it just sits there

[askii64 0]

I'm having a problem installing NT4. I have Windows 98 installed to a 2.5 gig fat32 partition, and I have 600 megs of empty space I'd like to put NT on(just going to experiment so I don't need to much space), but I have a problem.

Everytime I install it, and it gets done, and reboots the computer, instead of starting to boot NT, it just sits there. With a blinking cursor. As if there was no OS present or something. I can boot from a floppy and see all the files for NT on it's partition, and I can set my other one active and reboot into '98, but I can't boot into NT.

 

I've tried "hiding" my '98 partition so NT wouldn't get confused.

 

I've tried letting it make a partition, and I've tried making one in partition magic for it.

 

I've tried setting the unformatted partition to active so it won't try to write to the '98 partition.

 

But it seems no matter what I do I can't install NT while I have '98 installed.

 

Any other solutions before I just get rid of '98 and install it again after I put NT on here(I really don't want to have to do that)?

[pmistry 0]

There is a 2GB barrier problem with NT4 where the if the first partition is greater than 2 GB NT4 will refuse to boot, even if it is hidden, NT4 still can see it. I believe you need NT4 with SP4 or later but you should use SP6. I don't know how you can update NT4 without getting it to boot though

[askii64 0]

Maybe I could install it to another small hard drive, update it, and then copy an image of the partition over to my main hard drive? Would that work?

[Palos 0]

Use Partition Magic to resize your 2.5 Gig partition to 2 Gb

[askii64 0]

how about I use Partition Magic or something like it to move my 2.5 gig partition to the end of the drive, then make a new one at the beginning. That should do it, right?

[pmistry 0]

possibly. i am unsure, but without any Service Packs, NT4 is really fussy about partitions greater than 2 GB. I had a 3GB, 1 GB split on a 4GB long time ago. I tried to install NT4 on the 1 GB but got problems so I split it 2/2 and then it worked. I tried making partitions at the end/beginning and pretty much fiddled with Partition Magic to the max, never worked.

[pbuckne 0]

Elsewhere on the site it talks about up[censored] a CD with service pack changes, so you could do that, and then burn to install and eliminate some of the guess work. I know I really hate taking a gamble, and screwing up my system, even if a rebuild only takes about an hour.

[askii64 0]

I got it working. Just used another hard drive to install it on. Now everything is fine.

[askii64 0]

thanks for the info...