How to multiple boot Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, and MS-DOS

This article describes how to configure an Intel-based computer to multiple boot the following Microsoft operating system:

• MS-DOS
• Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me)
• Microsoft Windows NT
• Microsoft Windows 2000
• Microsoft Windows XP

If you want to multiple boot operating systems, install the operating systems in the following order:

1. MS-DOS
2. Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me
3. Windows NT
4. Windows 2000
5. Windows XP

Install each operating system according to the standard installation procedure. You can start the following operating systems from the boot loader (Osloader) screen:

• Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me
• Windows NT
• Windows 2000
• Windows XP

NOTE: You should install each operating system on a separate logical drive. If you install multiple operating systems on single drive, you may experience problems when you attempt to run those operating systems.

If you install multiple operating systems on a single drive, Microsoft Internet Explorer may quit and you may receive an error message that is similar to the following error message: You can configure your computer to start Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, and either Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me. However, you cannot configure a computer to multiple boot any combination of Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me because Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me use the same boot file. Therefore, multiple booting Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me at the same time is not supported.

You should install Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me before you install Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP to prevent the Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me Setup program from replacing the Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Windows NT boot sector with its own boot sector. Because a Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me boot sector identifies the partition as a FAT16 or FAT32 partition, Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP can no longer access NTFS volumes. To install Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me first, use the installation procedures that are provided with Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me.

If you want to multiple boot Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, and Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me with MS-DOS, install MS-DOS first.

How to Start MS-DOS from the Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me Startup Menu

To start MS-DOS from the Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me Startup menu:

1. Choose either Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium Edition from the menu on the boot loader screen, and then press ENTER.
2. To display the Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me Startup menu, press F8.
3. To start MS-DOS, choose the Previous version of MS-DOS option.

How to Start MS-DOS Directly

To start MS-DOS directly:

1. Choose Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium Edition from the menu on the boot loader screen, and then press ENTER.
2. To start MS-DOS, press F4.

Another way to start the three operating systems is to configure your computer to multiple boot Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, and Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me, and then start MS-DOS from an MS-DOS bootable floppy disk. If you multiple boot Windows XP, Windows 2000 and MS-DOS, or Windows NT and MS-DOS, you can install Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me by using the procedure in the following section.

How to Install Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me in a Windows XP, Windows 2000, and MS-DOS, or a Windows NT and MS-DOS Multiple-Boot Configuration

To Install Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me in a Windows XP, Windows 2000, and MS-DOS, or a Windows NT and MS-DOS multiple-boot configuration:

1. When you start your computer, choose MS-DOS from the menu on the boot loader screen.
2. Install Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me in a folder separate from the Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Windows NT %SystemRoot% folder.

After you successfully install Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me and restart your computer, the Windows XP or Windows 2000 boot loader screen appears, and you can choose between MS-DOS and Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Windows NT. If you choose MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me starts.

How to Start MS-DOS from Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me

To start MS-DOS from Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me:

1. On the View menu in My Computer or Windows Explorer, click Options or Folder Options.
2. Click Show All Files on the Options tab, and then click OK.
3. In the list of files, double-click the Msdos.sys file.
4. On the File menu, click Properties.
5. In the Attributes section on the General tab, click to clear both the Read-Only and Hidden check boxes, and then click OK.
6. Open the Msdos.sys file by using a text editor (such as Notepad).
7. Add the following line to the [Options] section of the Msdos.sys file:
   BootMulti=1
8. Save the file, and then close the file.

How to Upgrade to Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me

If you upgrade to Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me or if you reinstall Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me, Setup deletes certain files in your MS-DOS folder and replaces them with the Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me version of the files in the Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me folder and in the Command folder. The following files are deleted and replaced by Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me Setup: