Windows XP, windows 98 dual boot help

I am running windows 98 I have the XP cd with sp2 preinstalled. I'm a little afraid to install it outright because I have a LOT of important data and it's impossible to back it all up. I have one hard disk and two partitions c and d. 98 is on c. Would it be safe to just install it on d drive and make sure it keeps the file system fat32?Could some one please provide exact details? Many years of work may be at risk 🙁

from what i know installing xp on d drive won't harm anything on c drive even if u plan to convert d drive to ntfs. converting c: to ntfs however would be catastrophic.

Will it have any effect on the data on d drive?

From someone who has done dual installations many times..Always back up your data.If that data is worth many years of work, then you can afford to buy a cd writer and a few cd-r's to save that data. Otherwise you shouldn't be able to afford computers in the first place.Do I sound rude? Yes.But believe me, losing data is terrible. Better safe than sorry.Run scandisk and defragment on both c and d. Keep 3-4GB minimum free on d drive. And install win xp on drive d. That avoids conflicts with system files.Keep both drives in fat32 format.And lastly, you already have 98 installed. Good thing. Installing 98 after installing win xp is a good recipe for frustration. I've done it two times but both times it has technically been a real pain in the @$$.And again, backup your data before you do the install.

there should NOT be any problem installing windows xp to d:also you can keep the filesystem of d: as fat32.. but i would still recommend backing up your data as you say that it is very important for you..however i don't think there is any risk of the data being damaged.. just don't select the format partition option when installing windows xp.. select the option to keep the existing partition 😛

I already have a cd writer and several CD's but you try backing up 30 GB.....I'm considering other backup options 😉Thanks for all the help guys.

1. Hard Drives are awsomely cheap.2. DVD Writers are getting cheaper as well (5k is what i got as price of one).3. 30GB? Hmm... sounds like a lot of ahem ahem stuff!I just lost a 40GB hard drive... System rebooted just like that and the disk was history. I am seriously considering buying a DVD Writer.

i just got a replacement for my 60 gb samsung hdd from the service center.. i wouldn't buy a dvd writer just yet.. i think the price should go down further once dvd media becomes available commonly.. i couldn't find dvd media from any computer store in panchkula.. and the chepaes dvd writer right now is for about rs 4000also to backup all the data to cd's you can use norton ghost which has the option of compressing the data.. usin high compression you should be able to fit all the data in about 15 cds.. 15 cd's at 10 bucks a cd amounts to rs 150 which is not terribly expensive 🙂

i find CDs as reliable as people find floppies 😛 i blame that on my CD Drive.