ot time. 

The procedure, however, is not well-documented, so I thought I'd outline it here as an alternative to using System Commander (which I've reviewed elsewhere in this issue). Please note that there are several ways to accomplish this, and while the procedure I'll describe is a simple one, it is not necessarily optimal for all situations. 

 First, a few recommendations: 
 
 

  1. If you want to mix these OSes, the easiest way is to use the FAT (File Allocation Table) file system on all your disk drives. OS/2 and Windows NT support HPFS (High Performance File System), and all versions of NT support NTFS (NT File System). Keep in mind that not all OSes can access drives formatted with HPFS or NTFS, so you should use these file systems sparingly on a PC with multiple OSes.

    2.  

     

  2. Consider dividing your hard disk into multiple partitions and logical drives. My hard disk has two partitions, a primary one (Drive C), and an extended partition that contains two logical drives (Drive D and Drive E). I install all my operating systems on Drive C, my applications on Drive D, and keep my data on Drive E. This makes it easy to backup only the data (since it's all on Drive E), and it makes it easier to find things without searching through so many directories.

    3.  

     

  3. Consider buying Parition Magic to help you setup and rearrange your hard disk partitions. This is a tremendously helpful tool, especially if you use multiple OSes.
Here's my procedure for installing all these OSes. Note that you can skip any steps pertaining to OSes you don't want to install, but do follow whatever steps are relevant to you in the order I've presented them: 
 
 
  1. Install DOS.

    2.  

     

  2. Install Windows 3.1, 3.11, and/or Windows for Workgroups 3.11. I recommend drive C, though you can also use other drives.

    3.  

     

  3. Install OS/2 on drive C. Do not use the multiple boot feature.

    4.  

     

  4. Using OS/2's dual-boot feature, boot DOS. (To do this, start an OS/2 command prompt window, then type "BOOT /DOS").

    5.  

     

  5. Install Windows 95. Be sure to install into a directory other than the one(s) containing Windows 3.x. I recommend installing to drive C, though you can also use other drives.

    6.  

     

  6. Install Windows NT. You can run the NT setup program from Windows 95. Be sure to install into a directory other than the ones containing Windows 3.x or 95.
Now you simply need to know how to boot the various OSes you've installed. Here are a variety of scenarios: 
 
 
  1. DOS and Windows 95 are installed. When you boot the computer, Windows 95 will always come up. When you see the message "Starting Windows 95..." you can press F4 to boot the previously installed version of DOS, or you can press F8 to reach a "Windows 95 Startup Menu." One of the items on this menu will let you start the previously installed version of DOS. Use F4 or F8 whenever you want to run DOS or Windows 3.x.

    2.  

     

  2. DOS and OS/2 are installed. To boot DOS, start an OS/2 command window, and type "BOOT /DOS." DOS will now come up whenever you reboot the computer. If you want to boot OS/2 again, change to the \OS2 directory and type "BOOT /OS2." OS/2 will now come up whenever you reboot the computer.

    3.  

     

  3. DOS, Windows 95, and OS/2 are installed. When Windows 95 boots, press F4 or F8 to boot DOS. Now switch to the \OS2 directory and type "BOOT /OS2" to start OS/2. OS/2 will now come up whenever you reboot the computer. To get back to Windows 95, start an OS/2 command window, and type "BOOT /DOS." Surprisingly, Windows 95 will now boot.

    4.  

     

  4. Windows NT is installed. When you boot the computer, the Windows NT "OS Loader" menu will appear. Choose "Windows NT Workstation Version X.XX" to boot NT, and "Microsoft Windows" to boot Windows 95. If DOS is also installed, then you can press F4 or F8 when Windows 95 is starting to boot DOS. If OS/2 is installed, then once you reach DOS, you can change to the \OS2 directory and type "BOOT /OS2" to boot OS/2. OS/2 will now come up whenever you reboot the computer. To boot Windows NT, Windows 95, or DOS, start an OS/2 command window, and type "BOOT /DOS." Surprise! The Windows NT "OS Loader" menu will now appear.


    5.  If you have further questions about mixing these OSes, you can reach me at pete@fingertipsoft.com.