Multiple OS Installation Guide

Introduction

 

At some point in a computer operators lifetime, a need arises that many people do not even know is possible: Multiple OS's on a single computer.

Whether or not you:

• Require the extreme speed for gaming that, currently, only Win98 can offer.
• Desire the stability and enhanced memory management in Windows 2000 or XP.
• Wish to tinker with "the other guy's," such as Unix, Linux, or FreeBSD, just to name a few.

No matter what your need, Multiple OS's could fill that void.

Here, I put together an example of installing:

• Windows Me
• Windows XP Home
• Red Hat Linux

You may choose what ever combination desired, but, take note: Read your license agreement that came with your operating system to ensure that you are allowed a multi-boot environment.

A few points to consider before beginning the adventure:

1. Decide what OS's you wish to install "before" beginning. This will avoid many headaches later on. Remember, if something gets messed up in the process, you could destroy all of your installs and hours of work. Planning is key to avoiding the simple, but disastrous mistakes.
2. Plan out your partitioning scheme. With larger hard drives, it is best to have at least 10GB for each OS installation for drivers, etc. For this guide, I use very small partitions. Your results may vary:
   1. C:\ 1000 MB Windows 98
   2. D:\ 2000 MB Windows XP Home
   3. E:\ 4000 MB Red Hat Linux
   4. F:\ 2000 MB Shared Data
   5. G:\ 8000 MB Games
3. Consider "how" to format each partition to ensure your requirements are met. For example, Windows 98 cannot read a partition formatted as NTFS, nor can Windows access a drive formatted with efs3 for Linux. As a result, the drive letters assigned may change due to the current OS not being able to read one or more of the partitions. To be on the safe side, it is always advisable to create a "shared" partition formatted with the "most common" file system to allow easy transfer between OS's. Currently, that system could be "FAT16."
4. I ALWAYS install OS's in a very predictable order:
   • DOS or other "early" OS.
   • Windows 95, then 98, then Me. You could skip one or more.
   • Windows 2000, then XP Home, then XP Pro. Again, you can skip one or more, depending on your requirements.
   • "Other" OS's, such as Red Hat Linux, FreeBSD, or many others.
5. Some "OEM" versions of Windows or "Recovery CD's" are not the full OS. With vast differences in these disks, I cannot predict if an "Upgrade" CD will detect your previous version properly, nor can I assume that "every" OS will be visible for you.
6. Windows may "Upgrade" your previous installation if using an "upgrade" version of a newer OS. This is also is a factor when attempting to install another OS on the same partition. It is always best to split them up as described in step 2 and use "full versions."
7. As a precaution, think steps 1 to 6 through again. :)

With the plan in hand, we can now begin:

Boot Using a Floppy   1) Windows Me boot floppy: (Image 1.1)     Setup your systems BIOS to boot from A:. How that is done is dependant on what system you have. That I cannot predict. Check your manual for that information. I use a Windows Me created boot floppy to run FDISK because: It contains the "latest" FDISK utility The boot floppy has built in CD-ROM support I always start with CD-ROM support, so I picked option 2.

2) No partitions are detected: Image 1.2)     If no partitions are detected, such as with a new hard drive, the Windows Me boot disk is rather helpful in telling you this fact. At this point, do not be alarmed at the "virus warning" statement, as it is generic. At the "Command Prompt," in this example, A:, type fdisk.

At this point, if you are unaware of how FDISK works, please check my Using FDISK Guide.

If you are aware of how to partition your hard drives using FDISK, please continue.

After Using FDISK 3) Partition Information: (Image 1.3)   In this example, I created: C:\ ~ Partition 1 ~ 1000 MB ~ Windows Me Partition 2: 7389 MB

4) Extended DOS Partition Information: (Image 1.4)     Here, this shows I created: D:\ ~ 2000 MB ~ Windows XP Home E:\ ~ 3000 MB ~ Red Hat Linux F:\ ~ 2385 MB ~ Shared Data

5) Format the C:\ or first partition: (Image 1.5)     After rebooting the system, you can now format the hard drive partitions. For what ever initial OS you wish to install, you must format the C:\ or first partition from the command prompt. If you are going directly to an OS with built in partitioning software, such as full, bootable versions of Win9x/Me, or Windows 2000 and XP of any type, you may skip this step.

6) After formatting: (Image 1.6)     After formatting, you may run setup of what ever OS you choose to install first. You can now continue on with what ever OS Install Guide you wish to view. In this example, it was Windows Me.

