multiple OSs on same partition ?

Does anybody have any experience of installing multiple OSs on a single partition?
According to the DD 10.0 User Guide, "8.2.3 Installing another Windows on the same partition" (pp 102) it should be possible, by 'protecting' the system folders. I have tried following the (somewhat sketchy IMHO) instructions, with mixed results;
With XP (i.e installing a 2nd XP onto a partition that already has an XP installed), the XP install warns of the presence of a C:\Windows folder and offers the choice of overwriting that or installing to a different folder. (I had hoped that this could be avoided and somehow the system folders would be 'hidden' by OSS).
Choosing to overwrite does just that, but installing to a different folder (e.g C:\Windows2) works, after a fashion. The second install is (impressively) detected by OSS, and I can boot to it. But the OSs are not as cleanly separated as when installed on different partitions; for example folders created under C: in one install are visible in the other.
With Vista (i.e installing a 2nd Vista onto a partition that already has a Vista installed), again the 2nd install detected the first and automatically moved it to C:\windows.old, but this is not auto detected by OSS and I don't know how to force it.
The reason I want to do this is I've only one disk and trying to overcome the 4 primary partition limit. Any other ideas for achieving that ?

 

XP allows itself to be installed in a logical partition (In the Microsoft knowledge base somewhere it states so outright. They also state that they must be installed into separate partitions).

I have had 5 XPs : in the C primary partition and the rest in logical partitions with no problems other than the ordinary Microsoft ones. All my XPs are unhidden from each other on this hard drive and luckily no problems with "crosstalk".

Cross talk occurs when in Windows Explorer when I drop and drag into the wrong files ,but this is my unsteadiness not a XP problem.

As for Vista I have yet to buy one so I don't have any experience with it.

 

ragnarok2012,

It is safer if you hide the OS from each other. BING is one of the few boot managers that can hide OS in logical volumes.

 

Will take a stab at it: nice price also.

 

Thanks for the tip, Ragnarok.

I was able to install XP on logical partitions, as you say.

For Vista, it complains if you try to install to a LP, but I found you can get around this by installing to a primary, then converting the partition to logical afterwards!

I had no problem hiding the OSs from each other in the usual way. I now have one disc with 3 XPs and 4 Vistas, the first XP on a primary and everything else on logicals.

 

Good solution! When I get Vista at least I will know that multiple instances of them are possible with XP.