Batfink: I tried your way and ran into problems, please help?

Batfink:

After trying to get OS Selector to recognize a copy and it failing on me, I came here and realized I was doing lots wrong. I read your posts in other threads and tried setting it up like you described but I keep running into problem, please help?

I'm now trying to set my computer up like yours. I would like two of the same operating systems, Windows XP. One as a main and one for use when I'm tweaking things. I already have the operating system and I don't want to reinstall windows to get this to work. I first backed the OS up using True Image 9. I then wiped the entire hard drive clean, and then proceeded to repartition it.

I partitioned it similar to the way you have yours set up, 1.5 gb for the primary partition and I placed AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, BOOT.INI, IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, NTDETECT.COM, and ntldr on it. I then restored the image I made with True Image to the second partition and left it as a logical partition. I then did the same for the third partition.

The Boot file on the first Primary Active Partition, reads as follows.

After doing all that I install OS Selector on the first and only primary partition, and then attempt to load it all up. OS Selector reads the BOOT.INI file and finds both XP Home, and the one I named XP tweak. I then followed your instructions further and removed folder protection on all the drives and hid the Partitions from each other. But here’s where I run into a problem. Trying to load the OS’s up they load up and get to the log in screen, typing in my password and immediately it says logging off. They won’t get anywhere past the log in screen.

I thought maybe it was a problem with the Acronis Backup Image, but no such luck, I’ve tried doing this eight ways to hell now and still run into problems, mostly the one I described above. I actually did manage to get it working once, but Windows asked me to reactivate so I scraped that, I should have probably reactivated because that was the only time it got past the log in screen. But now I can’t duplicate that result. I’d appreciate any help you can provide, or anyone who may be able to provide help for that matter. Please.

 

Im not quite sure I understand you when you say you placed these files on your C drive, they should have been there, as they would have been installed when you installed your first OS....

Ive got so used to doing it all now without thinking about it, takes me about 20 mins to install OS and clone it several times, and edit OSS to work...

Ok, so you have your primary active C drive, 1.5gb (I usually have this at 200mb, but Ive been testing VISTA and had to enlarge it)... then you installed your first OS, choosing the first logical partition, D? to install it to.. am I right so far??

You should then beable to either ture image this partition D, and resotre it to the other partition.. or copy the partition. Make sure this partition is hidden, and has no drive letter associated with it....

Next boot into the first OS, and install OSS onto the C drive.. it will only detect the first OS. Reboot, and edit the properties of the first OS icon so that the second OS will be hidden, and remove the folders from the list... before we edit the boot.ini, just make sure that this works, and boots the first OS....

When back in windows, edit the boot.ini to show the location of the new OS, making sure there are no spaces or returns at the end of the last line.... you can then run OSS from here, and it should pick up the other OS... edit its properteis to hide the first OS partition, and again, remove any folders from the list only....

So your first OS, for example XPA, has only the C drive, and itso own partiton viewable, and no folders in the list, and the second, XPB has only its own partition viewable, and again no folder in its list...

This should now work.... if not, let me know, and I will try to do a step by step with screenshots... but I think this coers all the points again, briefly....

Let me know how you get on

Just as a thought.. did you disable system restore on the first OS before cloning it... I found fromexperience that this can casue problems if it is left enabled...

I also know how frustrating this can seem.. as it drove me mad for ages.. but once all the pieces fitted together.. it is a simple, flawless soltuion... Im sure we can resolve any issues you are having

 

I have OS Selector installed on the Primary first partition and I have it now recognizing where I have my real operating systems. Which are installed to the two partitions after that as the logical ones. But I get a whole bunch of errors because it always wants to look to C:\

How is your first Primary Drive set up with only 150mb. I had to install a whole XP OS on this and that took up 1.2 gb. What are all the files you have in there? Do I need a full XP Operating System on it? Also how do I hide this drive, it doesn't want to be hidden and remains as the C:\ Creating my XP operating systems to then be D:\ which messes with all the folder and file assignments. Because it wants to look at the C:\

When doing a dual boot Windows always reassigned the Partition with the letter C: Depending on which one I was booting up.

