By using dual boot you can safely use Windows 98 SE to backup 2000 or XP and restore completely all its files from scratch in less than 10 minutes. You must be using an ATA/PATA drive for Windows 98, so this can not be applied if you use a SATA drive AFAIK. All units must be FAT32 and if you choose XP as second OS all must be smaller than 32 GB .

The procedure is as follows:

1 .- First you must have Windows 98 installed. For best results we may have a cloned copy of Win98 on a different drive to boot it using a boot floppy (there is another post in this forum which explains how to do it easily here: http://www.msfn.org/board/Clone-Win98SE-on...D-t118623.html) .
The new OS may be installed in the same logical unit or in a different one.
For advanced users: you may create a new main partition and make it active before starting the installation.

2.- If you installed in the same active partition, even when you have used a different logical unit, it will appear a double boot screen at start, giving you the opportunity to use any of both OS.
For advanced people who used a different main partition, you may use fdisk to activate the one or the other ("fdisk /deactivate" and "fdisk /activate:x" being x the number of the partition). To return to Windows 98 you must use a boot floppy or alternatively an XP capable program like Partition Manager.

3 . - Once fully installed the new OS, to avoid problems with the trash bin you must introduce in autoexec.bat the following lines:
deltree c: \ recycled> Nul
deltree d: \ recycled> Nul
deltree e: \ recycled> Nul ... (as many times as logical drives).

4 .- Using Win98 go to Tools> Folder Options, and choose to see all files and all extensions. Delete Pagefile.sys.

5 .- Create a folder on a different drive unit or on an external HD and copy to it all C:\root files, the "System Volume Information" of the XP drive, and the folders Program Files, Documents and Settings, and the new Windows/Winnt.

6 .- To restore from the backup using Win98, compare the used C:\ root files, Documents and Settings and Windows.0/WINNT folders with the corresponding ones in the backup, delete the new ones and substitute all the modified ones. You may use any comparator program for this, there are many in the internet. You may also delete all files in the XP drive and copy all in their place and empty the bin, but NEVER FORMAT THE DRIVE OR USE DISK MANAGING PROGRAMS NOT DESIGNED FOR NT LIKE DEFRAG OR SCANDISK. The system won't start. If eventually it happens you need to use the recovery console, or alternatively begin a new install and afterwards substitute it for the old one in the backup.

7.- While using 2000 - XP you may also backup Windows 98 by simply copying in another internal drive or external HD its Windows folder, deleting first the Win386.swp file. To restore Windows 98 while using XP you only have to delete its folder and paste the one that you had previously stored.


HTH

Provided that your C:\ drive is FAT16 or FAT32, of course.

jaclaz

FAT 32

Yep, I meant that 99% (approximately) of XP users will have it installed on a NTFS partition, and consequently this method won't work for them, just wanted to add this small advice to your guide, in order to avoid possible misunderstandings by some of the less experienced members.


jaclaz

You are totally right. This is valid only for Windows 98 users.
As you may see in the text I assumed that Windows 98 was already installed to begin with.
Thanks.

I have dual booted Windows 98 and Windows 2000 for years now.
I've never had any problem with keeping FAT32 drives.
Being able to repair one operating system using the other has always been one of the main advantages IMO.

Thank you for ratifying my post, Dave-H.
Somebody said: "Information means advantages for you, misinformation means good business for others. That's why for every single cent for teaching there are hundreds of bucks for ads".

I am using Norton Ghost 7.5 from inside of Win98SE, to make and write back (compressed) image copies of the NTFS partitions.
Also works for some Linux partitions I've used, though on those, it would not show file names on processing. Cosmetic issue, no more.
BTW, it's also good for W9x itself, as it won't have issues with index.dat files, nor would it ruin / misplace the boot routines of 2k / XP in C: drive.
Of course, writing back to a partition means, an OS inside must not run that moment.
But if not using USB2.0 or controllers you don't have DOS drivers for, you can rewrite from a DOS diskette.

Had to do things like this more than once, e.g. to move everything to bigger disks.
Fast as lightning, if not under plain DOS.

And in Win98SE (with latest NUSB 3.3) it also works well from / to USB2.0 drives.

If image files are getting to big for FAT32, Ghost splits them up.

Usually Linux Live CDs / DVDs (like Knoppix) also come with disk imaging software, but I did not test that yet.

I use for this Winrar from inside Win98SE.

I have each one in a different main partition, and use fdisk to deactivate the Win98 one (partition 1) and to activate the XP one (partition 2), and Partition Manager to do the reverse when using XP.

For a PATA disk, the Ranish Partition Manager can do it in both cases, if I'm not mistaken.

I'll try it.
Thanks!