Hi,

I am planning to install a T42p with both WinXP Pro and OS/2 (maybe e-ComStation instead later on) - if possible using the OS/2 boot manager to select the OS of choice.

I am wondering whether someone give me some hints about:
1) how should I partition my 60 GB harddisk (in regard of the sizes and ordering of the OS partitions)?

2) where to place the boot manager - e.g. before of after the Win XP partition?
I have something in mind that the boot manager needs to be somewhere near the beginning of the harddisk (first x GB).

3) I learned from another post that there is a OS/2 driver supporting large HDs / partitions - danis506.add.
Is this driver part of the OS/2 Warp 4 install - or do I need to get this from elsewhere?

4) which order of installation I should apply? OS/2 first or WinXP first?
(I first think of using the recovery CD to put the TP back to an initial state.)


I currently have a really old TP with OS/2 and Win NT installed - there I already struggled a bit with similar questions (years ago), but I fear with Win NT it has been easier?

Hints and any pointers are very welcome.

Best regards,
Ralf

Let's take this in order...

1) I personally would make three partitions: one of perhaps 50GB for the WinXP and associated programs/data, one of perhaps 1GB for the OS/2 system partition, and the rest for OS/2 programs and data. Partition C: for WinXP, D: for OS/2 and E: for OS/2 data and programs.

2) I personally would not use the OS/2 boot manager, as it's not necessary and you can achieve the same thing with the WinXP boot.ini. Also, the OS/2 boot manager requires an extra partition. I found this inconvenient and wasteful in the past.

3) The danis506.add is not part of the OS/2 installation, and you'd have to get it from http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/, which is a good source anyway. But OS/2 (system and programs) are nowhere near as large as the Windows variety, so you can use a much smaller partition.

4) I would install WinXP on C: first, then the OS/2 system on D: If you reverse the order, the WinXP installation will overwrite the MBR and you'll have to use sysinstx to fix it (and of course, WinXP won't boot from D:). All bets are off if you use the recovery CDs - no idea what they do, and I personally wouldn't risk it. If I remember correctly, you'll probably have to use the sysinstx program to make your partition D: bootable anyway - but I can't guarantee for my memory on this.

Putting the OS/2 system on a separate partition has the advantage that you can change it (for example to eCS) without having to re-install or modify any of your programs.

By the way, definitely use HPFS as the file system for OS/2 - that will make the OS/2 partitions inaccessible for the WinXP system, but the HPFS system is much more stable and resistant to damage than FAT.

Hi Robbyrobot,

thank you for your hints.

In regard of the WinXP partition I am thinking of the same approach as for the OS/2 part: to separate the os from programs and data - so that I can reduce the os partition itself.
And to establish one (data) partition which both can access (=> FAT formatted, I guess) for a data exchange.

OS/2 boot manager: I see your point - however is the Win boot.ini configurable to define the default loaded OS? I know to configure the time to display - but the other?
Very in the past I read about the option to create two C (primary) partitions - one for Win, one for OS2, to hide each from the other.
An old - not preferred - approach?
And I guess this does not work when using the win boot.ini - right?


In regard of the recovery CD: I tried it - with the result that the old C Partition (with old Win XP) got replaced with the basic installation - without the other partitions got touched.
So a usable result - initially: I anyhow needed to cleanup (or destroy) this installation.

HPFS: no doubt to use this for any OS/2 only partition

Best regards
Ralf