Datasheet

Supporting Multiple-Boot Options

You may want to install Windows Vista but still be able to run other operating systems. Dual-

booting or multibooting allows your computer to boot multiple operating systems. Your com-

puter will be automatically configured for dual-booting if there was a supported operating sys-

tem on your computer prior to the Windows Vista installation, you didn’t upgrade from that

operating system, and you installed Windows Vista into a different partition.

One reason for dual-booting is to test various systems. If you have a limited number of com-

puters in your test lab and you want to be able to test multiple configurations, you dual-boot.

For example, you might configure one computer to multiboot with Windows 2000 Profes-

sional, Windows XP Professional, and Windows Vista.

Another reason to set up dual-booting is for software backward compatibility. For example,

you may have an application that works with Windows 98 but not under Windows Vista. If you

want to use Windows Vista but still access your legacy application, you can configure a dual-boot.

Here are some keys to successful dual-boot configurations:

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Make sure you have plenty of disk space.

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Windows Vista must be installed on a separate partition in order to dual-boot with other

operating systems.

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Install older operating systems before installing newer operating systems. If you want to sup-

port dual-booting with DOS and Windows Vista, DOS must be installed first. If you install

Windows Vista first, you cannot install DOS without ruining your Windows Vista configu-

ration. This requirement also applies to Windows 9x, Windows 2000, and Windows XP.

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Never, ever upgrade to Windows Vista dynamic disks. Dynamic disks are seen only by

Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Vista,

and are not recognized by any other operating system, including Windows NT and Win-

dows XP Home Edition.

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Only Windows NT 4.0 (with Service Pack 4), Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Win-

dows Server 2003 can recognize NTFS file systems. Other Windows operating systems

3. Double-click Windows.

4. In the Windows folder, double-click the setupact file to view your action log in Notepad.

When you are finished viewing this file, close Notepad.

5. Double-click the setuperr file to view your error file in Notepad. If no errors occurred

during installation, this file will be empty. When you are finished viewing this file, close

Notepad.

6. Close the directory window.

EXERCISE 1.3 (continued)

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