7) Installing the OS: (Image 1.7)   An important point to consider is to ensure that you are installing the OS where you want it to go. If you do not, you could over write a previous installation, effectively deleting that OS.

For this Guide, I chose to install Windows XP Home as my "second" OS. I am not going to redo the complete guide here, but will touch on some important issues:

After the First OS install 8) After Windows ME install: (Image 1.8)     With the first partition already used, ensure that you install your second OS in the proper location.

9) Format options: (Image 1.9)   If you format your partition as NTFS, you will not be able to access it from another OS, other than NT/2000 and XP. This could be a good thing. If you still wish for the added security of NTFS, format it as such and place all of your "shared" data on another partition. Here, I chose FAT16, but I recommend NTFS.

10) Windows boot menu: (Image 1.10)     After completing Windows XP Home's install, a "boot menu" will appear, allowing you to choose which OS to run.

11) ADVANCED TECHNIQUE - boot.ini: (Image 1.11)     If you do not like the boot menu text, you can edit the "boot.ini" file, located on the "C:\" drive. Before doing so, you should back up the file to avoid one of those "simple" mistakes I have mentioned. :) In this example, I loaded the boot.ini file using Windows XP Home and notepad. You could change the previous Windows installation that is currently being displayed as "Microsoft Windows" to be something more descriptive, such as, "Windows Me."

You can choose what ever OS Install Guide you wish, but I selected Red Hat Linux 7.2 next. As a result of that decision, the following technique was added to make things "easier."

After Windows XP Home install 12) FDISK take 2: (Image 1.12)     Red Hat could be a little tricky with partitioning. For that reason, I chose to go back and rerun FDISK and delete my "Linux" partition to allow easier automatic partitioning in Red Hat Linux setup. I selected option 3 here.

13) Delete a logical drive: (Image 1.13)     I wish to delete a logical drive in the extended partition, so I selected 3.

14) Delete with FDISK: (Image 1.14)     In this example, "E:" is the partition I wish to use for Linux, and delete with FDISK.

15) Confirm the selection: (Image 1.15)     I confirmed the selection by entering in the volume name and then choosing Y. If the volume name is blank you may just press ENTER. Exit FDISK.

Again, you can choose what ever OS Install Guide you wish, but my choice was Red Hat Linux.

Check out the Full Install Guide for Red Hat 8.0 because I am only going to hit on the high points with Red Hat 7.2 here:

After Re-running FDISK 16) After Re-running FDISK: (Image 1.16)     Here, I chose graphical mode for installing.

17) Automatic partitioning: (Image 1.17)     For automatic partitioning to work, you must not select the default in this menu. Select Keep all partitions and use existing free space. If you use the default options, your existing OS installations will be deleted.

18) Automatic partitioning results: (Image 1.18)     After automatic partitioning is completed, you will see something along these lines. Note: You can always partition your installation manually, but this will give you some idea of what is required for your particular configuration.

19) Boot loader selection: (Image 1.19)     For my Linux installs, I do not use any boot loader of any kind. They over write the Master Boot record and I would rather not have that happen. I choose to not install any boot loader here. If you do go this route, you MUST COMPLETE THE NEXT STEP! Otherwise, you Linux install will not be available to use.

20) Create a Linux boot disk: (Image 1.20)     After all packages have been installed, create a Linux boot disk. What this does for you is: Allow you to have a "boot loader" that has no chance of messing up your existing OS installs. Added "security" for those that choose not to have "others" access the Linux install. (Remember, Windows cannot see the Linux File tables). Insert the boot disk and restart the computer to run Linux, keep the boot disk out of the floppy drive to boot Windows.

I hope your Multi-Boot system works well for you!

FDISK Usage Guide

Introduction

 

Using "fdisk" does not have to be a difficult chore. If you know what to expect, it is a rather easy task.

Note: If you are "clean" installing Windows 2000, XP Home or XP Pro, and do not wish to multi-boot your system, you do not have to run fdisk before hand as, during the install process, options for creating partitions are built in.

WARNING: Using fdisk to "resize" or recreate a partition will effectively destroy what ever information you have on your hard drive. Do not use fdisk if you wish to save any information that it may contain.

1) Boot using a Floppy: (Image 1.1)     I use a Windows Me created boot floppy to run fdisk because: It contains the "latest" fdisk utility The boot floppy has built in CD ROM support I always start with CD ROM support, so I picked option 2.

2) Virus Warning: (Image 1.2)     If no partitions are detected, such as a new hard drive, the Windows Me boot disk is rather helpful in telling you this fact. At this point, do not be alarmed at the "virus warning" statement, as it is generic. At the "command prompt," in this example, A:, type "fdisk" without the quotes.

