Dual-Boot Installation May Not Prompt for Default Location for Windows XP Installation

When you configure a system to dual-boot, Setup may not prompt you about which partition to install Windows XP to by default.

The behavior varies, depending on whether you start the Setup program of the operating system by booting to a CD-ROM and then running Winnt.exe or by installing from the graphical user interface (GUI) and then running Winnt32.exe.

Note that it is important to know what operating systems are already installed in the computer and in which partition each is installed. To find this information, view the hidden Boot.ini file on the System partition (the first partition).

To resolve the behavior, use the following information.

Running Winnt.exe

As with earlier Windows NT-based operating systems, if you install the new operating system after booting the computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM, you can perform a clean installation or you can upgrade the (existing) detected operating system if the existing operating system satisfies the upgrade path to the version of Windows that is on the CD-ROM.

Keep in mind that Windows XP does not support dual-booting if both operating systems are on the same partition. Install Windows XP on a separate partition.

Running Winnt32.exe

If you install the new operating system while the computer is running in an existing operating system, a drop-down menu offers two Installation Type options: Upgrade (Recommended) (which is shown by default) and New Installation (Advanced).

When either option appears in the menu, the following associated text is visible:

• Upgrade: Choose this option to automatically upgrade your current version of Windows.
• New Installation: Choose this option to replace the current version of Windows or to install Windows XP on a separate disk or partition.

Because Windows XP does not support dual-booting if the operating systems are installed on the same partition, specify the New Installation option to configure a dual-booted system.

This behavior is by design.

For additional information about the Boot.ini file, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For additional information about dual-booting under Windows XP, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: