Creating an ms-dos boot partition???

[JohnLai]

OK, here my story, my dad bought me a microsoft virtual pc 2004 for me. I have a ntfs drive C with windows Xp installed, i started up my virtual pc and I try to install my old windows ME. But, it state that I must create an ms-dos boot partition. Can anyone tell me how to create it? And if i can create it, will it erase my current ntfs drive?

[RZetlin]

I'm not sure what is your main goal here?

Are you trying to install Windows ME with Windows XP?

Here's a guide here on how to create a dual boot system.

[JohnLai]

What I mean is that I want to install windows ME using microsoft virtual pc on my windows XP, but as soon the the windows ME setup starts after i run the virtual pc, it states that "Cannot Create a Temporary Partition" and MS-DOS boot partition must be created before it can install. This make my head dizzy since I don't know what it is talking about.

[RZetlin]

Why do you want to install Windows ME?

One reason you can't install Windows ME is beacause this operating system requires a FAT partition while Windows XP uses a NTFS partition.

But it still brings me back to the question why do you want to install Windows ME?

[Dark Watcher]

LEGACY!

What do you have against ME anyways

[Ramsus K]

Virtual PC should have a wizard for creating a disk image to do the installation on, but I'm not sure if it formats it correctly. Try booting Virtual PC with an MS-DOS/Windows boot disk floppy and using fdisk to create a DOS partition, reboot with the floppy again, then formatting it with format C:

You might also have to sys C:

I think Virtual PC on x86 still emulates the x86 CPU completely though, so performance won't be too great.

But whatever. I only tried the Mac version.

[Samor]

JohnLai > Aren't you able to boot the cdrom itself using virtual pc? I did that when installing win98 on it.
And your ntfs C drive shouldn't have anything to do with it; also make sure you start the winme cd from within virtual pc and not normally.

Basically you first start virtual pc and make a "new pc". You boot it, and if I'm not mistaken you should be able to boot from the winme cd in virtual pc.
Then you can start its installer and it will create a hard drive image (virtual hd) on which it will install winme, if you follow winme's installer. Shouldn't interfere with your xp installation at all.

As for speed, VPC ain't so bad; it's faster than dosbox, and is able to run various windows games in directdraw mode with good speeds on my amd xp 2500+... With msdos it's slower, but I had various dos games running, still faster than dosbox. A Windows Example: Daytona USA PC runs just fine on it (but I also have that running properly under XP itself, so no real reason to do that).
It's possibly able to run some Windows games that xp doesn't run though.

[Noxious Ninja]

Originally Posted by Ramsus K

I think Virtual PC on x86 still emulates the x86 CPU completely though, so performance won't be too great.

No, it virtualizes it, like VMWare. Performance will be around 70-90% of the host PC depending on what you're doing.

[Branz_mf]

Use the partiton magic 7, it makes miracles
You can convert partition to NFTS to FAT
or FAT to NTFS and much more.
and you don't have to format you hard disk

[JohnLai]

OK, guess I have to buy another software again before I can convert my partition again.

[orysyz]

Weird, virtual pc aint modified host pc partition. All i know partition in virtual pc is just disk image made by the sofware itself that meant all installation you made like installing windows me are stored in single file.

[Noxious Ninja]

Originally Posted by orysyz

Weird, virtual pc aint modified host pc partition. All i know partition in virtual pc is just disk image made by the sofware itself that meant all installation you made like installing windows me are stored in single file.

Quite true. Make sure you choose "A new virtual hard disk" during the "New Virtual Machine Wizard".

EDIT: I just tried an ME disk I've had lying around but never used. Indeed, it won't format the disk by itself. )(*&)(&^*%^%$ Stupid. Win98 setup works just fine.

I've got VPC, I'll get you a formatted drive file in a few minutes.

EDIT: Here. Create a new VM, new virtual drive, blah blah. Then replace the drive it created with this one.

[orysyz]

Once you create new virtual pc from VPC. Execute it and treat it like u got new computer. Partition the disk, format it and install any os on it. It doesnt harm your real partition because like i said before anytin you does in VPC are stored in one single file and that is virtual hard disk like Khan's attached file.

[JohnLai]

The Khan Artist, thanks for the file, it really make things easier for me!