Dual XP installation on a single drive

If you want to be able to hide the OS partitions from each other, then you need OSS or another boot manager. The Window boot manager doesn't give you that option.

What version of TI are you using?

When you created the image of the first XP installation, were the other partitions hidden or visible? If visible, were they assigned drive letters (they would show up in Explorer)?

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In situations where I know I'll be installing Windows multiple times, I prefer to keep it as simple as possible. This means not letting the Windows I'm going to duplicate see any of the other partitions. The easiest method to accomplish this is to not create the partitions until after the first Windows has been installed and imaged. The image can then be restored (as an Active partition) to a new Primary partition. After hiding the original partition and setting the new one Active, it should boot properly.

Thanks!

I have Ti 9.5.
The project is in the beginning right now. I just got the idea but googling bring me many warnings about possible XP mess. As I want keep the C:\ as active boot disk, then obviously I need to use non MS boot manager and hide other boot partitions. A correction - I mean  that the partition selected with boot manager is always c:\ when other partition is hidden to avoid any confusion.
So, is it how it might work -
1. I took an "empty" HDD, createed and installed XP normally to a 10Gb partiton and then boot from TI CD and make image of it to ext USB without touching any XP partition attributes or settings.
2. Next I selected TI to recover saved image to Unallocated space and choosed Active partition type.

As a result there are 2 XP partitions accordingly C: and D: and likely there is danger to corrupt both when loading XP without proper boot manager.

The active is now last one  restored by TI.
What is the best choice to get boot selection menu with hide function for the other non active partition?
 

What you propose doing should work okay.

When using OSS, this is the procedure I've found to be the least problematic:

1. Make sure your DD CD includes the OSS programs.
2. Install the first OS to a blank drive. If you setup a Windows partition before you install and you used DD, make sure to let the Windows installer reformat the partition during the installation (this will avoid problems).
3. Install OSS. Make sure to setup a small OSS partition (can be Logical) or use any other non-OS partition (a data/shared partition on another physical drive, for example). If you can't use another partition and must use the first OS partition, make sure to image it before you install OSS so that your other restored image (the duplicates) won't have the OSS files.
4. Make sure OSS works properly and you can boot into your OS.
5. Deactivate OSS (don't uninstall it). Select the installed OS as the default.
6. Use TI to restore your next OS (a duplicate). Restore as an Active Primary partition.
7. Reactivate OSS. It should find the new OS and add it to the menu. Edit the OS entry's properties so they are correct (correct partition Active, other OS partitions hidden). Edit any previous OS entries so that the new OS partition is hidden.
8. You should be able to boot into either OS.

 Thanks for your time, I'll keep track on your instructions :.-)

But unfortunately it appears, that demo version of DD pretends creation of an empty CD ISO, of a size near 30 Mb  ... which when burnt to CD  hangs with the text "Loading, please wait"

Definitely that wasn't the demo I expected to see.

So I must give up - to buy full version DD just for testing OSS, doesn't feel reasonable, while there must be some suitable freeware boot managers.

But I keep trying!