I have some new questions.

(1)
There are 3 HD`s.
IDE 0,0 harddisk (hd0) (file system not recognized by Windows)
IDE 0,1 harddisk (hd1) (file system not recognized by Windows)
IDE 1,0 CD-ROM
IDE 1,1 harddisk (hd2) (empty)

Windows XP shall be installed on hd2. The Windows setup wants to format hd0 to place some startup files there.

IDE 0,1 and IDE 0,1 in BIOS does not help. The Windows setup is seeing them anyway, I guess because it loads their own disk controller driver and is talking directly to the harddisks and not thought the BIOS.

Also map (hd0) (hd2) and then booting the CD-ROM (with grub4dos or smartbootmanager) didn`t work, guess for the same reason.

What probably would work is physically detaching IDE 0,0 and IDE 0,1 while installing. But I am for a more professional solution with less violence. Therefore I am asking you here for advice.

(2)
Still I am looking for a good replacement for legacy floppy. I would like to use an USB flash drive just in floppy emulation mode or even better as superfloppy.

When booting from USB flash drives or USB harddrives the USB becomes (hd0) and C:\. This quite problematic (especially when you want your bootmanger on USB) because it`s not a full IDE 0,0 harddrive emulation mode. I mean, it`s C:\ but if some applications ask what`s on IDE 0,0 it returns the USB drive, others return the real IDE 0,0.

Much better it would be if the USB drive could become (fd0) and A:\. But when formating an USB as superfloppy my BIOS can no longer boot it (only formated as harddisk). However. Is this even possible if the BIOS could boot up superfloppy to see the USB as (fd0) or at least as A:\?