...Yes, it's NOT a *nix question, but it could be...

[Vard]

OK,

Please do not torch me if this question seems blasphemous...I'm trying to help someone out.

A guy here at work asked if I knew of some piece of software that would allow the companies new Dell laptop to work in the following way:

He would like to partition the drive into 1 20 gig and 1 40 gig drive. He DOESN'T want a dualboot scenario...he wants each to be seen as the 'C' drive after making said selection of which 'system configuration' he chooses at startup, and to completely disregard the other partition after having loaded said particular configuration.

What little I know makes this sound like a BIOS issue...hence the reason I ask here. I figured if anyone knew of something that would allow this, it was in the *nix crowd.

OK, here's the reason he needs it--I know all you super geeks want to know. We use a system called Delta V here for some of what we do (some of you have used it, I'm sure). Anyway, it simply will not run on XPSP2...so he wants to have two 'systems' on the laptop, one with XPSP1 for the Delta V stuff, and one with XPSP2 so he can do whatever it is you do with a DELL with Windows on it (dartboard, target of some kind, I don't know).

Anyway, if this is just way too off the deep end for any mod, feel free to delete it, no hard feelings. I don't want to start any flame wars or BS arguments...I just thought this might be a place to start asking.

Thanks for any help anyone can offer,
Eddie

 

[DeltaMac]

If the guy wants to have two different operating systems on one machine, that would (to me) qualify as a 'dual boot' system, regardless of how you set it up. The 'C-Drive' question is purely in the setup for WinXP. One can assign whatever letter values you want (there wouldn't even have to BE a C-drive)
You just install one system on each partition, and have some software that alllows you to select the system at a restart. Sounds simple

 

[bobw]

Get Partition Magic. Works well for this.

 

[Vard]

I'll pass this on to him...thanks for the feedback.

Later,

Eddie

 

[scruffy]

Don't even need partition magic if you don't mind wiping out what's already on the laptop. Just boot of the windows install CD, partition the drive, install on one partition. Then boot off the CD again, don't partition, install on the other partition.

When he boots off the HDD, one partition will be C regardless of which he's booting from, the other will be D. But that's fine - nothing says you have to boot off C, it's just the usual way of doing it.