Hard drive partition knowledge?

[BillMartin]

I recently bought a Sony Vaio SR-5K, (the "K" means Windows 2000 Pro). Unfortunately the antiquated scheduling system my airline uses will not talk to Win 2000. Does anyone know exactly how to get Win 98 AND it's drivers loaded on this HD? I actually got 98 loaded, after partitioning the HD, but cannot find or get the drivers to my modem, floppy and DVD-ROM to load. Thanks.

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[400 Hertz]

Hi Bill

You will get a few replies to this question. I too have a new Sony Vaio, and I have a similar problem.

The solution is to get hold of System Commander 2000. This is a boot controller and can control/manage partitions on your HD with ease. It has the capability to resize your existing FAT 32 partition to a smaller size, then create a 'new' drive in the space that's left. It can also do a lot more.

Once this is done, you can then boot from this new partition (after a little work) and use any op system you like.

When you turn on your machine next time, you are presented with a menu choice as to what you want to use today.

One thing that is totally naff on the Vaio's is that they don't seem to be compatible with Windows NT. I expect that Sony will get that sorted some time...

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400 Hertz but DC is easy

[BillMartin]

Thanks for the info. I do have Partition Magic 6.0, which I assume does about the same thing you discussed. It partitioned okay, but now the Win 98 does not see the modem, floppy or DVD-ROM. The WIN 2000 is NT based, but that is NOT what I wanted. I believe it would work, if I could get the drivers to Win 98 to be recognized. Sony is no help, they said they built it for Win 2000, and that's all it can do. I find that hard to believe, and will contact Microsoft, soon. Bill

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[fobotcso]

Is this any use? I have lifted it verbatim from Microsoft's Technet lterature, so credits go to them. Sorry if the formatting goes awry during the copy/paste.

Windows 2000 Professional can support multiple-boot configurations between one or more instances of Windows 2000 and additional operating systems in separate partitions on the same computer.
This section describes the configuration details involved when you start Windows 2000 Professional with MS-DOS.
Bootsect.dos

Bootsect.dos is a file with the hidden, system, and read-only attributes that Ntldr uses when the computer is configured to start MS-DOS, Windows 3.x, and Windows 95 or Windows 98.

If there is an existing MS-DOS-based operating system, Windows 2000 Setup copies the boot sector on the active partition of the computer to Bootsect.dos and replaces the original boot sector on the active partition with its own boot sector.
When the computer is started, the active partition that contains the boot sector code starts Ntldr, which loads and displays the boot loader screen from Boot.ini. From the boot loader screen you can choose to start Windows 2000 Professional or another operating system.
If you select an operating system other than Windows 2000 Professional, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows NT 3.51, Ntldr loads ands passes control to Bootsect.dos, which then loads the other operating system.
Configuring a Multiple-Boot System with MS-DOS

If you are going to set up Windows 2000 with a multiple-boot system that includes MS-DOS, it's a good idea to install MS-DOS before installing Windows 2000 Professional. If MS-DOS is installed after Windows 2000, the boot sector is overwritten with the MS-DOS boot sector and you can no longer start Windows 2000 Professional.
If you have already installed Windows 2000 Professional and you want to install MS-DOS on another partition, you can install MS-DOS and then restore the Windows 2000 boot sector by using the Emergency Repair Disk (ERD). For more information about repairing the boot sector, see “Troubleshooting Tools and Strategies” in this book.
Configuring a Multiple-Boot System with Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0.

You can configure Windows 2000 Professional as a multiple-boot system with Windows 2000 Server, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95, or Windows 98.
If you plan to set up a multiple-boot system with Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0, install Windows 95 or Windows 98 before installing Windows NT or Windows 2000 because Windows 95 and Windows 98 sometimes replace the Windows 2000 Professional boot sector with their own boot sector.
Configuring a Multiple-Boot System with Windows 2000 Professional, Windows NT, Windows 95 or Windows 98, and MS-DOS

