This is harder to read than it is to do.
First-it's fine to have two copies of XP and boot them separately.
Life would be easier for you if you had dual drives, but you can do this
with what you have.
You already have at least one partition, so make the other two, and keep
track.
Boot to the install CD and install XP on the proper partition. XP will take
care of the boot loader. You can edit this file (boot.ini) later.
Don't worry about the drive letters. If you end up booting to F: it doesn't
matter.
There's no need to fiddle with anything in the BIOS except when you boot to
the CD.
Are you doing this just for fun, or is there some grander purpose?


On Mon, May 4, 2009 at 5:57 PM, g.Computer9f <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I want to partition a new harddrive for two boot partitions and one data
> partition.  I want one to boot the system I now have so I have something to
> use while I take my time installing the same OS from scratch on the other
> partition, after which I will erase the old partition (or maybe keep it for
> emergency bootup, depending on space considerations (I bought XP Home SP2
> Retail Version, so since it's on the same machine and I can't bootup but one
> partition at a time, that would work okay, right?)).
>
> Anyway, I want the first partition C to be my new OS.  I plan to partition
> the new drive and (re)install my OS for the scratch install.  I would then
> set up the new OS just like the old OS - moving "My Documents" and email
> stores & such onto the second (data) partition D and the swap/page file onto
> the second hard drive (partition S) to match the expectations of my old OS.
>  I can then "restore" the old OS onto the third partition (X) with Acronis
> TrueImage.
>
> Will this work?    I've never done this before.  How do I set things up to
> boot from one or the other?  I figure I have to set something in the BIOS?
>  Do I have to enter it whenever I want to switch the boot order?  When the
> old OS boots from the third partition, does it boot as "C" or can I get it
> to do so?  Because all of the addresses/locations in that registry, etc. use
> "C."
>
> What problems might I run into?  Am I too ignorant to do this (based on
> what you've read here?).
>
> Thanks,
> AnnaSummers
>

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