The non multibooters return

After all the help and advice over several weeks and threads plus all
the simulation work by pmj on my behalf - you must all think me very
rude to then disappear for two weeks.There is a reason.
After studying the not altogether unanimous advice on how to go about
it I decided I'd better make a start.
The (possibly ambitious) target was with the aid of a new HDD to end
up with a partitioned multiboot system involving two versions each of
W98SE and XPH.
Having got the new 80 GB HD installed as the slave I then partitioned
it with FDISK from DOS to one primary and one extended prtition which
I then divided again into 4 logical partitions.I then formatted the
lot as FAT32.
Then remembering the early advice that was unanimous to the effect
that if I wanted a version of W98SE on the new HD it must be put on
first or it would mess up XP.So I installed a version of W98SE from a
proper borrowed CD onto the primary but not active partition on the
second HD ie on D:\.At the end of this sprang to life a quick clean
and new version of W98SE.Wonderful.
The bad news which emerged shortly thereafter was that I had lost
access to my old slow and cluttered version of W98SE and my internet
connection with it.Hence the two weeks silence.
Then there is the complication of System Commander Personal
Edition,the bootmanager bit of Partition Commander which I had a copy
of from an old PC Magazine cover.(I told you it would I hear pmj say.)
Anyway Idid eventualy get SCPE installed insofar as the error messages
were gone and it presented you with a screen at bootup with two
choices pointing to partitions/drives C/Donly one of which diid
anything.I did this before I installed the second version of W98SEso
maybe this was not surprising Any way C did boot up old W98 D did
nothing.
Now after installing the second version of W98 if you point SCPE at
C:\ the new version of W98 boots up which is actually installed on
D:\.(Are you with us so far).If you point it at D:\ you get a DOStype
error message 'Invalid System Disk - Replace the Disk and Press Any
Key'.
I am not convinced that SCPE is installed properly and/or is doing
anything other than presenting you with an apparent option but
actually none.I would uninstall it if I knew how and wasn't fearful of
getting into a bigger muddle.
Anyway we'll leave SCPE aside for the moment.Back to the missing OS
and Internet Connection.
I eventually noticed that the files Msdos.sys,autoexec.bat, config.sys
which are in C:\ were actually inside pointing to D:\.In addition the
previous versions of thes files were also still there with different
suffixes and inside pointed to C:\.So I swapped over the suffixes and
my now much missed old W98 at last reappeared and with it my
connection to the also much missed Silversurfers.
And other than heaving a big sigh of relief I have done no more for
the moment.
But having reread all that simulation work that pmj did (which of
course I have been prevented from doing) athought along those lines
occurs to me.If he could simulate my current situation of 2 versions
of W98SE on drives C:&D: does he get exactly the behaviour I get or
something different possibly caused by the function or malfunction of
SCPE.
This could help in deciding whether to uninstall SCPE and any advice
on how to do this safely would be much appreciated eg Has the Registry
been messed up.
Then you might be able to suggest more elegant fiddling methods of
multi booting than my suffix swapping.Though I should say I am
relatively relaxed about that kind of fiddling.I much prefer a slow
approach that I control than an automatic system that I can't see and
doesn't work.The DOS black screen is an old friend to me.It's the
Windows coloured pictures that intimidate me.
Anyway it's very very good to be back.Merry Xmas to one and all.

Hawkeye
.

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