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Date:      Sat, 5 Feb 2000 23:07:00 -0600 (CST)
From:      Ryan Thompson <freebsd@sasknow.com>
To:        Walter Brameld <brameld@twave.net>
Cc:        Lanny Baron <lnb@freebsdsystems.com>, freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG, Bellardd@aol.com
Subject:   Re: Windows 98 Compatibility
Message-ID:  <Pine.BSF.4.10.10002052254030.77542-100000@sasknow.com>
In-Reply-To: <00020523393501.01091@Bozo_3.BozoLand.domain>

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On Sat, 5 Feb 2000, Walter Brameld wrote:

> On Sat, 05 Feb 2000, in a never-ending search for enlightenment, Lanny Baron wrote:
> > Its possible he is attempting to do as I do. Run all windows programs via smb
> > from some of my FreeBSD servers.
> > 
> > On 06-Feb-00 Ryan Thompson wrote:
> > > On Sat, 5 Feb 2000 Bellardd@aol.com wrote:
> > > 
> > >> Is Version 3.4 compatible with Windows 98.  
> > > 
> > > No.
> > > 
> > >> Please respond as soon as possible as I have install Version 2.2.5 per 
> > >> instructions and I am unable to access my window programs anymore.  Please 
> > >> HELP!
> > > 
> I think someone else had the right idea that the problem here is he
> wants to run dual-boot, he's installed FreeBSD on a machine that
> already had Windows 98 on it, and now he can't get to Windows. Maybe
> one of you Gurus can help him out.
> 
> As to the original question at least the way I interpret it, the
> answer is yes. I am running FreeBSD version 3.4-STABLE and Windows 98
> on the same machine and have no problems booting to either one.

I took the word "compatible" in the strict sense.  FreeBSD and Windows 98
are NOT binary compatible, filesystem compatible (though FreeBSD WILL
successfully mount FAT, FAT32 and NTFS partitions, and mount them well,
this is not what I would call full "compatibility"), and FreeBSD and
Windows 98 can NOT exist on the same physical partition of a hard drive.

I DO see the point made more than once in this thread, though... And yes,
while I would hesitate to use the word "compatible", FreeBSD and Windows
98 can indeed coexist on the same physical machine, with a number of
restrictions:

 - Only one operating system can be booted simultaneously.
 - As mentioned above, it is possible in many cases to mount Windows
partitions under FreeBSD, to share data and free space.  It is NOT
possible to access native FreeBSD partitions under Windows.
 - Binary formats between the two OSes are not compatible (and neither are
the drivers! :-)


That being said, I have run a number of multi-booted systems.  One such
monster had six different OS installs across four drives totalling 39GB,
including FreeBSD-STABLE, -CURRENT, NetBSD, WinNT, 98 and RedHat.  It CAN
be done.  :-)

--
  Ryan Thompson <ryan@sasknow.com>	50% Owner, Sysadmin
  SaskNow Technologies     		http://www.sasknow.com
  #106-380 3120 8th St E   		Saskatoon, SK  S7H 0W2



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