# How do I set up a dual boot system? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 16, 2002, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-set-up-a-dual-boot-system/104031 "2002-04-16T22:49:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Amazing\_Tiki\_God](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazing\_Tiki\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazing_Tiki_God)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-set-up-a-dual-boot-system/104031/1 "2002-04-16T22:49:54Z")
I’ve currently got Windows XP home edition installed and I want to dual boot that with Win98. I’ve got 4 partitions of roughly 9.5 gigs on each partition. How do I got about making it dual boot? I’ve heard that you need to install 98 first then XP but I don’t want to uninstall XP if I don’t have to. Seeing as how I don’t want to do more than necessary what exactly do I need to do? ---
**Author:** ![sdimbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdimbert/32/20204_2.png) [@sdimbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdimbert)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-set-up-a-dual-boot-system/104031/2 "2002-04-16T23:07:34Z")
> **[TechSpot : Tech Enthusiasts, Power Users, Gamers](https://www.techspot.com/)** > > Technology news, reviews, and analysis for power users, enthusiasts, IT professionals and PC gamers. [http://www.win2000mag.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=8312](http://www.win2000mag.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=8312) Start with this one: [http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/windowstips/story/0,24330,3338930,00.html](http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/windowstips/story/0,24330,3338930,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-set-up-a-dual-boot-system/104031/3 "2002-04-17T02:53:02Z")
[Macintosh Troll Mode] Install another operating system on another drive or on any bootable medium at any drive on any bus. If it doesn’t boot on your hardware natively, (e.g., AmigaOS, OS/2, Windows, PC flavors of LInux) rename the emulation application to “Finder” and set its File Type to FNDR and its Creator Code to MACS, and put a copy of the System file from your regular bootup volume next to it. Pick it as your Startup Disk. Reboot. [/Macintosh Troll Mode] ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-set-up-a-dual-boot-system/104031/4 "2002-04-17T02:58:50Z")
You really should have installed w98 first. If you did, installing win XP would just allow you to install to a different partition, and would create the boot menu for you. You need do nothing. As far as I know, win98 will not recognize the other OS and will not configure itself for that. Mainly because win98 sucks. What do you need it for? XP run absoultely every program I’ve tried on it, including every game I own from the past 4 years. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-set-up-a-dual-boot-system/104031/5 "2002-04-17T03:12:08Z")
> [@](#): > > What do you need it for? XP run absoultely every program I’ve tried on it, including every game I own from the past 4 years. Even as a Mac user, I have to concur that XP is a good OS (at least as good as Macintosh System 6 🙂 ) and beats W98 into the ground. For that matter, W95 beats W98 into the ground. Heck, you have to go back to Windows for Workgroups 3.11 to find something to compare W98 to and reach a conclusion that favors W98, and if it weren’t for the lack of native TCP/IP even that would be a close call. That is one slow-ass dog of an over-encumbered klunky slow-booting crash-prone and no-nice-tradeoffs OS. If I had been a PC user instead of Mac person, I’d have stuck with W95 until I was ready to jump to NT/2000/XP, and from what I’ve seen of XP, you’ve got no remaining reason not to jump to the better architecture at this point. Heck, you can always run Connectix VirtualPC as a process and boot up Windows98 as a separate environment if you really need it. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-set-up-a-dual-boot-system/104031/6 "2002-04-17T03:23:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jman \* > \*\*What do you need it for? XP run absoultely every program I’ve tried on it, including every game I own from the past 4 years. \*\* Either you were very lucky or I was very unlucky. Duke Nukem 3-D - Crashed PC 64 - Ran but no sound Unreal ran on XP, but only in windowed mode. It would not run full screen for me. I’ve been told by other people that it ran on their system just fine, so I don’t know why it wouldn’t work on mine. Heavy Metal - would not install At this point I was 0 for 4 and decided to give up. Not that I want to start an OS war, and in fact I’m using XP right now as I type this, so I’m not saying it’s a worthless OS or anything. Just pointing out that my experience with XP’s compatibility is vastly different from yours. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![abel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@abel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abel)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-set-up-a-dual-boot-system/104031/7 "2002-04-17T05:10:42Z")
You may have tried this already, but just in case you haven’t… have you tried using the Compatibility Mode in XP? You can right click on your executable file (dukenukem.exe, or whatever), and have XP run it as though it were Win2K, Win98, Win 95, etc. That might help, and in any case, good luck to you. I love XP Pro on my computer, it’s a beautiful thing. ---
**Author:** ![Amazing\_Tiki\_God](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazing\_Tiki\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazing_Tiki_God)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-set-up-a-dual-boot-system/104031/8 "2002-04-17T09:14:00Z")
I wanted to dual boot for a couple of different reasons. One is the same as **engineer\_comp\_geek** and another is that my girlfriend absolutely hates XP. She much prefers 98 while I am all for XP. Thanks to everyone who responded I just ended up uninstalling XP then installing 98 then XP. Didn’t figure it’d be that easy. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-set-up-a-dual-boot-system/104031/9 "2002-04-17T10:32:16Z")
XP is better if you have the hardware to run it. What Andy giveth, Bill taketh away. 😃