SHARING FOLDERS IN A DUAL BOOT SETUP

When dual booting it is often possible to share folders between Windows 2000 and Windows 9X. Due to the slightly more complex folder arrangements in Windows 2000, I find it easier to set up the sharing from within Windows 9X. To share the mail messages folder in Outlook Express: open OE in Windows 9X, go to Tools/Options/Maintenance/Store Folder and enter the path to your Windows 2000 message folder which will be something like this "C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{4D0743FA-05DF-4DD5-9AA0-9E94D6272AE1}\Microsoft\Outlook Express". This will automatically import any messages from Windows 2000 into Windows 9X, and you will have a single message folder for both systems. One word of warning: if you intend to use newsgroups then do not set up this share, as I have not been able to get newsgroups to share in a similar manner. Anyone who has had success please drop me a line.

It is also possible to share the My Documents folder, and Internet Explorer Favorites folder in a dual boot system. Again, from Windows 9X run regedit and find the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders. In the right hand pane you can double click on Favorites, and enter the path to your Windows 2000 Favorites folder, which will be something like: "C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Favorites". You can also double click on Personal and enter the path to your Windows 2000 My Documents folder in a similar way. Then remember to change the properties of the My Documents shortcut on your desktop: right click on the shortcut, select properties, and enter the new location.

SHARING PAGING FILE IN A DUAL BOOT SETUP

It is possible to share a paging file (known in Win 9X as the swap file) on a dual boot installation of Windows 9X and Windows 2000, unless you have installed Windows 2000 using the NTFS File System. The Windows 2000 paging file is called pagefile.sys, the Windows 9X swap file is called win386.swp.

You must set the minimum value of the paging/swap file on both Operating Systems to the same minimum value. This can be done in Windows 2000 using the System/Advanced/Performance Options menu in Control Panel. Select the Change... option, and set the initial (i.e. minimum) value for the drive you wish to place the paging file on. See here for advice on where to place the paging file for best results. You may also set a maximum value, but this is not important. When you have entered the values, click on the Set button, and reboot. In Windows 9X right click on the My Computer icon, select Properties, then click on the Virtual Memory button, and set the maximum and minimum values and reboot.

You will now have identically sized paging\swap files for both systems in the same location, it only remains to decide which of the two you wish to use as your shared file. If you choose to use pagefile.sys as the common file, from within Windows 9X click on Start, Run, type in system.ini & hit Enter. Under the [386Enh] heading the following changes will be need to be made:

PagingDrive=c:\

PagingFile=c:\pagefile.sys (or wherever you have located the pagefile.sys file).

MinPagingFileSize=XXXX (Where XXXX is the size in bytes that you have set for the Windows 2000 paging file, e.g. 100MB = 102400)

I recommend the above method for setting the shared file, but if you wish to use the Windows 9X file, win386.swp as the shared file, you need to open Regedit from within Windows 2000, and edit the following registry value:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\MemoryManagement

Change the file name as appropriate, e.g. c:\pagefile.sys becomes c:\win386.swp: do not alter the number(s) that come after the file name as these are the minimum and maximum values of the file, that you set earlier e.g. "c:\win386.swp 100 200" sets the Windows 2000 paging file as minimum 100MB, maximum 200MB.

After you have rebooted remember to delete whichever of the files you have chosen NOT to use if it still exists.