How hard would it be to...

killerkebab · 12-03-2007, 15:57

... use one of my hard drives as a Win98 install to play old games on? Would it interfere with my current WinXP setup in any way? For now I have:

2x Raptors:

Drive C: 100GB, WindowsXP, programs, games on here.
Drive D: 200GB, all my downloads and data on here.

1x Seagate:

No partitions: 120GB of nothing.

Would it work to install Win98 on my 120GB drive and use that to play older games on? When I turn the PC on, would it give me a choice of OS to boot to? Do I risk any harm on my current WinXP setup?

leowyatt · 12-03-2007, 16:02

Yes you can do that, you can change the boot loader to allow you to choose between the 2 installs of windows

EDIT: aslong as you use the 1 drive for 98 and install the games on it you'll be fine

Kell_ee001 · 12-03-2007, 16:03

When I was at BT BB we had a few machines with dual boot of XP and 98se - never had any problems as long as the correct drivers were installed for each OS

Haly · 12-03-2007, 16:07

What games are you struggling to run?
Using something like DosBox might solve your problems without having to install another OS.

killerkebab · 12-03-2007, 16:14

I want to run Z. Works fine on Dosbox, except for the issues with control, speed, cdrom loading, and the lack of a registry so it doesn't remember what levels I have completed.

Also, Z is a game I had back in the real oldschool days, but I found out they released a version called Z95 which has extra levels which I never got a go at. Z95 is a huge no-no with Dosbox, and the workaround posted on the ZZone forums have no music and control issues (the mouse sensitivity is obscene). It just doesn't feel right to me, if that makes sense.

If I could boot to Win98 with no problems whatsoever and it won't mess up the WinXP that I already have, then I'd be a happy man and I could even think up of more games to load onto it!

Can someone run me through a process to do this right? (bearing in mind the 120Gb drive isn't plugged in yet, and it is a SATA drive...)

Daz · 12-03-2007, 16:18

If you're not bothered about running it full screen, you could run it in a VM. And it might even ok full screen then.

killerkebab · 12-03-2007, 16:26

A VM? Would that lag a lot? How could that work?

Daz · 12-03-2007, 16:43

Lag would depend on your hardware really. Z cant use that much graphically so a virtual display card might be enough.

How would it work? Download and install VMWare server, create a VM, pop the windows 98 CD in your drive and boot/install as normal.

Davey_Pitch · 12-03-2007, 17:57

My experience of dual booting (a couple of years ago) taught me that Windows 98 always seemed to complain if it wasn't on the C: drive. You could put it on a later drive letter, but it could easily break down in some way. I always avoided the problem by making sure it was on C:

Beyond that it works flawlessly, I'd consider doing it again if I had enough older games to run on it.

Mark · 12-03-2007, 18:12

I'm with Daz in the VMWare Server department (I think I've done every combination now - Windows on Windows, Linux on Linux, Linux on Windows, and Windows on Linux, and they all worked perfectly). Don't forget when you're creating the VM to add sound card support (it's not there by default). Modern hardware runs VMWare very well, and C2D -based systems do even better thanks to on-chip virtualisation support.

Not sure for how much longer Win98 will be viable though as a lot of software is broken on it now.

12-03-2007, 15:57	#1
killerkebab Vodka Martini Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bristol/Reading Posts: 656	How hard would it be to... ... use one of my hard drives as a Win98 install to play old games on? Would it interfere with my current WinXP setup in any way? For now I have: 2x Raptors: Drive C: 100GB, WindowsXP, programs, games on here. Drive D: 200GB, all my downloads and data on here. 1x Seagate: No partitions: 120GB of nothing. Would it work to install Win98 on my 120GB drive and use that to play older games on? When I turn the PC on, would it give me a choice of OS to boot to? Do I risk any harm on my current WinXP setup? __________________

12-03-2007, 16:02	#2
leowyatt Chef extraordinaire Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Infinite Loop Posts: 11,143	Yes you can do that, you can change the boot loader to allow you to choose between the 2 installs of windows EDIT: aslong as you use the 1 drive for 98 and install the games on it you'll be fine __________________ "Dr Sheldon Cooper FTW!"

12-03-2007, 16:03	#3
Kell_ee001 Wants Big Meat Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newcastle Posts: 6,478	When I was at BT BB we had a few machines with dual boot of XP and 98se - never had any problems as long as the correct drivers were installed for each OS __________________

12-03-2007, 16:07	#4
Haly Do you want to hide in my box? Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 14,941	What games are you struggling to run? Using something like DosBox might solve your problems without having to install another OS. __________________ Halycopter

12-03-2007, 16:14	#5
killerkebab Vodka Martini Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bristol/Reading Posts: 656	I want to run Z. Works fine on Dosbox, except for the issues with control, speed, cdrom loading, and the lack of a registry so it doesn't remember what levels I have completed. Also, Z is a game I had back in the real oldschool days, but I found out they released a version called Z95 which has extra levels which I never got a go at. Z95 is a huge no-no with Dosbox, and the workaround posted on the ZZone forums have no music and control issues (the mouse sensitivity is obscene). It just doesn't feel right to me, if that makes sense. If I could boot to Win98 with no problems whatsoever and it won't mess up the WinXP that I already have, then I'd be a happy man and I could even think up of more games to load onto it! Can someone run me through a process to do this right? (bearing in mind the 120Gb drive isn't plugged in yet, and it is a SATA drive...) __________________

12-03-2007, 16:18	#6
Daz The Stig Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Swad! Posts: 10,713	If you're not bothered about running it full screen, you could run it in a VM. And it might even ok full screen then. __________________ apt-get moo

12-03-2007, 16:26	#7
killerkebab Vodka Martini Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bristol/Reading Posts: 656	A VM? Would that lag a lot? How could that work? __________________

12-03-2007, 16:43	#8
Daz The Stig Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Swad! Posts: 10,713	Lag would depend on your hardware really. Z cant use that much graphically so a virtual display card might be enough. How would it work? Download and install VMWare server, create a VM, pop the windows 98 CD in your drive and boot/install as normal. __________________ apt-get moo

12-03-2007, 17:57	#9
Davey_Pitch I iz speshul Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Liverpool Posts: 6,296	My experience of dual booting (a couple of years ago) taught me that Windows 98 always seemed to complain if it wasn't on the C: drive. You could put it on a later drive letter, but it could easily break down in some way. I always avoided the problem by making sure it was on C: Beyond that it works flawlessly, I'd consider doing it again if I had enough older games to run on it. __________________ Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

12-03-2007, 18:12	#10
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	I'm with Daz in the VMWare Server department (I think I've done every combination now - Windows on Windows, Linux on Linux, Linux on Windows, and Windows on Linux, and they all worked perfectly). Don't forget when you're creating the VM to add sound card support (it's not there by default). Modern hardware runs VMWare very well, and C2D -based systems do even better thanks to on-chip virtualisation support. Not sure for how much longer Win98 will be viable though as a lot of software is broken on it now. Last edited by Mark; 12-03-2007 at 18:14.