Dual boot questions

I currently have a test computer with three older/smaller hard drives for
Win98se, WinXP and NT2000.

I use a TRIOS unit to select the hard drive to boot up into.

I just bought an 80GB drive. I understand that I can Fdisk three separate
Primary partitions for the three operating systems. I am considering using
BootMagic 7 as the boot loader.

Finally my question. My existing drives are partitioned into a Primary and
Extended partitions with several logical drives. I want to Ghost them onto
the new 80GB drive. But it appears that the logical drives on the extended
partitions will get scattered all over the drive.

Is it possible to have three Primary partitions with separate Extended
partitions for each?

Oh, I plan on FAT32 for all but haven't checked into NT2000

Galen

4 primary partitions per hard drive. An extended partition is considered
part of this count.
An extended partition is just a container for logical drives. Go from
there, bud.

Am using a similar arrangement with 98SE. ME, and XP. Using NTFS for XP,
all else is FAT32. Different boot manager.
--
Jonny
"Galen Somerville" wrote in message
...
I currently have a test computer with three older/smaller hard drives for
Win98se, WinXP and NT2000.

I use a TRIOS unit to select the hard drive to boot up into.

I just bought an 80GB drive. I understand that I can Fdisk three separate
Primary partitions for the three operating systems. I am considering using
BootMagic 7 as the boot loader.

Finally my question. My existing drives are partitioned into a Primary and
Extended partitions with several logical drives. I want to Ghost them onto
the new 80GB drive. But it appears that the logical drives on the extended
partitions will get scattered all over the drive.

Is it possible to have three Primary partitions with separate Extended
partitions for each?

Oh, I plan on FAT32 for all but haven't checked into NT2000

Galen

Not unless your boot manager (not sure that Boot Magic does) allows for more
than four primary partitions (an extended partition counts as one). What
you ought to do is partition the 80 gb drive as you want it, copy (or
install) your three systems and then copy the data from your logical
partitions on the small drives into the logical partitions on your new
drive.

--
Regards


Ron Badour, MS MVP for W98
Tips: http://home.satx.rr.com/badour
Knowledge Base Info:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbinfo



"Galen Somerville" wrote in message
...
I currently have a test computer with three older/smaller hard drives for
Win98se, WinXP and NT2000.

I use a TRIOS unit to select the hard drive to boot up into.

I just bought an 80GB drive. I understand that I can Fdisk three separate
Primary partitions for the three operating systems. I am considering using
BootMagic 7 as the boot loader.

Finally my question. My existing drives are partitioned into a Primary and
Extended partitions with several logical drives. I want to Ghost them onto
the new 80GB drive. But it appears that the logical drives on the extended
partitions will get scattered all over the drive.

Is it possible to have three Primary partitions with separate Extended
partitions for each?

Oh, I plan on FAT32 for all but haven't checked into NT2000

Galen

Galen Somerville wrote:
I currently have a test computer with three older/smaller hard drives for
Win98se, WinXP and NT2000.

Do those systems browse each other when activated (Yes/No), chose one?
If your answer is No then "no problemas".

I am considering using BootMagic 7 as the boot loader.

BootItNT allows hiding/unhiding partitions (not sure about Boot Magic)
so you can do the proper beurocratic work instructing it to unhide only
the partitions, primary and logical which are the called OS. AND hiding
ALL others. Tried it and it IS a "bitch".

Is it possible to have three Primary partitions with separate Extended
partitions for each?

You are the trainer on your box, tell it to do the tricks that you order.

Galen

Stanislaw
Slack user from Ulladulla.

"Jonny" wrote in message
...
4 primary partitions per hard drive. An extended partition is considered
part of this count.
An extended partition is just a container for logical drives. Go from
there, bud.

Keep in mind that Fdisk gives quirky results/readings with drives
larger than 64; (or is it 68?)
Can still be done, so long as you know what to look for.
I have an 80gig drive that I partitioned using Fdisk, and all is fine.

j & p