USB_MultiBoot4.cmd was originally developed to make USB-Drives for Install of Windows XP from USB.
However, when working with the program, I got the idea it would be nice
to use USB_MultiBoot4.cmd for making a special Boot Partition on my Computer Harddisk.
Booting from this Partition with boot.ini Menu you would be able to make any desired Boot Selection:
Windows XP, BartPE, MS-DOS or via GRUB4DOS select Floppy Images Or chainload bootmgr to launch Vista.

***** FOR EXPERTS ONLY *****

Use this Procedure Only When you are Normally Booting from Windows XP,
and when your DATA are in a seperate partition not being the XP SYSTEM partition.
Vista is not compatible with Partition Magic, so don't use this procedure when VISTA is your System.

- In my Computer System and Data are well separated.
I have a 30 GB Windows XP SYSTEM Partition (including all Programs) and
a 135 GB DATA Partition + 135 GB MEDIA Partition.
Booting with MS-DOS and using Norton Ghost 2003, I can first make in 1 minute
a Backup Image of the Windows XP SYSTEM (including all Programs) on the DATA Partition.

- For making a BOOT Partition, I than reduce the size of the 30 GB Windows XP System Partition
on the back side by 1900 MB using PQ Partition Magic, thus creating a 1900 MB FAT Boot Partition.
This is a rather save method since the large DATA and MEDIA Partitions are Not Involved
and last part of the SYSTEM Partition is almost empty.
Let Windows XP Format this FAT BOOT partition so that it will have NTLDR BootSector.
Partition Magic would leave you with IO.SYS type BootSector.

- Than I used USB_MultiBoot4.cmd, but now at the copy stage Select No
so that the Boot Partition is filled with files from MULTI_CONTENT Source Folder only.
In this case the necessary XP Bootfiles (NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM and boot.ini) are copied and
BootSector Files for Booting with BartPE, Windows PE 2.0 and MS-DOS are nicely made.
And Install of XP is not our goal in this case, so we don't copy the XP Source.
Check that $WIN_NT$.~BT Windows XP Bootfolder and the $WIN_NT$.~LS folder are not made this time.
Take care that your MULTI_CONTENT folder is containing some extra files such as
Boot Floppy Images and PTEDIT.exe in DOSPRG so that you are able to reverse the Boot Priority.
Adding BartPE to have in any case access to your computer harddisk is also advisable.

- Adjust boot.ini on Boot Partition for loading WINDOWS XP from rdisk(0)
Be carefull to make the right adjustments, otherwise your SYSTEM might be Unbootable.
Change menu.lst such that for the chainload Harddisk and Partition number
correspond to where your Windows XP and Vista are located.
Note that partition numbering is different in menu.lst as compared to boot.ini
In GRUB4DOS menu.lst the first partition is partition 0,
whereas in boot.ini the first partition is partition 1
Change menu.lst such that the Direct Mapping for Floppy Disk Emulation occurs from (hd0,1)

- Finally Open Windows XP Disk Management
Select your Boot Partition and Set Active
so that booting will occur from your new Boot Partition, instead of from your XP Partition.
Do this ONLY when you are absolutely sure what you are doing and
have enough repair options available e.g. PTEDIT32.exe via Booting with BartPE.

- Reboot your computer so that you get the boot.ini menu located on the Boot Partition.
From here you are able to make any desired selection:
Windows XP, BartPE, MS-DOS or via GRUB4DOS select Floppy Images Or chainload bootmgr to launch Vista.

The intersesting point is:
Windows XP can be launched from any partition of any harddisk using the boot.ini Menu.
Windows Vista can be launched from any partition of any harddisk using the menu.lst Menu of GRUB4DOS.
Booting direct with MS-DOS enables to use Ghost for making a Backup Image of the System Partitions.
Booting with BartPE and Windows PE 2.0 is extremely FAST, about 40 sec instead of 3 minutes from DVD.

Just as an example I give here my boot.ini and menu.lst of the BOOT Partition.
Yours will be different depending on where Windows XP and Vista are Located.
In my case Windows XP is located on Harddisk 0 - Partition 1
and Windows Vista is located on Harddisk 1 - Partition 1 , which in menu.lst is (hd1,0)
whereas the BOOT Partition is Harddisk 0 - Partition 2 , which in menu.lst is (hd0,1)

boot.ini


menu.lst


Regards,

wimb

This post has been edited by wimb: Mar 3 2008, 09:09 AM

What DOS are you running to be able to write to a 260GB partition ? Is it home brewed ?

It is just MS-DOS 7.10 from Windows 98 SE.
It is the DOS Program Ghost 2003 (only 1008 kB) , which is able to read/write to such large NTFS Partition, not MS-DOS

Regards,

wimb