XOSL HOWTOs and FAQs v1.00
by Filip Komar (filip.komaremail.si)

II. Booting from logical partition

• How to install or run Windows 9x on a logical partition?
• I have installed Windows NT or 2000 in a logical partition and want to boot it from there. What should I do before hiding primary (boot) partition (C:)?
• Booting OS/2 from a logical partition
• Which Operating System needs a logical or an active partition when booted with XOSL?

II. Booting from logical partition

How to install or run Windows 9x on a logical partition?

It's not possible to install Windows 9x on a logical partition directly because of the "SU 013 Error". But, wait, there are possibilities for that, although they are tricky:

Copy the Windows primary partition to a logical partition and make it bootable. Detailed instructions follow:

1. Prepare yourself one primary partition for installation of Windows 9x and of course one logical partition for running Windows 9x. If you already have a D: partition and would like to keep it that way, use the partition before that one for your new C: drive. Also be careful about the 1024 cylinder limitation!
2. Install Windows 9x if you haven't already. Copy your old c: to the newly-prepared logical partition. That can be tricky. If you do it in DOS mode (better), you must recover long filenames and attributes (program DOSLFNBK can do that for you). If you copy in Windows (simpler), you should skip files in use like swapfile (usually named win386.swp) or else an error will stop copying. Be sure to copy all files and folders including system and hidden files. Preserve attributes of those files. Ranish Partition Manager is capable of copying partitions, but I didn't test it yet thoroughly.
3. Make your new partition bootable: type "sys ?:" (replace ? with your new partition). Don't worry about activating your new partition.
4. In XOSL, change your Boot item to hide all existing primary partitions except the extended partition which contains your logical partition, and then boot the (copied) logical partition. If you have any logical partitions before this, hide them also.
5. Check everything, especially your Boot items before erasing your old primary partition.

With Partition Magic this task is even simpler: make room for the new partition you are going to create in free space in the extended partition, then Copy it from the original; after that type "sys ?:" (replace ? with your new partition). That's it! You can also create another primary partition for that if possible. But, beware one thing; you shouldn't change the order of your Windows partitions. The partition that was originally c: should still be c: afterwards. If this is what you wanted, then this partition must be the first nonhidden primary or logical partition (e.g. hide all preceding FAT partitions).

Now when your "logical" Windows 9x is working, there are no restrictions on installing whatever Operating System(s) you want on your first primary partition, and you can repeat this as many times as you need for multiple installation of Windows 9x! Note another thing; when booted with XOSL Windows 9x doesn't need to reside on an active partition.

Maybe this picture will explain better. My recommendation for installation of XOSL is (usually hidden) non-dedicated logical partition.

For running "Windows 9x A" hide just first primary partition. Maybe for safety second logical too. At least during installation. For running "Windows 9x B" hide first primary and also first logical partition.

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I have installed Windows NT or 2000 in a logical partition and want to boot it from there. What should I do before hiding primary (boot) partition (C:)?

One way is copy boot files for Windows NT or Windows 2000 from its primary partition to the target logical partition and then hide the original primary partition. Hiding is preferred in Windows but not in XOSL, and especially not with Windows 2000. Remove its drive letter with Disk manager in Windows NT (or DiskManagement in Windows 2000) in your administrative tools in Windows NT or 2000. Change your Boot item to boot the logical partition and test it. After success you can safely format your primary partition and use it for any other Operating System or purpose.

Boot files for Windows NT or Windows 2000:

• NTLDR
• BOOT.INI
• ntdetect.com
• ntbootdd.sys (if it exists)

and for Windows 2000 also:

• arcldr.exe
• arcsetup.exe

Check date and time just to be sure but, if you're still not sure, just copy all system and hidden files from the root of your old boot partition to your new logical partition. Make that logical partition bootable if it is a FAT type partition and not formatted with Windows NT or 2000. Use program BootPart for that. Read its documentation, but here are short instructions: Boot that partition (the rest should have been hidden with XOSL) with Windows 9x or DOS floppy and type: "bootpart winnt boot:c:". Be sure to check with "dir" that your current "C:" is the one just before that.

Note: for Windows NT it is also necessary that the installed Service Pack is at least Version 4.

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Booting OS/2 from a logical partition

XOSL is able to boot the OS/2 Boot Manager, which in turn can boot OS/2. Just change your Boot Manager settings so that it boots the default OS/2 partition on the fly, without waiting... so when XOSL boots OS/2's Boot Manager you'll see it flashing on the screen and then OS/2 boots. Or, if you want to quickly pass over OS/2's Boot Manager, just add the necessary keys in your OS/2 Boot item. If your Warp partition is the default choice under OS/2's Boot Manager, simply add an extra return to the "KEYS" page in XOSL settings. So, when you'll boot OS/2, XOSL will stuff a "return" in the keyboard buffer. Now you won't even see Boot Manager flashing on the screen...

For those who boot OS/2 from a primary partition there's no problem at all: XOSL does an excellent job!

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Which Operating System needs a logical or an active partition when booted with XOSL?

 
Tested mostly on ancient 486DX without incorporated INT 13 extensions, but using EZ-Drive. Please report any differences, problems, additions, confirmations or suggestions. What about 1024 cylinder limitation?

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