How to Dual Boot Windows 2000

Windows 2000 dual booting is easier than you think. David Cook explains how in this free full length article from PC Support Advisor

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Getting any new operating system up and running can be a nerve-wracking affair, let alone installing it alongside an existing platform!

And yet dual booting (DB) can hold certain advantages. For example, when users are unsure if their existing hardware and software will continue to work with the new operating system. This is especially true when moving over to Windows 2000 because it is a one-way upgrade. In other words, Windows 2000 does not include an uninstall program.

Reverting to the previous version of Windows is not possible without reinstalling the old operating system and its applications. Thus a DB configuration can be regarded as something of an insurance policy; an escape route back to normality should the upgrade not go as smoothly as one would hope.

Just imagine, for instance, installing Windows 2000 only to discover that the tape backup unit refuses to work. With a DB configuration, your users simply restart the computer and load the alternative operating system.

The solution is not ideal, of course, but it will suffice until the latest Win2000 drivers are acquired.

Considerations

DB can be arranged with a variety of operating systems. These include Windows 95 or Windows 98 -but not together -and Windows NT 4. 0.

It can even be installed alongside another member of the same Windows 2000 family. Windows 2000 can also run in a multiple-boot environment containing non-Microsoft products, such as Linux and BeOS. However, in such cases, obtaining a third-party booting utility like PowerQuest's BootMagic is recommended.

Disk Space

Compared to a single-boot configuration, requirements are relatively minimal. As one might expect, the biggest drain on resources is disk space, since on its own Win2000 requires a 2 GB hard disk with at least 1 GB free. That is considerably more than the amount of free space Windows 98 requires (between 140 MB and 400 MB, depending which features are installed). Windows NT, meanwhile, can get away with a minimum of 117 MB of free disk space.

Partitions

In a DB combination, each operating system should be installed on a separate drive or onto its own disk partition. Failing to install Win2000 in this way can result in your users receiving numerous critical and non-critical error messages.

Difficulties arise because each operating system installs its own files into certain shared folders. These files may not work under the other operating system.

Some typical problem files are located under the Common Files folder, Microsoft Internet Explorer folder, Microsoft Outlook Express folder, the Accessories folder, and the Program Files folder.

Error messages may occur in Win2000, the existing version of Windows NT 4.0, or Windows 9x. Versions of Windows that are not affected are Windows 3. x, Windows for Workgroups 3. 1x, and Windows NT 3.x.

Although under certain conditions Windows 2000 can be installed on the same partition -but in a different folder -to the existing operating system, this type of setup is not recommended.

Installing Win2000 to a different partition negates the risk of Setup replacing important files that the previous operating system requires in order to start.

The easiest way is to create a new partition beforehand.

To this end, I recommend use of a disk partitioning utility such as PowerQuest's PartitionMagic 5.0 (www.powerquest. com) or Partition Commander from V Communications (www.v-com. com).

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