XP Multiboot (and JP Windows in particular)

[Arislan]

Alright, finally hunted down my copy of XP Professional JP and set up a multiboot for it and my current copy of XP Home EN (US). Everything seems to be working relatively well on that front (re-setting up all the drivers and programs is kinda a bitch, but well, it *is* a new install).

I'm running into a problem though. Well, two actually. One is that Windows Update is automagically pulling the product key for my JP version now, even when I'm running the English version, presumably because it was installed more recently. This becomes a problem because all the hotfixes and the like all show up in the wrong format. I'm going to take a guess and assume that trying to patch an offset in the JP version of Outlook and in US are different. IE 00DEx56AF's value is different on each file.

So, basically, I now can't use Windows Update to update my US version. Kind of annoying, and I still have yet to find any decent threads around the net that deal with Multibooting two *XP* OSes. Closest is NT, which is close, but not quite the same.

Second problem. JP Windows is having the same problems that a Unicode Supported US version is having. IE, Pathnames have Yen Symbols instead of slashes, Kanji jut kinda pops up in random English programs (Due to someone having typed something that translates to Unicode, like '6 ). One of the reasons I threw the OS on there in the first place was to avoid wacky stuff like that, it never did that when it was the only install on my old computer.

Doubt anyone around here has any real experience with either situation, but figured I'd give it a shot.

[Ryna]

Have you tried slipstreaming all of the latest patches and service packs into the XP install CDs? That would temporarily resolve that problem.

Also, I didn't know it was possible to install XP twice, especially two different language versions of it. I can definitely see where the two installations would come into conflict...

[Tancient]

About the only microsoft given workaround for it is to have a special business package (Not retail) that allows a sort of 'add-on' to have the XP version a different language.I've forgotten the exact name of it, but a few googles will turn it up I'm sure.

Not having put two windows XP installations on the same computer, the only conclusion I can think of is that XP has a single registry key entry, and the JP version overwrote the US version of it.

And as far as the fonts and unicode being messed up, its merely based on which fonts are installed first, and the unicode values build up around it (Think of it as patching). The US version was installed first, so English is primary, and any additional fonts (In this case Japanese) are worked around it. Its most noticeable when using programs such as AIM (Which tends to result in what my Japanese friend calls 'majinbakke') due to the way it handles the input. If the other person has the same unicode set as you, then they see the same thing. If they don't, that results in the messed up words.

Possibly, have you tried using the Japanese version of whatever? My Firefox JP hasn't had any problems, and AIMJP has less than regular AIM with IMing.

[BrokenHope]

As long as each copy has its own drive or partition everything should be fine. If properly set up in multiboot then each copy of XP shouldn't even know the other existed.

[Arislan]

Broken is more towards what's happening, although I think you're right about the Unicode support, Tan. The two version of XP have no idea the other exists, it's just Windows Update that seems to be causing the problem. My guess is that whatever code the WU installer uses, it scans the computer for the newest Windows install, and goes from there.

Tried using JP Firefox, works fine. I use Trillian though for IM purposes, so I don't know that there's a workaround for that. Other than my side of things, it seems to be perfectly compatible with AIMJP and AIMCN, so, I'll live with that.

[BrokenHope]

The only thing I could think of that may be causing the problems is that since you installed jp pro 2nd, it may have installed the jp bootloader which could be affecting things, but I'm not 100% sure about that. You could try expanding and copying the XP home boot files from the cd.

The files you would want would be ntldr and and ntdetect.

[Tancient]

I use Trillian currently, and it uses the English protocol files. Yahoo and MSN work fine without problems, IRC is 'fatchanced' and AIM is all based on settings in unicode variables.

[Dek]

After seeing what Broken said about Partitions, I have a feeling this may be a partition issue.

What other partitions are on the system?
Which file systems are you using for each version of XP?

Although I hate to assume, but would I be correct if I were to assume that you were using the same type of file system for the installation of each version of XP? If that were the case, I would suggest, as crazy as it truely sounds, that you should reinstall one of the copies and try a different file system.

While it may sound like the shitiest theory ever (that, and I forgot a few things from Computer Repair), wouldn't it sound (a little)logical for two partitions of the same file system to communicate something to one another in some manner, shape, or form, especially when those two partitions contain, in essence, the same exact thing?

[Blitzkommando]

I believe, though am not completely certain, that WU works similar to other auto-updater websites in that it tracks your IP. In that, it would track your most recent activation and go from there.

I did however have two copies of WinXP Pro running on the same computer for a while. Though I admit both were US version. I had no conflict issues however and both were installed to different a HDD from each other.

[Arislan]

Partitions are both NTFS, and on the same drive. No other partitions present on the drive. I think Blitz is probably right about the WU client, makes sense, especially given MS' proclivity to communicate stuff with them all the time.