Windows 2000 in a multiple-OS PC

Click here for Sun Solaris instructions

Windows-2000 was needed for various reasons as a replacement to NT in order to

  • make better use of larger hard drives
  • read FAT-32 partitions
  • make use of more hardware
  • utilize power management

    • and a host of other reasons. But since it is as radical a change as 95 was over 3.1, it will probably take anywhere from 3 months to a year for all the hardware and software issues to be ironed out. In the meantime, it may make sense for many to multiply boot their machines. Unfortunately there is much misinformation out there (or lack of information) about file systems. I'll try here to answer some of the more frequent newsgroup questions here.

    First of all, I'd like to recommend the latest version of PARTITION MAGIC (Powerquest software). It will save you from having to fdisk, format and reinstall everything. Just remember to back up your most critical data first just in case.

    Windows-9x and Windows-2000 If Windows 9x is already installed, use Partition Magic to resize it down to about half the hard drive. Then install 2000 on the D: drive that it can create.

    Adding 98 to a 2000 only system If you file system on Windows-2000 is FAT-16 or FAT-32, you can install 98 on the D: drive as follows: Create an emergency repair disk. Then install 98 to the D: drive. Then boot to the Win-2k CD, select Repair / Fast repair to restore the NT loader and give you the boot option. If your file system is NTFS, you'll need to back-convert it using a 2000-compatible version of Partition Magic OR start from scratch and install 98 first.

    Windows NT4 and Windows-2000 It is very important that ANY installation involving NT be done in the proper order.INSTALL NT4 FIRST AND APPLY SERVICE PACK 4 OR HIGHER BEFORE INSTALLING WINDOWS-2000. Use Partition Magic if necessary to resize the NT partition in order to make room for 2000. ONLY THEN install 2000 in its own partition. Otherwise 2000 will hose your NT installation. Click here if you MUST reinstall NT4 on a system that already has Win-2k.

    Linux and Win2k Install 2000 first in a partition less than 8 GB. Then install Linux and let the Linux loader reside in the master boot record. It will come up first as the LILO prompt. Just hit the tab key and you'll get the options. Most likely it will be "dos" and "linux". Type "dos" and you'll then get the 2000 loader. If you want, you can (under Linux) change the LILO default to the Microsoft OS.

    Linux, Win2k and another version of Windows Install the other version of Windows first, on a partition less than 8 GB. Then install Linux, and LILO in the master boot record as above. BE SURE YOU MAKE A LILO BOOT FLOPPY AND HAVE A DOS OR WINDOWS-9X BOOT FLOPPY CONTAINING FDISK, because in rare cases I have encountered situations where Microsoft operating systems don't properly handle master boot records containing LILO if they encounter them in the setup process. Finally you install Win-2k. It usually doesn't affect LILO. It just displaces the other Windows. At boot, you'll get LILO. Type the non-Linux label ("dos" or whatever) OR set LILO to default to Windows so you have to type "linux" to run Linux. THEN you get the NT loader that Windows-2000 uses. In the rare cases where Win-2k install messes up LILO (this is actually more of a problem with NT4 than 2000), boot to your DOS or Win-9x floppy and execute FDISK /MBR. Reboot and you should be able to start Win-2k with no linux option. Then boot to Linux with your floppy and run lilo to restore the lilo boot menu.