rond36
05-30-2002, 06:14 PM
I found that if I install two copies of Win XP I can have one copy for web surfing, Office applications, and graphics programs with all of the eye candy and effects that slow games and other processor intensive applications down. The other copy I can strip down to the bare necessities needed for the system to operate properly and run games as fast as possible. The second install needs to be on a separate partition the same as multi-booting any other OS and installed the same way. After you install the second copy of Win XP, edit Boot.ini and rename it so you that you can tell the two Win XP copies apart in the boot menu. Always make a backup copy before editing Any system file. You can do this in Win XP system properties (Win xp will back it up automatically) or manually edit boot.ini changing the part of the line that is in quotation marks;
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="[b]Windows XP Professional Apps" /fastdetect (drive E)
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Professional Games" /fastdetect (drive G)
C:\="Windows Millennium Edition" (drive C)
You can change this part to any thing that you would like and it will be listed in the boot menu. My menu looks like this:
Windows XP Professional Apps
Windows XP Professional Games
Windows Millennium Edition
The time the boot menu is displayed is 10 sec it can be set to any number between 0 and 30 sec. If this is set to 0 the boot menu will not be displayed and the default OS will be booted without delay. Be careful if default OS is Win 9X and this is set to 0 you will have to edit boot.ini or restore a backup copy before you can boot to Win XP. Your PC will act as if Win XP is not installed.
My default OS is: default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOW S (Windows XP Professional Apps)
You can have as many copies of Win XP as you want providing that you have partitions and drive space for them.
I haven't tried this with just Win XP installed but it should work the same. The second install writing its boot files to the root of the C drive (C:\).
If your boot.ini gets messed up here are the drives
First HDD
1st partition= C:\
2nd partition= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
3rd partition= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS
4th partition= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(4)\WINDOWS
For more partitions on the first HDD add 1 to the partition(#) for each additional partition
Second HDD
1st partition= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS
2nd partition= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(2)\WINDOWS
3rd partition= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(3)\WINDOWS
4th partition= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(4)\WINDOWS
For more partitions on the second HDD add 1 to the partition(#) for each additional partition.
------------------
How to Use Fdisk and Format to Partition or Repartition a Hard Disk (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q255867)
How to multi-boot Windows XP (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/gettingstarted/multiboot.asp)
Microsoft Expert Zone Multi-booting made easy (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/columns/russel/september10.asp)
MSKB How to multi-boot Windows XP (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q306559)
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="[b]Windows XP Professional Apps" /fastdetect (drive E)
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Professional Games" /fastdetect (drive G)
C:\="Windows Millennium Edition" (drive C)
You can change this part to any thing that you would like and it will be listed in the boot menu. My menu looks like this:
Windows XP Professional Apps
Windows XP Professional Games
Windows Millennium Edition
The time the boot menu is displayed is 10 sec it can be set to any number between 0 and 30 sec. If this is set to 0 the boot menu will not be displayed and the default OS will be booted without delay. Be careful if default OS is Win 9X and this is set to 0 you will have to edit boot.ini or restore a backup copy before you can boot to Win XP. Your PC will act as if Win XP is not installed.
My default OS is: default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOW S (Windows XP Professional Apps)
You can have as many copies of Win XP as you want providing that you have partitions and drive space for them.
I haven't tried this with just Win XP installed but it should work the same. The second install writing its boot files to the root of the C drive (C:\).
If your boot.ini gets messed up here are the drives
First HDD
1st partition= C:\
2nd partition= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
3rd partition= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS
4th partition= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(4)\WINDOWS
For more partitions on the first HDD add 1 to the partition(#) for each additional partition
Second HDD
1st partition= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS
2nd partition= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(2)\WINDOWS
3rd partition= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(3)\WINDOWS
4th partition= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(4)\WINDOWS
For more partitions on the second HDD add 1 to the partition(#) for each additional partition.
------------------
How to Use Fdisk and Format to Partition or Repartition a Hard Disk (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q255867)
How to multi-boot Windows XP (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/gettingstarted/multiboot.asp)
Microsoft Expert Zone Multi-booting made easy (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/columns/russel/september10.asp)
MSKB How to multi-boot Windows XP (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q306559)