You can configure a computer with a multiple-boot system that includes MS-DOS, Windows 95 or Windows 98, Windows NT, and Windows 2000 Professional, if each operating system resides in its own partition. You need to install the systems in the following order:
·MS-DOS
·Windows 95 or Windows 98
·Windows NT
·Windows 2000 Professional
If you are already running a multiple-boot system with Windows 2000 Professional and MS-DOS, you can install Windows 95 or Windows 98.
To install Windows 95 or Windows 98 after installing MS-DOS
1. From the Start menu, click Shut Down.
2. In the Shut Down Windows box, click Restart and then click OK. The boot loader screen appears.
3. Under Please select the operating system to start, select MS-DOS.
4. Install Windows 95 or Windows 98 in a separate partition, following the standard installation procedures.
After the Windows 95 or Windows 98 installation has finished, restart the computer. With Windows 95, you need to run the Windows 2000 Professional repair process, and then replace the Windows 95 boot sector with the Windows 2000 boot sector. The Windows 2000 boot loader screen allows you to choose between Windows 2000 Professional and MS-DOS. If you choose MS-DOS, Windows 95 or Windows 98 starts. For more information about editing the boot loader menu, see the section “Editing Boot.ini” earlier in this chapter.
Installing Service Packs

Windows 2000 Professional makes it easier for administrators to add service packs through a process called slipstreaming, in which the service pack is added directly to the operating system's distribution share during installation.
Windows 2000 Professional also eliminates the need to reinstall components that were applied before a service pack was installed. In the past, when service packs were applied, many previously installed components had to be reinstalled. Windows 2000 Professional provides the following solutions to service pack installation.
When Windows 2000 Professional is installed from a network share, the appropriate files from the service pack are installed without having to manually apply the service pack after the installation.
To apply a new service pack, use Update.exe with the /slip switch to copy over the existing Windows 2000 files with the updated service pack files. Some of the key files that update during this process include:
·New Layout.inf, Dosnet.inf, and Txtsetup.sif files, which have the updated checksums for all the service pack files. These files need additional entries if any additional files have been added.
·A new driver .cab if the drivers in the cabinet file have been changed.
If you apply a service pack to a single computer running Windows 2000, you must reapply the service pack to add another service, unless you are updating from a network share that supports service pack slipstreaming.
Removing Windows 2000 Professional from Your Computer

Important Before removing Windows 2000 Professional from your computer, make sure to back up all important data.
Before removing Windows 2000 Professional, make sure you know where Windows 2000 Professional is installed, what you want to remove, and how your hard disk is partitioned and formatted. The following sections describe how to remove Windows 2000 from your computer:
·“Removing Windows 2000 Professional from the Boot Sequence”
·“Removing a Primary NTFS Partition”
·“Removing Windows 2000 Professional Files”
Note If the hard disk contains a partition using the NTFS file system, remove this partition from within Windows 2000 before removing Windows 2000 from the boot sequence.
Removing Windows 2000 from the Boot Sequence

You can remove the Windows 2000 boot sector from your computer in two ways.
You can use an MS-DOS boot floppy to start MS-DOS, and then type:
sys c:
This command replaces the Windows 2000 boot sector with the MS-DOS boot sector and allows your computer to start MS-DOS. The following files remain in the root and %systemroot% folder and can be deleted after you perform this operation:
·Hyberfil.sys (located in %systemdrive%)
·Pagefile.sys (located in %systemdrive%)
·Boot.ini
·Ntldr
·Ntdetect.com
·Ntbootdd.sys
You can also start your computer with a Windows 95 or Windows 98 bootable floppy disk and use the sys c: command to return to your original configuration.
You can leave the Windows 2000 boot sector on the disk and start MS-DOS without being prompted by changing the startup operating system and time-out value.
To change the startup operating system and time-out value
1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. In Control Panel, double-click the System icon, click the Advanced tab, and then click Startup and Recovery.
3. Click the Default operating system list, and then select MS-DOS.
4. In the Display list of operating systems for <n> Seconds box, type or select 0 (zero).
Note If the primary partition was converted to NTFS, to return to starting MS-DOS automatically, reformat the drive and reinstall MS-DOS.


As to Partition Magic, I too have bought Ver 6.0 over the Web and think it is worth having; it is an improvement over Ver 4.0.

However, be very wary of using BootMagic. It infects your Partition Table and cannot be reached if your system crashes and you haven't got PowerQuest Rescue Disks (which you create yourself). I got caught out and the only way I could rid myself of the BootMagic error messages was to physically erase the sector of the Hard Disk that housed the Partition Table. Simply using FDisk to reset and reformat the Partition Table didn't work as these standard tools only work on logical devices. Trusty old PCTools saved the day in the end.