3) Large Disk Support: (Image 1.3)     Unless you have a need, ensure that you enable "Large Disk Support." Why would you "not" want this? If you have any requirements for DOS, Win3.1, Win95, or WinNT to access the partitions, you may not be able to if the partitions are greater than 2.1 GB. I selected "Y" for yes.

4) Main Menu: (Image 1.4)     The main menu offers few, but powerful options. If you have a new drive or one that has previous partitions already deleted, you may jump to that section, below, but it would be a good idea to look over this process, just in case you will need to perform it. Here, I selected "3" to "Delete partition or Logical DOS Drive." You may also select "4" to display current partition information.

5) Extended Space: (Image 1.5)   If you have more than one partition already defined, you will need to delete the ones located in the "Extended" space. Select "3" to do just that.

6) Choose Partition to Delete: (Image 1.6)     Here, you may choose which, if any, partitions you need to delete. If you want to resize your "Primary" partition, you will need to delete all existing partitions, redefine the Primary partition, then recreate (described below) the Extended partition section. I chose to delete the partition (drive) marked as "E:" here. Choose what is best for your setup.

7) Are you sure? (Image 1.7)     A prompt will appear to ensure that you know what you are doing. You must type the "Volume" name of the partition, hit enter, then choose "Y" to continue with the delete. Delete as many as you desire. After clearing out the Extended partition, you may delete the primary partition from the main menu and resize it as necessary.

8) Create Primary Partition: (Image 1.8)     Here, we need to create the Primary partition by selecting "1" from the main fdisk menu.

9) Create Primary DOS Partition: (Image 1.9)     If no partitions have been defined, select "1" to create Primary DOS Partition. If you have already created a Primary Partition, skip the next few steps.

10) Scan Hard Drive: (Image 1.10)     The hard disk will now be scanned searching for problems. Take note: This process may take a some time, a very long time on "large" drives.

11) All available space? (Image 1.11)     If you wish to create the Primary partition using all available space, select "Y" at the prompt. Otherwise, choose "N" to define something smaller.

12) Scan Hard Drive: (Image 1.12)     Again, the drives integrity is scanned. No one ever accused fdisk of being a "speedy" solution.

13) Enter Size in MB: (Image 1.13)     Enter in the amount of space, in MegaBytes, that you wish to use for your Primary partition.

14) Updated partition information: (Image 1.14)     After choosing an amount, the partition information is displayed. Here, I choose "1000 MB" for my Primary partition. Hit "ESC" to continue with fdisk.

15) Make active partition: (Image 1.15)     A warning will appear under the main menu explaining the importance of an "active" partition. Really, this is no longer required, but for compatibility's sake, I choose to make a partition active, anyway. Select "2" to set the active partition.

16) Choose active partition: (Image 1.16)     Setting the active partition is as easy as choosing the number next to "C:." In this example, it is "1."

17) Create Extended DOS Partition: (Image 1.17)     You now can create the "extended partition" portion of the hard drive. It is subject to debate whether this step is required, but, once again, for compatibility purposes, I choose to do so. Select "2" to Create the Extended DOS Partition.

18) Choose space allocated: (Image 1.18)     Choose how much space the Extended partition is allowed to use. Under usual circumstances, choose all. Your requirements may vary, but I have yet to find a reason "not" to choose all of the remaining space.

19) Updated partition information: (Image 1.19)     The partition information will be displayed, including your previous "Primary" and now your "Extended" partition information. Hit "ESC" to continue.

20) Scan Hard Drive: (Image 1.20)     Once again, the drive will be verified.

21) Enter Size in MB: (Image 1.21)   Choose the amount of each additional partition, up to the maximum size. Here, I chose 2000 MB.

22) Updated partition information: (Image 1.22)     The Partition information is displayed, as well as drive integrity confirmed. At this point, you may continue defining partitions, or exit out and define them using the setup program of a "newer" OS, like Linux, Win2k, or XP. Again, Win9x/Me does not have the option of partition creation during setup.

23) Additional Partitions: (Image 1.23)     Here, I defined 3 additional partitions, not including the Primary one, taking up all of the available space. Hit "ESC" to continue.

24) Reboot System: (Image 1.24)     You are prompted with a "restart" message. This is a vital step. Ensure that you do restart the computer before continuing with the installation of any OS. I even power down the computer, but that is not necessary.

I hope this has given you some insight as to what to expect while using fdisk.

