How to create a multiple-boot system in Windows XP

This article explains how to set up Windows XP as a multiple-boot system with the following operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, and Microsoft Windows NT 3.51
• Microsoft Windows 95 Operating System Release 2 (OSR2), Microsoft Windows 98, and Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me)
• MS-DOS or Microsoft Windows 3.x

You can install more than one operating system on your computer and choose which operating system you want to use every time you start your computer. This is often called a dual-boot or multiple-boot configuration (see the glossary at the end of this article for definitions of unfamiliar terminology).

Disk Volumes and Disk Format

Note that Encrypting File System (EFS) is not available in the Windows XP Home Edition.

Reformatting and Repairing the Hard Disk

You may need to reformat and repartition your hard disk if:

• You have only one volume.
  
  You have to install each operating system on a separate volume of your computer so that each installation can retain its own files and configuration information.
• The boot partition is not formatted with the correct file system:
  • If you want to create a multiple-boot system by using MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me, you have to format the system partition by using FAT16 or FAT32 because the operating system cannot start if the system partition is NTFS.
  • If you want to create a multiple-boot system by using Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me along with Microsoft Windows XP, you have to format the boot partition by using FAT16 because Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows Me do not support the NTFS file system.
  • If you want to install Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me with Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, or Windows XP, you can format the boot partition by using FAT16 because Windows NT 4.0 does not support the FAT32 file system.
  • If you want to create a multiple-boot system using Windows 98 or Windows Me with Windows 2000, or Windows XP, you can format the boot partition by using FAT32.
    
    Note If you format a Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, or Windows XP volume with any file system other than NTFS, you will lose all NTFS-specific features. This includes some Windows XP features such as file system security, Encrypting File System (EFS) settings, disk quotas, and Remote Storage. Likewise, Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me do not recognize an NTFS partition and identify it as unknown. Therefore, if you format a Windows 98 or Windows Me partition as FAT, and a Windows XP partition as NTFS, any files on the NTFS partition will not be available or visible if you try to access them while running Windows 98 or Windows Me.

Supported File Systems

The following table lists the supported file systems for Microsoft operating systems:

Operating system   Supported file systems
   -----------------------------------------

   MS-DOS             FAT
   Windows 3.1        FAT
   Windows NT         FAT, NTFS
   Windows 95         FAT
   Windows 95 OSR2    FAT, FAT32
   Windows 98         FAT, FAT32
   Windows Me         FAT, FAT32
   Windows 2000       FAT, FAT32, NTFS
   Windows XP         FAT, FAT32, NTFS

To Create a Multiple-Boot System with Windows XP and MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me

Note You can only install a single instance of Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me in a multiple-boot configuration. You cannot configure a computer to multiple-boot Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me because each of these platforms use the same boot file. For example, you can use Windows 95, Windows 2000, and Windows XP, but you cannot use Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows XP.

You have to install Windows XP only after installing MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me to prevent these operating systems from overwriting the Windows XP boot sector and the Windows XP startup files.

To create a multiple-boot system with Windows XP and MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me:

1. Ensure that your hard disk is formatted with the correct file system.
2. Install the multiple operating systems into separate volumes, in the following order: MS-DOS; Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me; and then Windows XP.
3. Do one of the following:
   • If you want a multiple-boot system with MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me along with Windows XP, install MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me, and then install Windows XP.
   • If you want a dual-boot system with Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me, along with Windows XP, you should install either Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me, and then install Windows XP.
   Install each operating system according to the standard installation procedure. 

To Create a Multiple-Boot System with Windows NT 4.0 and Windows XP

Using a multiple-boot system with both Windows NT 4.0 and Windows XP is not recommended as a long-term solution. The NTFS update in Service Pack 5 (SP5) for Windows NT 4.0 is provided only to help you evaluate and upgrade to Windows XP.

To create a multiple-boot system with Windows NT 4.0 and Windows XP:

1. Ensure that your hard disk is formatted with the correct file system.
2. Install Windows NT 4.0 and apply SP5, and then install Windows XP to a separate volume. Install each operating system according to the standard installation procedure.

Note If you intend to install more than one operating system consisting of some combination of Windows NT 4.0, with either Windows 2000, or Windows XP as the only installed operating systems, you must ensure that you have installed SP5 for Windows NT 4.0. Windows XP automatically upgrades any NTFS partitions that it finds on your system to the version of NTFS that is used in Windows 2000 and Windows XP. However, Windows NT 4.0 requires SP5 to read and write files on a volume that is formatted with the version of NTFS used in Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

Precautions

Before creating a multiple-boot configuration with Windows XP and another operating system, review the following precautions:

• Before attempting to create a multiple-boot system, be sure to back up your current system and all data files.
• Each operating system must be installed on a separate volume. Microsoft does not support installing multiple operating systems on the same volume.
• If you have only one volume on your computer, you have to reformat and repartition your hard disk to contain multiple volumes before you begin creating a multiple-boot configuration, unless you are simply installing another copy of Windows XP.
• Do not install Windows XP on a compressed drive that was not compressed using the NTFS compression utility.
• You have to use a different computer name for each operating system if the computer is on a Windows 2000 or Windows XP secure domain.
• Install the operating systems in the following order:
  1. MS-DOS
  2. Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me
  3. Windows NT
  4. Windows 2000
  5. Windows XP