Support for Windows XP has ended
Microsoft ended support for Windows XP on April 8, 2014. This change has affected your software updates and security options. Article ID: 306559 - View products that this article applies to. System TipThis article applies to a different version of Windows than the one you are using. Content in this article may not be relevant to you.Visit the Windows 7 Solution Center This article was previously published under Q306559 On This PageSummary
This article explains how to set up Windows XP as a multiple-boot system with the following operating systems:
Disk Volumes and Disk FormatNote that Encrypting File System (EFS) is not available in the Windows XP Home Edition.Reformatting and Repairing the Hard DiskYou may need to reformat and repartition your hard disk if:
Supported File SystemsThe following table lists the supported file systems for Microsoft operating systems:Operating system Supported file systems ----------------------------------------- MS-DOS FAT Windows 3.1 FAT Windows NT FAT, NTFS Windows 95 FAT Windows 95 OSR2 FAT, FAT32 Windows 98 FAT, FAT32 Windows Me FAT, FAT32 Windows 2000 FAT, FAT32, NTFS Windows XP FAT, FAT32, NTFS PrecautionsBefore creating a multiple-boot configuration with Windows XP and another operating system, review the following precautions:
To Create a Multiple-Boot System with Windows XP and MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows MeNote You can only install a single instance of Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me in a multiple-boot configuration. You cannot configure a computer to multiple-boot Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me because each of these platforms use the same boot file. For example, you can use Windows 95, Windows 2000, and Windows XP, but you cannot use Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows XP.You have to install Windows XP only after installing MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me to prevent these operating systems from overwriting the Windows XP boot sector and the Windows XP startup files. To create a multiple-boot system with Windows XP and MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me:
To Create a Multiple-Boot System with Windows NT 4.0 and Windows XPUsing a multiple-boot system with both Windows NT 4.0 and Windows XP is not recommended as a long-term solution. The NTFS update in Service Pack 5 (SP5) for Windows NT 4.0 is provided only to help you evaluate and upgrade to Windows XP.To create a multiple-boot system with Windows NT 4.0 and Windows XP:
Installing Programs on More Than One Operating SystemIf you are installing programs on more than one operating system, you have to treat each operating system as a separate entity. Any programs and drivers that you want to use must be installed under each operating system under which you want to use it. For example, if you want to use Microsoft Word on the same computer under both Windows 98 and Windows XP, you have to start Windows 98 and install Microsoft Word, and then, you have to restart your computer under Windows XP and reinstall Microsoft Word.Note Windows 95 or Windows 98 might reconfigure hardware settings the first time you use them, which may cause configuration problems when you start Windows XP. Specifying the Default Operating System for StartupIf you have more than one operating system on your computer, you can set the operating system that you want to use as the default one for when you start your computer:
Troubleshooting
Glossary
Boot Partition The boot partition contains the Windows operating system and its support files. The boot partition can be, but does not have to be, the same as the system partition. There will be one, and only one, system partition, but there will be one boot partition for each operating system in a multi-boot system. Note On dynamic disks, this is known as the boot volume. For more information about disk storage in Windows XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 314343 See also: System Partition, Volume
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314343/
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Basic Storage Versus Dynamic Storage in Windows XP
Dual-Boot A computer configuration that can start two different operating systems. See also: Multiple-Boot Extended Partition Extended partitions were developed in response to the need for more than four partitions per disk drive. An extended partition can itself contain multiple partitions and this extends the number of partitions possible on a single drive. An extended partition is a container for logical drives that are formatted and assigned drive letters. The introduction of extended partitions was driven by increasing capacities of new disk drives. FAT (File Allocation Table) A file system that is used by MS-DOS and other Windows-based operating systems to organize and manage files. The file allocation table (FAT) is a data structure that Windows creates when you format a volume by using the FAT or FAT32 file systems. Windows stores information about each file in the FAT so that it can retrieve the file later. See also: FAT32, File System, NTFS File System FAT32 A derivative of the FAT file system. FAT32 supports smaller cluster sizes and larger volumes than FAT, which results in more efficient space allocation on FAT32 volumes. See also: File Allocation Table (FAT), NTFS File System, Volume File System In an operating system, the file system is the overall structure in which files are named, stored, and organized. NTFS, FAT, and FAT32 are types of file systems. See also: NTFS File System, FAT, FAT32 Logical Partition Logical partitions are those partitions contained within an extended partition. In terms of use they are no different than a non-extended primary partition. The number of logical drives that may be created in extended partition is limited by the number of available drive letters and the amount of hard drive space available for creating drives. Multiple-Boot A computer configuration that can start two different operating systems. See also: Dual-Boot NTFS File System An advanced file system that provides performance, security (i.e.,file and folder permissions), reliability, and advanced features that are not found in any version of FAT. For example, NTFS guarantees volume consistency by using standard transaction logging and recovery techniques. If a system fails, NTFS uses its log file and checkpoint information to restore the consistency of the file system. In Windows 2000 and Windows XP, NTFS also provides advanced features such as encryption, Reparse points, Sparse files, USN Journal, and disk quotas. See also: FAT32, File Allocation Table (FAT), File System Primary Partition A partition that is used to start an operating system. Primary partitions are partitions that take up one of the four primary partition slots in the disk drive's partition table. You can also use primary partitions that do not contain the operating system. System Partition The system partition refers to the disk volume that contains the hardware-specific files that are needed to start Windows, such as Ntldr, Boot.ini, and Ntdetect.com. The system partition can be, but does not have to be, the same volume as the boot partition. Note On dynamic disks, this is known as the system volume. See also: Boot Partition, Volume Volume A volume is an area of storage on a hard disk that is either a primary partition or a logical drive in an extended partition.A volume is formatted by using a file system, such as FAT or NTFS, and has a drive letter assigned to it. You can view the contents of a volume by clicking its icon in Windows Explorer or in My Computer. A single hard disk can have multiple volumes, and volumes can also span multiple disks. See also: File Allocation Table (FAT), NTFS File System PropertiesArticle ID: 306559 - Last Review: May 22, 2013 - Revision: 5.0
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