Install Windows 2000 after Windows XP

by Daniel Petri - January 8, 2009
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How do I install Windows 2000 after I've installed XP?

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This procedure was performed on FAT32 drives but it should also work for NTFS.

Install Windows 2000

Use a Win98/Me Startup disk (with CD support) to boot your computer. If you don't have one, you can download the files to make a boot disk at www.bootdisk.com
Insert your Windows 2000 CD into the CD Rom drive.
At the A: prompt type X:\I386\WINNT.EXE where X: is your CD-ROM drive.
Proceed with the install. Install Windows 2000 to a different partition than XP is installed in.
Complete the Windows install. Allow the computer to boot into Windows 2000.

Note: You may also want to read this thorough guide on how to Install Windows 2000 Server.

Repairing the Windows XP Boot Loader

Note: Some users have reported that Step 1 is not necessary, but in testing I found that it was. Since the C: drive is FAT32, you can use a 98/Me boot disk and skip Step 1, if you wish, but you may find that you need to do it anyway.

Boot your computer with the Windows XP CD. When prompted to Setup or Repair, choose Repair. In the Recovery Console, enter the following commands.