Windows NT and Windows 95/98 Dual Boot Setup

First, keep the following points in mind:

1. NT cannot be installed on any drives that are formatted as FAT32, nor can it currently view any data on such drives.
2. Windows 95/98 cannot view any data on drives formatted at NTFS

So, if you want to run dual-boot and have either operating system see all the drives on the system, you must keep them formatted as pure FAT (also called FAT16).

Steps for setting up dual-boot:

1. Install Windows 95 or Windows 98. If you already have Windows 9x installed, don't bother reinstalling unless you need to reformat your drives because of the above warnings.
2. Put in the Windows NT CD-ROM. It should auto-run and bring up a window with a button to "Install Windows NT". If not, go into the /i386 folder and run winnt.exe.
3. NT will start to install, copying tons of files to the disk, then will require a reboot.
4. In the second phase of the installation, NT will display your drives and partitions. It will ask which partition you want NT installed upon. Select any of the partitions that are FAT (you can even select the one that Windows 9x is on). When prompted whether you want that partition reformatted, be sure to select that you want to keep the existing file system intact! NT will install to /winnt, not to /windows, so it won't overlay Windows 9x.
5. Installation will continue, with numerous reboots. NT will automatically set up a dual-boot menu.

Once completed, upon booting the system you'll see a menu that has three entries similar to this:

Windows NT Workstation Version 4.00
Windows NT Workstation Version 4.00 (VGA Mode)
Microsoft Windows

A countdown timer will start, and automatically boot into the first option in 30 seconds unless a key is pressed. Select the option you want and press enter. "Microsoft Windows" will boot your previously-installed Windows 95. "VGA Mode" for Windows NT is much like Windows 95/98's "Safe Mode".

To change which option is booted by default, boot into Windows NT, right-click on My Computer and select Properties. One of the tabs is "Startup/Shutdown". From that tab you can select which item is booted by default, and how long the default countdown time is set at.