Create a Multi-Boot System in Windows XP

Reformatting and Repairing the Hard Disk

You may need to reformat and repartition your hard disk if:

• You have only one volume.
• You
  have to install each operating system on a separate volume of your
  computer so that each installation can retain its own files and
  configuration information.
• The boot volume is not formatted with the correct file system:
  • If
    you want to create a multiple-boot system by using Windows 95, Windows
    98 or Windows Me along with Microsoft Windows XP, you have to format
    the boot volume by using FAT16 because Windows 95, Windows 98 and
    Windows Me do not support the NTFS file system.
  • If you want to
    install Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me with Windows NT 4.0,
    Windows 2000, or Windows XP, you can format the boot volume by using
    FAT16 because Windows NT 4.0 does not support the FAT32 file system.
  • If you want to create a multiple-boot system using Windows 98 or
    Windows Me with Windows 2000, or Windows XP, you can format the boot
    volume by using FAT32.
    NOTE: If you format a
    Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, or Windows XP volume with any file system
    other than NTFS, you will lose all NTFS-specific features. This
    includes some Windows XP features such as file system security,
    Encrypting File System (EFS) settings, disk quotas, and Remote Storage.
    Likewise, Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me do not recognize an
    NTFS partition and identify it as unknown. Therefore, if you format a
    Windows 98 or Windows Me partition as FAT, and a Windows XP partition
    as NTFS, any files on the NTFS partition will not be available or
    visible if you try to access them while running Windows 98 or Windows
    Me.

Supported File Systems

The following table lists the supported file systems for Microsoft operating systems:

• MS-DOS FAT
• Windows 3.1 FAT
• Windows NT FAT, NTFS
• Windows 95 FAT
• Windows 95 OSR2 FAT, FAT32
• Windows 98 FAT, FAT32
• Windows Me FAT, FAT32
• Windows 2000 FAT, FAT32, NTFS
• Windows XP FAT, FAT32, NTFS

Precautions

Before creating a multiple-boot configuration with Windows XP and another operating system, review the following precautions:

• Before attempting to create a multiple-boot system, be sure to back up your current system and all data files.
• Each
  operating system must be installed on a separate volume. Microsoft does
  not support installing multiple operating systems on the same volume.
• If
  you have only one volume on your computer, you have to reformat and
  repartition your hard disk to contain multiple volumes before you begin
  creating a multiple-boot configuration, unless you are simply
  installing another copy of Windows XP.
• Do not install Windows XP on a compressed drive that was not compressed using the NTFS compression utility.
• You
  have to use a different computer name for each operating system if the
  computer is on a Windows 2000 or Windows XP secure domain.

Install the operating systems in the following order:

• MS-DOS
• Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me
• Windows NT
• Windows 2000
• Windows XP

To Create a Multiple-Boot System with Windows XP and MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me

NOTE:
You cannot install both Windows 95 and Windows 98 in a multiple-boot
configuration. Windows 98 is intended as an upgrade to Windows 95 and
it