Member Avatar for tupadjia

I wasnt exactly sure where to turn, so I decided to post on this side of the forums.
I currenty have XP Media Center, but I also want to have Windos 2000 Professional running as well.
Now, I think if I remember correctly I have to do something called partitioning :rolleyes: , but not too sure. Can someone explain how I can get those 2 OS on a single disk and what tools I need to achieve this.
Thanks in advance!

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by jbennet

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A short, practical plan based on what happened here: lost data after a partition operation, and the answers from , and highlight the usual traps. Below are recovery-first steps and a safe workflow for getting Windows 2000 onto the same disk as an existing XP installation without repeating advice already given in the thread.

If files matter, stop writing to that drive right away. Boot from external media and run a partition/table scanner that can detect and restore lost partitions (for example, TestDisk) or a file-recovery tool that carves files by signature (for example, PhotoRec). The usual workflow is: boot from rescue media, scan the whole disk, inspect found partitions/files, and only write changes when you are sure the old layout is recovered. If recovery tools do not find the old data, avoid reinstalling to the same disk—professional recovery will be the next step.

For the dual-boot setup: the simplest, most reliable order is to install the older OS first; if XP is already installed and you add Windows 2000, the second installer will replace boot components and may hide XP. After installing 2000, restore XP's boot entries from the XP Recovery Console. Typical commands used in Recovery Console are:

fixboot C:
fixmbr
copy X:\i386\ntldr C:\
copy X:\i386\ntdetect.com C:\
bootcfg /rebuild

Adjust X: to your CD/DVD drive. Verify boot.ini lists both installations and that the active primary partition contains the boot files.

Final cautions: image the entire disk before attempting any partition changes (Clonezilla or similar), use offline tools that run from boot media rather than inside the running Windows, and test on a spare disk if possible. If any step feels uncertain, data-recovery specialists are safer than repeated DIY attempts.

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Member Avatar for dcc

Yes, you will need to place the second OS on a separate partition. You can either wipe the dirve and then reformat and partition the hdd, or use a utility like Symantec's Partition Magic or Acronis's Partition manager to create the second partition.

article explains it well.

Member Avatar for tupadjia

ok, i used that magic partition and its crap! my whole harddrive got screwed up, i had to re-install everything. all my files and games and music and videos were gone!
so, i am screwed for that part. I am still on XP and I want to install Win2K Pro keeping XP as well!
i have no idea how to do that, and that M$ website that the person provided for me doesnt really work either.
so, does anyone have detailed, step-by-step instructions on how i can achieve this? thanks in advance!

Member Avatar for dcc

ok, i used that magic partition and its crap! my whole harddrive got screwed up, i had to re-install everything. all my files and games and music and videos were gone!
so, i am screwed for that part. I am still on XP and I want to install Win2K Pro keeping XP as well!
i have no idea how to do that, and that M$ website that the person provided for me doesnt really work either.
so, does anyone have detailed, step-by-step instructions on how i can achieve this? thanks in advance!

The program isn't crap, but if you don't read and understand the instructions it can sure turn your project into crap. I personally know people that have had great results using either the Symantec or Acronis software.

As for the link that I provided, it works for me. Anyone else have trouble with it?

Member Avatar for jbennet

yeah. its a good idea to defrag before shrinking a windows partition by the way

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