Video summary

Dualbooting Windows 98 and Windows 11

Main summary

Key takeaways

Technology

Purpose of Dual-Booting (Compatibility + Data Safety)

The video frames dual-booting as a way to try different operating system setups on the same machine without losing data, while maintaining full compatibility with software that may not work across systems.

Feasibility Claim: Windows 98 + Windows 11

The creator argues that installing Windows 98 and Windows 11 on the same machine is generally impossible on most modern hardware, largely because Windows 11 has stricter “new hardware” limitations.

They do note a workaround in the form of “middle” hardware that can boot both operating systems.

Test Hardware Used

  • Primary device (can reportedly boot both): Lenovo G570 (Sandy Bridge)
  • Another older model mentioned: Said to not boot Windows 98 (details deferred)

Windows 98 Installation Approach (Workaround for DVD / Driver Limitations)

Key SATA Setting

A critical requirement is to set the SATA controller mode to “Compatible”, because Windows 98 doesn’t support AHCI.

(“hci” in subtitles is likely a transcription error.)

Installing Windows 98 Without a DVD Install

Instead of installing from the optical drive (which Windows 98 cannot recognize during setup), the creator uses this workaround:

  1. Boot the Windows 11 installer
  2. Partition the disk for Windows 98
  3. Copy the Windows 98 installation files into a separate folder on the disk
  4. Run Windows 98 setup from the hard drive (local install), since the DVD drive isn’t recognized during Windows 98 setup

Handling Memory Limitations for Windows 98

The machine has 4 GB RAM, described as a theoretical limit for 32-bit systems. The creator explains that Windows 98 is typically limited to ~1 GB RAM, including cases such as:

  • An OEM that shipped a “beastly” Windows 98 system with more memory
  • Microsoft’s acceptance of an amped memory limit to 1 GB
  • RAM availability concerns depending on how the memory manager behaves

Solution: Community Patch (Rudel Flo)

To address this, the creator uses a community patch by Rudel Flo, described as focusing on 9x compatibility fixes, including a change that updates the virtual memory manager to accept up to the theoretical 4 GB.

How the Patch Is Installed

  • The patch is transferred using the Windows 11 installer
  • It is applied by running it in Command Prompt mode during setup

Setup Behavior Noted

During Windows 98 setup, the creator reports an unsettling blue screen moment where old installs fail—however, on this system it appears to recover/restart and continue.

Windows 98 Driver Steps (What Worked / Didn’t)

After installing Windows 98, the creator applies drivers/patches in sequence:

  • USB patch installed first
  • Sound Blaster driver attempted, but not installed successfully
  • 9x Unicode layer installed
  • VGA/MP display driver installed successfully
  • A 16:9 display patch is mentioned as not working together with the VGA/MP display driver, so it is skipped

Overall, the result is described as Windows 98 being “pretty much finished” and functional on the newer hardware.

Windows 11 Installation on “Incompatible” Hardware

The creator claims the laptop doesn’t support Windows 11 officially, so they install it on the “other bad boy” with minimal effort.

Bypass Technique

They use “magic register keys” to bypass Windows 11 hardware requirements, allowing installation to proceed.

Setup Tweaks

They skip first-time setup and customize basics:

  • Dark theme
  • Wallpaper
  • Taskbar position set to the left

Dual-Boot Configuration (Bootloader Setup Detail)

The video notes that some recommend installing newer OS versions first for automatic bootloader setup, but the creator instead configures it manually.

Steps Described

  • Create a Windows 98 bootloader entry
  • Configure it to use a boot sector (not a Windows loader)

  • Select the first volume as the boot source

    Partition/indexing starts at 1

  • Set the Windows 98 bootloader path to a copy of the boot sector (the first sector on the logical drive)

  • Set boot order so that Windows 10 is on top of the list

    (Windows 11 is used in the title context; subtitles mention 10)

Confirmation

After configuration, both OSes boot and function correctly. One entry is shown for Windows 98, and the other for Windows 11/10.

Main Speakers / Sources

  • Video creator (primary speaker): Referred to as “I” throughout; no specific name provided in subtitles
  • Named external source: Rudel Flo, developer of Windows 9x patches/compatibility fixes, including the virtual memory manager patch

Original video