 

Thats my whole point.. I dont install an OS on my C drive... the C drive is just the BOOT partition only.. when you stick the XP disk in, it first starts to copy certain files to eh C drive, then it will ask you to choose a partition to install Windows.. it is here that I choos eto install to my first logical drive D.

This is why you are having so many problems.. there should not be an OS on the C drive, in reality the C drive could be about 50mb.

By choosing the partition D, when asked during setup.. only the OS files are being installed to D, which makes it easy to clone to another partiton, which again, will become D, as you hide the first one to boot the second.

This is what makes my way of cloning work, the OS is on D, so when you clone it to another logical, and hide the first partiton, that to will become D.. C is always visible.. this way, you get no errors...

If you check out the screenshot.. 20gb XPMAIN D: is the first OS, the 15gb XPMAIN is the 2nd and is hidden, but will bcome unhidden when selected in OSS, and the first will then become hidden... XPINTERNET and XPGAMER are also clones of the first install, and you can see are all hidden, when the first XPMAIN is visible, and is the OS in which the screenshot was taken when booted.

A point also to note, if you have another drive in your PC, I use what you see as the SYSCAcH£ X: to hold the pagefile, as all the OSs on the first drive can share a single pagefile.. this can save several gigs of hd space, depending on system config. It will also improve pagefile performance.

 

Well I think I finally understand, except I'm not installing any new copies of windows on my system. The system only had 1 OS previously and it's been working for the last 13 months. XP on the C:\ this is where I'm trying to take the copies from. But I keep running into a problem because everything points to C:\

Hmm, well thanks for trying to help, I guess OSS just won't work for me. At least not on the system I was trying it on. I will be reinstalling all of my laptop soon; perhaps I'll set it up the way you've described.

But I'm still not convinced your way is the only way of setting it up, there has to be a way of having each OS always boot as C:\ similar to doing a dual boot with Windows. I'll keep messing with it, if I ever figure out how I'll let everyone know.

 

You may want to have a look at a prog called hyperos. This will clone an install grom C, to upto 22 partitions, all of which are bootable and visible.. however, they would take on the next available drive letter.

It clones an installation very quickly, and reassigns all references in regitry etc.. I was a beta tester for a while... its a good app, it just didnt really fir in with what I wanted.. google it, and have a look...!!!

Good luck int he hunt for a solution.. there are some basic things about partitions and booting which I learnt when I first set out to find this solution, which may affect what you want...

I think one of the main things is the a bootable partition must be within the first 2gb of a hd, which means this parttion must be active, and always visible, in which case it will always be C, and you cannot have to partitions with the same letter visible, not can you hide this one, and make another C visible, unless it is within the first 2gb, otherwise it wont boot... this is why I decided to setup like I did with a dedicated boot partition, and used D for my installs.... this is all stuff I learnt a few years ago now, it may be different, but Im not sure if it is.....

 

There is another thing that may cause you problems Annemail7. That is, if you are just copying or imaging your origninal 'C' drive, then registry will point to all your installed programs as 'C:\somepath\somefolder' as they originally were - there are only two ways I know of toget around this - manually (or find a program that'll do it for you) rename all the 'C' references to 'D' or re-install all your programs.

Colin

 

I did check out that HyperOS program, but it costs money that I just don't have at the moment. And I would probably only use it once. Thank you for all your help.

I did finally figure out what I needed to do, I still have my original C:\ with XP; but I do have multiple Windows Operating Systems now. The first one is C:\ since I can't change that without reloading all of Windows. But all the ones after that are E:\. I freshly loaded one using the XP CD, and then cloned it. I'm now in the process of loading up my favorite Linux disto's.