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Installing two copies of Windows 9x and Switching |
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| Submitted on: 8/9/2002 1:59:50 AM
By: Ramu
Level: Beginner
User Rating:
By 3 Users
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Users have accessed this article 807 times.
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| | | The Second copy will help you test Setups, install and run trial versions,
or something new whose use in your work is yet to be established. I needed it
a lot and I'm sure most do. An uninstall leaves you with many nag screens, files
and registry entries back there and a clean format of the hard drive becomes
essential. This spare installation can be clean formatted anytime and a new
clean install can be performed any time you feel you had enough.
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3) You may link to this article from another website, but ONLY if it is not wrapped in a frame.
4) You will abide by any additional copyright restrictions which the author may have placed in the article or article's description. | | Step by Step Instructions:
1. Change the attribute of the file MSDOS.SYS to Archive and remove
all the rest. best way to do it is through the attrib from the command prompt.
The file property denies to change one or more properties
C:\>ATTRIB -R -S -H +A C:\MSDOS.SYS
2. Make a copy of this and call it MSDOS.WN1
3. Install Windows using Other Directory option to an empty partition (ideally),
There obviously will be a new MSDOS.SYS which points to the new drive
(e.g D:\) change the attribute, make a copy of this and call it MSDOS.WN2.
(I booted the machine using the Startup Disk and ran Setup from the CD-ROM,
I'm not sure whether directly running Setup from Windows has any problems. You
may use any option to try this out.)
4. Delete the current MSDOS.SYS and rename MSDOS.WN1 as MSDOS.SYS
- you'll boot into the first one now when you restart.
5. Create this batch file and name it SWIN.BAT. Make a shortcut to
the Desktop. Once you clicked this and start the previous copy of Windows. you
can create the same shortcut to it's Desktop.
REM Contents of SWIN.BAT
ren msdos.sys msdos.wn1
ren msdos.wn2 msdos.sys
ren msdos.wn1 msdos.wn2
RUNDLL32.EXE shell32,SHExitWindowsEx 2
6. There you are! Keep Switching as you need.
Notes:
1. Never let any program to write PATH = C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND
etc. just replace this with %PATH%;... in the AUTOEXEC.BAT
file.
2. After you have installed the Second copy, which is intended
as our test platform, after installing all necessary drivers etc., you can zip
up the entire drive and store the .zip file in a different partition (or drive).
This enables a quick restoration of the Second copy if a clean format of the
drive is essential.
3. This article is not aimed at Advanced Users, you may know it and will be
managing this one way or the other. Please suggest if I have gone wrong somewhere. | |
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| Other User Comments |
8/9/2002 6:44:44 AM:zorrer
Hi !
My Question is ?
you write
there that...
Install Windows using
Other Directory option to an empty
partition (ideally)..
But windows 98
donot install on any other logical
drive than the just the primary dos
partitian like only C: drive
How can
you say that install 98 on some other
drive ???
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8/9/2002 7:55:54 AM:Streeaker
Windows (any OS, really) must have a
primary partition to boot from - in
Windows (or DOS) the boot drive is
called C: (other OS's might call it
/boot or something similar).
The only
files that Windows needs on the boot
drive are io.sys and msdos.sys. *All
other* files can be anywhere that
Windows can access without special
drivers - another hard drive, a
separate partition on the same drive,
or a compressed drive image. To do
this, when installing Windows, there is
a point fairly early on where it asks
where to install Windows, and it
normally suggests C:\Windows - all you
have to do is change that to whatever
you want - D:\Win98, X:\OS\Windows, G:\
- all that's required is a valid drive
letter.
If you want help with this,
try posting your question to the
newsgroup 24hoursupport.helpdesk - but
be patient; they're not geniuses and
may not be able to answer your question
right off.
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8/9/2002 11:29:40 AM:Usrhlp
Why not just get some software that
allows you to run multiple instances of
windows on your desktop, saving you the
trouble of all the hassle. For instance
check out Connectix Virtual PC, it
installs windows onto your current hd
partition and the whole of the windows
install is just ONE file, with this you
can delete it at any time andd you have
performed a basic format Nothing you do
inside that new os will effect your
original OS so you can even install
virus, hardware or software and your
main machine will not be effected in
away, its totally secure. This allows
you to have linux, windows of any grain
and ms dos and even macos now i think,
all running at the same time on the
same machine with windows as your
operating system. It would save so
much hassle rather than doing this and
risk screwing your machine. Think about
it and check it out.
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8/9/2002 11:42:42 AM:Guy Moreau
you could also use vmware
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8/9/2002 1:31:36 PM:Phillip Ponchot
Personally, I like this. As a network
administrator, I can't remember how
many times a new install has taken a
computer down. With two instances, you
could have a "test" system without
having to have two computers. Although
software might do this for you, this is
a cheap (notice the word cheap) easy
way to do it. Thanks for sharing!
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8/10/2002 4:41:30 AM:Bill Sargent
And this relates to VB in what way?
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8/10/2002 9:06:16 AM:Real RedNeck
I Thank this is the best way for win98
but with WinMe and it's Restore makes
it ??? able. I have worked around the
WinMe think If anyone wants to know How
e-mail me.
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8/10/2002 3:06:07 PM:lpchip
First off all, yes this is related to
vb, because installing different
windows versions allows you to test
your app under different
circumstances.
2nd, i played with
VMWare, but it didn't allowed me to
install my drivers so i have no use for
that.
but im very curious about
connectix Virtual PC. is there anyone
who haves a link or something? you can
mail it to, if you believe that
submitting that here is spam. Thanx
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8/10/2002 4:34:12 PM:Coding Genius
This is not a place for things that are
distantly related to VB in some far off
way like you said! It is a place FOR
VB. VB Code! Not postings like ''DRINK
COCA COLA. But its ok, this is related
to VB because Microsoft made VB and
they are a big company and so is
coca-cola''. I had to take it to
extremities so you would understand how
ridiculus your ''yes this is related to
vb, because...'' post sounded! Now stop
filling up PSC with useless garbage
like this! It belongs somewhere else on
the internet!
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8/12/2002 9:57:11 AM:Valenitn
OK, Mr.Coding Genius, do you allow
other people to be of different
opinions from yours? If so, count me
in. Deployment is VERY ACTUAL for
VB'ers, if only for unwieldy MS VB
Setup P&D Master. Not many have access
to PC's with all these OS's of MS. (It
seems that people of Advanced category
and good code are much softer in
judgement than mediocres.)
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8/12/2002 10:48:30 AM:Litehouse
I agree with Valenitn. I probably
wouldn't use this at work, due to the
fact that I have several machines for
testing, but I might at home. Some of
the biggest problems with developing an
application have to do with deployment.
The author of this has provided us with
a fairly easy and straightforward
method of testing your application
under different OS's on 1 machine.
Thanks Ramu!
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