OS Installing Help!!

[lavenderAC]

Hi, I need some help with installing my OS
I want to install DOS, Win98, and WinXP. Now I know that DOS has to be the first OS to be installed, then win 98, with XP at last.
Am I suppose to partition my harddrive into 3 partitions then? I have 2 HD so I am likely going to partition my master HD into two. What should be the size of the first partition for DOS?

Can someone write out a detail step by step what I should do? And will partition magic 8.0 work for partitioning? I currently have Win 98 in C and XP in D, i need to add DOS in front of them.

Thanks alot~

 

[TheMajor]

(BACKUP YOUR STUFF FIRST)

First make boot disks for PartitionMagic, and boot your PC with them. Make sure your BIOS is set to boot from your floppydrive.

In Partition Magic you can easily resize your 98 partiton to create space in front of it. Select edit partiton size or something, and start moving the left edge of the partition to the right until you have a few MB of unallocated space for DOS on the left(beginning) of your disk.

Then you have to format the unallocated space with filesystem FAT (FAT16) (Set partiton to Primary). After this you can copy DOS to that partiton.

But be careful, resizing is not without danger!

 

[lavenderAC]

Hi, but I thought DOS "has" to be the first OS to be installed? I already have win 98 and XP running. Do I need to format those partition in order to install DOS?

 

[derrmc]

(BACKUP YOUR STUFF FIRST)

First make boot disks for PartitionMagic, and boot your PC with them. Make sure your BIOS is set to boot from your floppydrive.

In Partition Magic you can easily resize your 98 partiton to create space in front of it. Select edit partiton size or something, and start moving the left edge of the partition to the right until you have a few MB of unallocated space for DOS on the left(beginning) of your disk.

Then you have to format the unallocated space with filesystem FAT (FAT16) (Set partiton to Primary). After this you can copy DOS to that partiton.

But be careful, resizing is not without danger!

Listen to TheMajor

 

[lavenderAC]

Also, where can I download the latest version of DOS? Thanks

 

[derrmc]

Also, where can I download the latest version of DOS? Thanks

I use to install 98 on fat 16 and run my old dos programs in dos mode, it's version 7,then you also have the advantage of windows with it

 

[lavenderAC]

Is there a rule that you have to install DOS prior to any Windows installment? Like you have to install win 98 before win XP?

 

[derrmc]

Is there a rule that you have to install DOS prior to any Windows installment? Like you have to install win 98 before win XP?

Well from what I remember any ms os except 3.1 will take dos away on the same partion,that is why it's been said to use partion magic

 

[lavenderAC]

Ok, thanks

I am thinking about partition my first HD into a 1 GB (DOS), and the rest of space for data. On my second HD, I want to install win XP. Now, my question is will I be able to select which OS to boot into when I boot? (MS DOS and XP in this case)

 

[TheMajor]

btw; why would you want DOS seperatly installed? you can use DOS-Prompt from your windows start-menu