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Disk Director 10 on Embedded Controller

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Embedded controllers are peripheral-limited mini-computers that access a backplane into which electronic equipment (signal analyzers, data acquisition equipment, digital I/O, etc.) are directly accessible from the controller and its software.

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OK, having created this topic, here is my problem:

I have DD 10 on the hard drive of this embedded controller, a National Instruments PXI-8156B, which had a full install of Windows 2000 Pro, and National Instruments' LabVIEW software. It is a really tiny mini-computer, with only a HDD, 3-1/2" floppy, and the typical I/O (serial, parallel printer, video output, etc., but no optical drive). Since W2K supports USB, and I have a USB optical reader and a USB port, in theory I can install any OS using that port while in the W2K OS. Since I have enough HDD space for another OS, I want to install a second OS, Win 98, in a primary partition that I created with DD 10.

In addition to the USB port, there is a LAN network port that could be used to access this embedded controller, or to even install files and software into it. My work station has another DD 10 license/install as well. As well, there is a 3-1/2" floppy drive with its limited speed.

The problem is that the BIOS for this P-II embedded controller will only allow booting from the HDD or the floppy, so the USB port is not a boot option. I am afraid if I set this new Win 98 OS primary partition active with DD 10 and try to install Win 98 from (wherever?) that I will be stuck without an active partition on the W2K partition, and not be able to get back W2K.

There are a couple of possibilities to install this second OS without fear of hanging up irreparably:

1). The HDD is a 2-1/2" PATA drive that could be slaved off any other desktop workstation computer using a 2-1/2" to 3-1/2" adapter, which I have. (This is how I originally installed Win 98, before scratching it and upgrading to W2K).

2). If possible, I could use the network port and access and install the new OS from the workstation.

Is it possible to specify the network port as the location from which the new OS will be installed? Not having done this before, I don't really have an answer to that question.

If not, wouldn't the DD 10 that I have in my workstation be the place to do this second OS install, with the 2-1/2" HDD from this embedded controller as a slave in that computer? The workstation has plenty of optical drives and the BIOS to select those for the boot sequence.

Any and all comments or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Best,

Kurt

I think the easiest method of working with the drive would be to connect it to another computer.

You may be able to copy the Windows 98 files onto a partition on the hard drive and then run the install from there.

For DD, have you tried using Media Builder to create a set of DD floppy disks? If you only include the Safe Mode version, it would use the least amount.

Also, you should not be overly concerned about the Win 98 installer setting its partition as Active, and then you being unable to boot to Win 2000. If you can get DD 10 safe mode to work on a floppy, then you can boot to DD 10 to change the Active flag back to the Win 2000 partition. Even if you're unsuccessful with the boot floppy, you can always connect the disk to a PC running DD and change the Active flag.