Windows 98 triple boot?

[123456]

Is it possible to triple boot 98SE if I have to current config: Windows 2000 pro on partition 1, (C), 65gb, XP Media center edition on partition 2, (K), gonna be 65gb, and *a planned 20gb partition for 98SE without formatting the other 2 partitions? I mean, couldn't I just install 98, go to the C/Boot.ini file, and then add these two lines to it, (because older windows os'es erase the boot.ini I hear).
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional" /FASTDETECT
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Media Center Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

[123456]

I created the 20gb partition with Partition Magic 8.05. Format: FAT32.

[Budfred]

My understanding is that you need to install the oldest OS first if you want a standard dual boot... If you want a triple boot, you will need a boot manager and then you can probably add Win98 later... The standard Windows boot manager will not be sufficient...

[123456]

Okay two things.
Magically, my 2000 pro is missing a file.
I'm gonna upgrade it to 2000 datacenter later.
XP is perfectly fine though.

The second thing:
Why wouldn't the windows boot manager work?
I'm just installing 98, then adding the startup items to the boot.ini.

[Budfred]

I do not know why it wouldn't work... What I have previously heard is that it won't... I have Win95, Win98, Win98SE, WinME, WinNT, Win2000 and WinXP... I once thought about loading all of them on the same computer, but was told that 2 of them was the only option and that the oldest option needed to be first installed... Maybe someone more expert in this area can give you more details...

[123456]

I'm ending up having to install 2000+xp all over again. I'm not doing it. It completely ruined my boot.ini and adding the lines didn;t work.

[PC_interest]

hi,
You might consider using virtual PC, or VMware software to help you which allows you to run multiple operating systems at the same time on the same PC without rebooting or partitioning your disk

[123456]

Yeh, i VMWared it. One of the very few legit versions of windows I have.

[Paul Komski]

It is possible to add Win98 after Win2K and WinXP as long as there is an appropriate partition available for it in an appropriate place and as long as you repair the bootsector afterwards and create a bootsect.dos file using bootpart from http://www.winimage.com/bootpart.htm or do a repair installation of WinXP. Simply adding a line to boot.ini will not work since the C:\ reference is shorthand to find the default C:\bootsect.dos file. You will also overwrite the existing NT boot sector if you install Win9X using the existing active partition (and assuming it is formatted as FAT).

bootsect.dos is a copy of the win9x or dos boot sector (created when you install Win2K or WinXP after Win9x) and it must be found by boot.ini in order to enable booting to the Win9x installation.

You should also be able to install Win9X to your FAT partition as long as it is marked as active, is FAT and is best placed at the beginning of the drive. It should certainly not span beyond the 128GB barrier.

You would then need to modify the new active partition to set up the nt boot files or use a boot manager such as BootIt-NG to select between your three OSes.

Using BootIt-NG or XOSL boot managers would normally be the easiest option but because you already have two large NT-based partitions (you dont say what format they have) you are going to have to do a bit of shuffling to get Win98 installed nearer the beginning of the HDD.

If you screwed booting your Win2K/WinXP system by installing Win98 then running fixboot from the WinXP recovery console should have restored things; the line added to boot.ini would just not function but shouldnt screw up the boot processes.

All in all what Budfred said about installing in historical order makes things much the easiest.

however ...

but was told that 2 of them was the only option
... is not quite correct.

Mixing the Win9X/ME OSes gets complicated and does require a boot manager but all the others plus one of the Win9X/ME OSes can be multibooted using the "Microsoft Method" - thought strict attention to detail is required.

[123456]

Eh, i'm not risking it. I'm fine with it on a 10gb virtual disk in VMWare and runnign at 256mb RAM.