Multiple OS's on one PC

[c_hernandez32]

I currently have XP home and wanted to install XP Pro and Win98 on my computer. XP Pro to use my PC as a HTPC, and Win98 simply to use some ancient 98 only hardware. I got partition magic, but I wanted to know if I have these 3 OS's, will I get a startup screen when I start my computer that lets me chose which OS to start?

Plus can I still use XP's hibernate mode to start up quickly? Can I transfer files from one partition to another? I need to move some things from XP onto the Windows 98 partition to store it on a Ditto tape drive.

[stiltman]

Backup all your important info to DVD/CD/HDD or your Ditto

You don't mention howmany HDDs you have, so I will venture on 1?

After backing up all your suff, wipe the drive clean with partition magic or your winXP boot CD.

Create 1 partion that is FAT32 for win98
Install win98 to that partition.
Install all the drivers for win98

Install winXP Home edition from the boot CD
create a 2nd partition. Format as NTFS
install XP home to that new partition

when you reboot you will see a menu to boot to win98 or XP

repeat XP steps for Pro version

don't do upgrades, do new installs

[c_hernandez32]

Sounds like a good plan, but should I use Partition Magic to create each new partition or do I use the XP CD? How would I boot to the XP CD and will it create partitions? Or do I create the partition and tell the XP installer to install to that new partition? I read through some of the docs for PM and it says that it can switch between Windows versions, but it doesn't include a boot manager. Is a boot manager the dos-type screen at the very beginning that allow you to choose between XP and safe mode?

Thanks alot for the help

One last thing, while in WIN98, I cannot see any of the NTFS partitions, but I will be able to see and use the WIN98/FAT32 HDD while using XP right? And yes I have only 1-80 GB HDD, but my father in law lets me borrow his 200 GB firewire HDD on occasion for the necessary back up or transfer or his 80 GB one.

[RabidDog]

Use part magic to create your three parts. In all honesty I would keep them all as fat32 while still keeping win98.
Win/xp CD is bootable, eg if you stick it in your PC and then reboot and your CD drive is higher in the Boot list (go into the Bios for this) it will boot and run the install/recover/added value program.
You should get a nice little list of your three activebootable partitions when you are done. WIN/xp can access fat32.