Computer Hope
Microsoft => Microsoft Windows => Windows Vista and 7 => Topic started by: Geek-9pm on January 03, 2009, 11:30:24 AM
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While doing some research I came across a site that sells a boot manager. They claim I could have 100 copies of Windows on a system. Each with its own partition.
I do not believe this at all! :o
Go ahead a prove me wrong. 100 is why too high.
Here is the link, but do not waste your money on this hype!
<LINK REMOVED> -
Scroll down and find the question
Can I have 100 copies of Windows in my system?
Click on the + to expand the answer.
It is absurd! and can not be done with any normal PC!
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One of the first things to look at on a web page is the Copyright. This one is long expired.
Copyright © 1997 - 2005 OSLoader.com. All rights reserved.
It's a good indication of a scam site. That and no direct contact information...
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Theoretically, you can have multiple copies of Windows on one system.
There are several ways to do it:
1) Virtual machines.
2) Install different copies of Windows on the same partition using different system folders.
3) Create a partition for each copy of Windows. You'll be restricted to the limits of Basic Disks and Primary/Extended Partitions unless you use Dynamic Disks or GPT. Install a copy of Windows on each partition starting with the oldest version of Windows and work your way to the newest.
4) Use separate hard drives. Same rules as #3, though.
Barring #1, it's just not realistic to have 100+ copies of Windows on the same machine...
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and the big question would be why...
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The most # of OS's i've had running on one system at a time would be 8....
My benchtest machine currently has 5.
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I remember this software from the ads in computer magazines some years ago. Osloader2000. It's just a boot manager like Grub or lilo. Except it's not free. It is not a scam exactly but the hype is somewhat excessive.
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System Commander is still around if you really want 100 Windows installs...
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3) Create a partition for each copy of Windows. You'll be restricted to the limits of Basic Disks and Primary/Extended Partitions...
So for Basic Disc how many would that be?
The Hype on that site implied that each system can be on a logical partition, that there could be 99 logical partitions and one primary. I think Windows 2K can boot as far as the fifth or sixth partition. But 99 logical partitions?
The article did not say anything about multiple drives, it was taking about dividing up just one Hard Drive.
Just now I tried to put 6 FAT logical partitions and I got some kind of error using a program that otherwise has been very good. Maybe FAT does not work?
Hello, Patio. How did you do the five? What did you use?
Is it even possible to go beyond twenty partitions on one hard drive?
Curious minds want to know!
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Hmmm...there is a limit of four primary partitions on one MBR disk; or three primary partitions and an extended partition. The extended could contain any number of logical drives you want, so yes, you could have 100+ partitions this way. Your boot files (BCD/bootmgr for Vista/Server 2008/7; ntldr/ntdetect.com/boot.ini for other NT OSes, or whatever boot loader this software uses) must be on the primary partition, though).