with a DOS type black screen asking whether you want
to boot into Windows XP or Windows.Both work and if you press the
latter you get the original version of w98 on C:\ and as a bonus the

pmj...

Yep, that's the standard (WinXP) Boot Menu.

You can make it show you something a bit more meaningful (or personal
to you), which will help no end when you get *another* WinXP
Installation Installed & you can alter the order that the different
Operating System Choices are shown in & the Time Delay that you get
(even making it wait (forever), rather than Defaulting to one
particular Operating System), by Editing the Boot.ini File, which is
in the Root Directory of the Active Partition, that the System is
Booted from.
It's Marked by windoze as a Read Only (& Hidden) File, so you will
have to alter those Attributes, otherwise windoze won't let you
Edit/Change/Save over it.
& it might well be a good idea to Save a Copy of it somewhere Safe
(preferably in the Root of the Drive, (or another Drive), so you can
easily get to it, using MSDOS, or the WinXP Recovery Console) if
(or rather when) you need to.

& it can also be a good idea to Rename the Copy, just so that it
doesn't get mixed up with (or accidentally used as!) the other one.
:-)

internet connection works on both.And of the System Commander multi

pmj...

Well, yes, so it should!!!

But I can see why you are pleased that it is also working on the new
(WinXP) Installation, cos sometimes, Setting up an Internet Connection
for the first time using WinXP (when you are used to w9x) can be a bit
different.

Can you remind us (or tell us if you haven't already) What sort of
Internet Connection it is?
Is it a Dial Up Modem Connection?
Thus using the Modem Hardware in the Machine, which means that WinXP
found the Hardware OK & had the right Drivers for it.

Or is it an ADSL Modem Connection?
& if so, is it a USB ADSL Modem or what?

Or do you use a Router of some kind?
(Or Cable Modem)?
In which case, all that's needed is a plain & simple, bog-standard,
ordinary NIC - Network Interface Card (Ethernet) with the appropriate
Cable.

WinXP has Drivers for almost all NICs that are in use these days
(& also many older ones) & an Ethernet Internet Connection doesn't
need all the Faffing around, setting up the Modem & ISP Details,
such as Phone Number & Username/PassWord etc.

boot screen (which didn't work) there is no sign which is for the

pmj...

Well, someone like Jeff Gaines is prolly the one to help you get all
that System Commander Boot Manager Faffing around sorted out!
:-)

moment a relief.

So that is the good news and I am of course much pleased.But with the

pmj...

& so you should be!!!
You "done well"!
:-)

opening up of the great new vistas of xp of which I am completely

pmj...

Nah...
:-)

"Vista" isn't out yet!
That's the *next* Version of windoze, *after* WinXP!!!
:-)

ignorant my mind runs on to a new list of problems I realise I know
nothing about and which I hope my advisors will help me with.

pmj...

& at that point I will finish this Reply & Reply separately to the
next bits...
:-)

What about programs to run on 2 OSs.Do I need 2 versions of each.Does
each version need to be in the same partition as the OS.Each OS does
have its own version of IE and OE but do they need to be configured
differently.Then the most immediate thing is my Newsreader (Free Agent
pointed at NIN).Do Ineed another copy.Do I just copy one over from C:\
to E:\ with all the accumulated messages, or do I download a
completely fresh version.
Then what about downloading messages (and emails) to 2 versions of the
program .Do you end up with some messages on one version but not on
the other.Or do you end up downloading all messages twice.How does it
work.

Then totally separately there is this scary issue of activation and

pmj...

It shouldn't actually be "Scary"...
Cos you *do* have a perfectly Legit Installation, with a Valid Product
Key for it, which hasn't been used to Install it on any other PC?

the thirty day clock is already ticking down - to what.And then if I

pmj...

To you being unable to Boot up into it.
Until it's Activated.
That's what.

Or to Wiping it all out & Installing it again (& doing the same
thing every 30 days!)
:-)

install new hardware it all goes wrong.And here I am sitting with

pmj...

What do you mean by "it all goes wrong"?
Do you mean the "Activation"?
Or what?