Windows 2003 Enterprise Server Install Guide

Introduction

I enjoy messing around with the latest and greatest thing. Since 2003 is the latest coming out of Redmond, I thought I would give it a whirl. Here is a quick guide for installing Windows 2003 Enterprise Server Evaluation Version on your systems. Enjoy!

I purchased Windows 2003 Enterprise Server software directly from Microsoft as a "preview edition."

The cost is free for the downloadable version.

1) Shall we begin? (Image 1.1)     After configuring the system for booting from a CD, the Windows Setup screen appears. At this point, Setup is loading the driver files it needs to continue with installation.

2) Time Limited: (Image 1.2)   The "Time Limited" warning screen appears with the option of Continuing Setup or Quitting. Press ENTER to Continue Setup or F3 to Quit and reboot the system.

3) Welcome to Setup: (Image 1.3)   The "Welcome to Setup" screen appears with the option of Continuing Setup, Repair a previous installation, or Quitting. Press ENTER to Continue Setup. You may also choose R to Repair, or F3 to Quit and reboot the system.

4) Windows Licensing Agreement: (Image 1.4)     The "Windows Licensing Agreement" screen, otherwise known as "EULA," displays the legal in's and out's of this particular software package. You may press F8 to signify that you agree with the terms, hit ESC if you do not agree and PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN to scroll through each screen. Note: If you do not agree to the terms, setup will quit and reboot the system.

5) Hard drive partition information: (Image 1.5)     Hard drive partition information is now displayed. This varies with each systems hardware configuration. This example already has a partition defined. I will choose not to use this and create a new one by pressing D. You may skip this and the next few steps if you do not have any partitions defined. At this point, the options include pressing ENTER to Install on the selected partition, D to Delete the selected partition, or F3 to Quit and reboot the system.

6) Warning screen: (Image 1.6)     After pressing D to delete the selected partition, a warning screen appears explaining the pitfalls of deleting it. This particular screen only appears when the partition selected to be deleted is formatted as a bootable system partition. Other partitions will display the next screen. I want this to happen, so I press ENTER to Continue. The options include pressing ENTER to Continue, or ESC to Cancel.

7) Confirmation screen: (Image 1.7)     A confirmation screen that displays the logical drive, what file system the partition is currently using, the size in MB and controller information. Options include L to Delete the partition and ESC to Cancel the action.

8) No partitions have been previously defined: (Image 1.8)     If no partitions have been previously defined, this screen will be displayed. You may section your hard drive in as many partitions as you wish by selecting C to Create a Partition and then entering in a value less then the total available. Here, I will Create a Partition in the highlighted, unused portion. Select the partition you wish to install to using the UP arrow and DOWN ARROW keys. Press ENTER to use the highlighted partition and Install, C to Create a Partition, or F3 to Quit and reboot the system.

9) Enter in the partition size: (Image 1.9)     Enter in the partition size in MB within the displayed minimum and maximum. I picked the default or maximum available here. You may choose ENTER to Create the new partition or ESC to Cancel the action.

10) Continue to create partitions: (Image 1.10)     Continue to create partitions until all space is used or the configuration meets your requirements. Note: a small portion will be unavailable to partition. This is normal. In this example, it is 8 MB. I chose drive C: or Partition1 to install the Operating System. You may choose ENTER to Install to the selected partition, D to Delete the highlighted Partition, or F3 to Quit and reboot the system.

11) Format the partition: (Image 1.11)     Since this OS supports NTFS, format the partition with it. If you do not, many folder and file security features will be unavailable. Note: If you are dual booting your system, a previous OS will not be able to read the local information. This is a fact with Windows 9x and Me. If you have a requirement to view this partition from another OS installed on the system, do not format it as NTFS. Also, the boot partition must be formatted with FAT32 if you wish to dual boot. I have found no problems accessing a NTFS partition mapped as a network drive from an older OS. Select what format you wish to use by pressing the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys. Press ENTER to confirm your selection and Continue or ESC to Cancel.

12) Setup formats the partition: (Image 1.12)   Watch the progress bar as Setup formats the partition, or get up and get a soda. It may take awhile.

13) Setup copies various files: (Image 1.13)     After the partition is finished formatting, Setup copies various files to support booting from the hard drive and continue on.

14) Creates various information files: (Image 1.14)     Setup then creates various information files required to continue on with setup.

