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The title says it all. I have added an old DOS disk to a w2k system and I would like to have it as a boot option in boot.ini, but I can't find how to tell NTLDR. Is it possible?

Roger
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2 Answers2

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Yest it can, but you also can add DOS to existing partition.

With NTLOADER from Windows NT/2k/XP you can:

  1. install DOS on separate partition
  2. dump the DOS boot sector to a file e.g. BOOT.BIN (512B)
  3. Copy file some install partition to target partition (original install partition you can delete) for DOS it hast to be FAT16 or FAT32

  4. add a line to BOOT.INI in [operating systems] section: C:\BOOT.BIN="DOS Version blab.. your text"

    Reboot a start NT booloader, you can start it from Linux Grub bootloader too, if you want to keep Linux and other more modern OS on same HDD, or use Grub from other disk.

RuThaN
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  • I don’t fully understand what you’re saying.  It looks like you’re saying, “Yes, you can do the thing that you’re asking about.  Here are instructions for doing something different.”  Please don’t post something in the “Your Answer” box unless it is an answer to the question.  If you have an answer, please [edit] the above to make it clearer and more complete. – Scott - Слава Україні Sep 24 '18 at 00:40
  • For other hard drive you just need to change this line, with your boot sector backup and drive letter, how are driver letters ordered with multiple drives its complicated so if have try few letters to catch right one: C:\BOOT.BIN="DOS Version blab.. your text" – RuThaN Sep 25 '18 at 16:22
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A non-specific example:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Your existing Win2K" /fastdetect
C:\ = "Old DOS based OS here"

http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f6/easy-fix-what-does-a-normal-boot-ini-for-win98-look-like-37763.html

You would obviously have to correct C:\ to wherever the old DOS disk is likely to mount at boot time, some experimentation may be needed. You could just add twenty-six entries going from A:\ to Z:. The mechanism is basically the same as dual-booting Windows 98 or WinME from a second disk.

qasdfdsaq
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  • Yes, well that's exactly what I had been trying, using the drive letter that w2k sees as the DOS drive (when I boot w2k), but it doesn't work. That solution is widely quoted, but it always seems to be associated with a single-drive configuration where DOS is installed on the first partition and Windows in other partitions. But I do like your idea "You could just add twenty-six entries going from A:\ to Z" to handle the unpredictable (to mere mortals) drive letter assignment of the Windows boot process! – Roger Jun 10 '15 at 11:18
  • I do believe in the distant past I've used something along the lines of: multi(0)disk(1)rdisk(1)partition(1)="Etc.etc." but I can't remember the context of whether it was an NT or DOS based system. – qasdfdsaq Jun 10 '15 at 11:22