If so, most of the Hardware that you are likely to Swap around
& change isn't going to affect the Activation.
*Adding* New Hardware also isn't likely to affect it.
It's only *changing* existing Hardware that matters.
& only then if more than a certain number of different (crucial)
bits of hardware are changed.

already purchased hardware but not installed for fear of confusing the

pmj...

Well, It's prolly a good idea to Install the Hardware *before*
Activating it?

Remember, if it turns out that the Hardware doesn't actually work,
& thus you remove it again, then if it isn't in the Machine, it won't
count towards the "Points" that WPA - windoze Product Activation counts

It takes a sort of "Snapshot" of the hardware, when you go to Activate
it & then if you change any of, sorry, more than a certain number of)
the bits of hardware that count towards the Activation, then it *may*
need ReActivating.
But if you can convince the M$ Activation Line that it really is still
basically the same Machine, then there's no prob.

It's mainly things such as the MotherBoard, Processor, Graphics Card,
NIC - Network Interface Card & (Physical) Hard Disk Drives & RAM that
WPA counts towards the Hardware.
If you don't change (several of) those sort of things, then there
isn't any prob with having to Re-Activate it.

faffing.What do I do . Panic.

pmj...

No!
:-)

One thing you must always remember *not* to do, ever, when it comes
to sorting out any kind of Computer, PC or Internet type query or
problem is to Panic!!!

Panicking almost always makes things *worse* & not better & can
very often turn a minor hassle into a real annoyance & right old pain
in the neck...
(& in many cases worse).

Yes, I know (from my own experience!) that sometimes that's (a lot!)
easier to say, than to do!!!

But I also know (again - from my own (& plenty of other people's)
experience) that *not* Panicking is by far the best thing to do!
:-)

Anyway...
All that sort of thing is one of the reasons why I would suggest that
you don't Activate it just yet.

More measuredly I have 256MB Ram to double it to 512MB which I guess
will work or not.Secondly I have a Sony CD/DVD RW to replace the

pmj...

Yep.
But if you have to *change* the RAM, after you have Activated WinXP,
that can count as (just one of) the "Allowable Hardware Changes"
& you are allowed a toatl of 10 HardWrae Changes - somethings (such
as a Network Card, Motherboard &/or Processor) counting as 3 "Points".

existing CD/DVD ROM which may be more problematical.Also when I

pmj...

I *think* that under some circumstances, things like CD/DVD Rom Drives
can count towards the WPA thingy, but again, that is only one Item.

Anyway, why not *Add* it in, so that it is in *Addition* to the
existing one, rather than Replacing it?
Wouldn't 2 CD/DVD Drives be useful?

realised the Sony RW did not have any software I then purchased an OEM
CD of Nero 6 Express.Ihave no idea how/if this all goes together.And

pmj...

Well, the OEM Version of Nero *should* work OK, with various CD/DVD
Rom Drives - You have a valid Serial Number for it?

I know that *some* OEM Versions of Nero are actually tied (locked)
to particular (make of) Drive, but if that turns out to be the case
(& you weren't told about it when yo ubought it), then you can return
it to the Supplier, for a Refund, cos they will have been in Breach
of their Reseller Agreement Licence with Nero, by Selling it to you,
without the Drive.

28 days to go.Help please.

pmj...

Ah!
I thought you meant that you had already used up something like
a Week or more of the 30 days!!!

Anyway, if you don't get it all sorted out, before you need to
Activate it - don't worry!
Just Wipe the Installation out & Install it again!
:-)

You can do that as many times as yo ulike, as often & as frequently
as you like, indefinitely.

Yes, sooner or later you will get bored with that sort of Faffing
around, so you will need to Activate it *eventuially*, but it's not
the end of the world!!!

I feel we have now moved into a whole new area.But not for my advisors

pmj...

Yes!!!

pmj...

LOL!!!
:-)

Well, hopefully you (& anybody else who might be following these sort
of Threads & thinking about doing similar things?) will be able to
benefit from some of our various, combined, experience in all that
sort of "Faffing" around?
:-)

I am confident.Many thanks as ever.

pmj...

No probs!!!
:-)

& yes, I know I said I was going to Reply to this later on, after
I had been to bed & got up again, but I didn't! - (as you can see?)
I Replied now, anyway!
:-)