15) Press ENTER to Restart: (Image 1.15)     The first reboot and the end of the blue background has arrived. If you are impatient, press ENTER to Restart before the 15 seconds expire. ENTER to Restart the Computer is the only option available. 16) Windows Server 2003 boot screen: (Image 2.1)     The new Windows Server 2003 Family boot screen is displayed. 17) Windows Server 2003 Installation: (Image 2.2)     If you have installed Windows XP Home or Professional before, this screen will look familiar. Take note, the color scheme has changed from "blue" to "gray." Sit back. It may be awhile. 18) Region and Input Languages: (Image 2.3)     A little while later, you will be prompted with options of configuring your Region and Input Languages. The default was fine for me, so I selected Next. Options include Customize button, Details Button, plus the standard Back and Next. 19) Enter in your Name: (Image 2.4)     Enter in your Name and optional Organization information, then select the Next button. Select the Next button to continue. 20) 25 digit Product Key: (Image 2.5)     Thought you could get away from it? Think again. Enter your unique 25 digit Product Key that came with your CD or download, then select the Next button. 21) Configure the Licensing mode. (Image 2.6)      I usually select "Per Server," but choose what ever License mode that you have purchased. Options are Per server or Per seat. Per server is usually used for a single-server network. Per client is used if all of the concurrent connections is higher than the number of clients or seats that you have. Complete explanations of all licensing options is available from Microsoft directly and beyond the scope of this guide. Select the Next button to continue.  22) Enter a Computer name and an Administrator Password: (Image 2.7)     The "suggested" name for the computer is always really whacked out. Choose one that meets your needs. Enter an Administrator Password now. It is very important that you keep this information safe and remember what it is! Select the Next button to continue. 23) Not a strong Password: (Image 2.8)     If the chosen password does not meet acceptable guidelines, a warning box will appear with suggestions on how to make the system more secure. Do it. "01Pa$$word" is still not a good choice, but it meets the criteria. Think of something secure and never lose or forget it. 24) Date, Time and Time Zone: (Image 2.9)     Configure the proper information for the Date, Time and Time Zone here. Select the Next button to continue. 25) Network is installing: (Image 2.10)     Faster development of applications, but still slow install times. Wait here while the Network is installing. 26) Network Settings Dialog: (Image 3.1)     The Network Settings Dialog is next. Under usual circumstances, the Typical settings are fine, but I never choose them so I can poke around under the hood. I selected Custom settings here. Choose your method and select the Next button. 27) Custom settings: (Image 3.2)   In the Custom settings, many options are abound. I cannot go into all of them here, but I will hit on the high points. With this configuration, I will not be using Network Load Balancing, so I left it in the default position of unchecked. 28) File and Print Sharing: (Image 3.3)     File and Print Sharing for Microsoft Networks has several options not available with Windows XP Home or Professional. For this system, I will leave it at the default of Maximize data throughput for file sharing. 29) TCP/IP Properties: (Image 3.4)   TCP/IP Properties contains the standard options. Adjust them for your particular needs as required. For now, I kept the default settings. Basically, it is using DHCP to configure TCP/IP. If you are using a static IP   address, enter in the proper information here. Select the Advanced button to further configure your TCP/IP options. 30) Workgroup or Computer Domain: (Image 3.5)     Workgroup or Computer Domain, that is the question. I am not going to set up this system as a domain controller, so I will place it as a member of a workgroup. Please, change "WORKGROUP" to something else. I hate defaults. :) Select the Next button after making your choice. 31) Install screen: (Image 3.6) Every Microsoft OS states in the install screen that it is "the best ever." It is a big subject of debate whether it could get any worse. The system will reboot after all files have been copied over to the install partition. Now may be a good time to take a break. It may be awhile. 32) Windows 2003 is starting up: (Image 4.1)     The moment we have all been waiting for, Windows 2003 is starting up "for the first time." Remember that quoted statement with Windows 95 setup? 33) Three Finger Salute: (Image 4.2)   Hit the "Three Finger Salute" combination of Ctrl+Alt+Delete to login to the Administrator account. You did remember your password, right?!? 34) Log in dialog: (Image 4.3)     Enter your password to login to the Administrator account. Select OK to continue. 35) Welcome Screen: (Image 4.4)     A welcoming screen is included with tools to manage the server. The initial screen resolution is set to 640 x 480. You may select the popup balloon to raise that up to 800 x 600 automatically. 36) Manage Your Server: (Image 4.5)     800 x 600 is a wonderful thing. Now you can see all of the "Manage Your Server" screen. My choice was to check the box "Don't display this page at logon" in the bottom left. This concludes Black Viper's Guide to installing Windows 2003 Enterprise Server. I hope this page helped you out or gave you a sneak peek at what is to come.