Strange requirement! Need advice

[BUBBLE]

I want to install fresh copy of windows xp pro and then make a image of it and burn it into a cd, after that format the machine install fresh copy of windows 2000 server edtion and then make an image. So my question is if somedy if i wanted to instal both o/s (dual o/s) is it possible with the image's that I've created or will they give error messages? Even if they produce error messages are they only related to the boot.ini file? cause all they trying to do is located the bot partion so if I modiied the boot.ini path giving the correc partion info will they work correctley? Did somebody eve tried this method? I Need above method cause I format my machine always to test and for my studies purpose so can anybody prvide me some info abt it. Thanks in advance.

[Permanoob]

Using an image is just like stamping your operating system onto the hard drive. So if you stamp XP on there and then try and stamp 2k on there, the 2k will be the only thing there. That's my experience with Norton Ghost and ImageReady.. there may be something out there that would do otherwise but I doubt it.

[dartor]

You would probably have to install the OS to be a dual boot system and then image the drive. As Permanoob pointed out you can't combine the seperate images.

Although, you might be able to image only the partition(w2k or xp) and then load one partition and then the other. Not 100% sure if this would work though.

[Permanoob]

Yah I think that would work actually.. just make sure you don't have anything you want to keep sitting on the 2nd partition when you go to reimage that.

Breakdown of what you'd want to do and how it *should* work:

Either use 2 HDD's or split your HDD into 2 partitions, install whatever OS you want first on partition 1 and 2nd OS on partition 2. Create 2 seperate images, one of the main parition then one of the second partition. If you later put the first image on you'll boot up and it'll ask to choose XP or 2k. And 2k won't work unless/until you drop the 2k image on the 2nd partition..

weee! Probably unecessary and long but oh welll.. I tend to do that.