Assume you installed xp on one primary partition.
Assume you created as second primary partition the same size as the first.
Assume you made an image of the first xp and copied it to the second primary partition.
Open the first xp on the first primary partition (it would do so naturally)
Look in the root of c:\ for the boot.ini file.
Right click on the boot.ini file and select properties.
Take off the check mark next to “read only”
Open the boot.ini file (double click to open in notepad)
It will look something like this:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS=”Microsoft Windows XP Professional” /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
The line under [operating systems] is all one line even though it may look like two lines.
Copy the line under [operating systems]
Past the copied line direclty under the last line
Change the “multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\” to “multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\”
That will direct windows to the second partition as a boot option.
Save and Close the boot.ini file
Look in the root of c:\ for the boot.ini file.
Right click on the boot.ini file and select properties.
Take put a check mark next to “read only”
Now open the root of the second partition (that might be d:\)
Do the same with the boot.ini file you find there are you did with the first one.
Open the boot.ini file
Change the “multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\” to “multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\”
Change the line under [boot loader] to indicate the second parition:
change from: default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
to: default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
Now when you reboot you will be given a 30 second option to choose the
second partition’s operating system.
Note that you can change the descriptions of the different operating systems:
WINDOWS=”Microsoft Windows XP Professional” could be
WINDOWS=”XP1″The name change would show up in the boot manager window that appears for 30 seconds.
Note also that you can change the 30 second time to anything you want.
Save and close the boot.ini file on the second partition
Look in the root of d:\ (or whatever your second partition is) for the boot.ini file.
Right click on the boot.ini file and select properties.
Take put a check mark next to “read only”
Close windows
Reboot
Select the secondary partition’s operating system (the new one)
BE CAREFUL, be sure you are in the new operating system not the original one
Now, very important, go to “start” then “run” and type
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices
Right-click \DosDevices\C:, and then click Rename
Rename it to an unused drive letter “\DosDevices\Z:
This frees up drive letter C.
Find the drive letter you want changed. Look for “\DosDevices\D:”.
Right-click \DosDevices\D:, and then click Rename.
Rename it to the appropriate (new) drive letter “\DosDevices\C:”.
Click the value for \DosDevices\Z:, click Rename, and then name it back to “\DosDevices\D:”.
Those last lines were copied from Microsoft: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/223188/Â