View source for Bootloaders for Linux and Dual Boot Handling

 .          /\_/\    section:
 .     ____/ o o \
 .   /~____  =ø= /  Linux Bootloaders and Dual Boot Handling
 .  (______)__m_m)                                                          v0.48
 . ______________________________________________________________________________
 .
 . grub          - grub is a bootloader for x86 arch linux
 . lilo          - lilo is a bootloader for x86 arch linux
 . redboot       - for ARM, MIPS, MN10300, PowerPC, Hitachi SHx, v850, and x86
 . isolinux      - linux bootloader that operates off ISO 9660/El Torito CD-ROMs
 . osl2000       - commercial bootloader + menu for windows, linux, others
 . bootpart      - WinNT add partitions to boot menu, windows, os/2, or linux
 . loadlin       - Boots Linux from within DOS, comes with many distributions
 . chos          - graphical boot manager appearing in some distributions
 . bootmagic     - a commercial boot manager by PowerQuest
 . system comman - a commercial boot manger 'system commander'
 . ______________________________________________________________________________
 . 
 . Bootloaders / boot managers may be installed to the following:
 . (1) MBR - The Master Boot Record
 . (2) The First Sector of the Boot Partition
 . 
 . The master boot record is a reserved area on your hard drive that is
 . automatically loaded by your computer's BIOS.  It is the first place that a
 . bootloader can take control of the boot process.
 . 
 . Use the First Sector of the Boot Partition for a second bootloader.  For
 . example, you may have GRUB or LILO on your MBR, and BOOTPART on your First
 . Boot Secotor since GRUB and LILO are unable to directly launch Windows NT.
 . 
 . Information about the filesystem as a whole is contained on the Superblock.
 . The Superblock of the First Boot Partition is where the bootloader is
 . installed to when another bootloader is on the MBR.
 . 
 . .oOo. boot loader support and frequently asked questions .oOo.
 . 
 . Q. After installing or reinstalling Windows XP, grub no longer appears on boot 
 .    so I can't get to my Linux operating system on my dual boot system.
 . 
 . A. (1) Using a boot floppy:
 . 
 .    There are more than one way to approach this issue.  If you created a boot
 .    floppy (such as with Redhat) simply boot from the floppy and execute the
 .    command: 'grub-install /dev/hda' (hda or appropriate drive).
 .   
 .    (2) Using Fedora Core 1.0 Installation CD Disc 1
 . 
 .    Boot off Fedora CD #1 in rescue mode.  When prompted, select the
 .    appropriate keyboard layout.  When asked to set up network, just skip.
 .    Lastly, you will be asked how to mount your Fedora install, choose the
 .    default option (OK) which mounts it read-write.  Then you should be taken
 .    to the rescue shell.  At the shell type the following commands:
 . 
 .    chroot /mnt/sysimage
 . 
 .    This makes grub think that your system booted normally by giving you a 
 .    chrooted shell.
 . 
 .    /sbin/grub-install /dev/hda
 . 
 .    Assuming that your installation was to harddrive A, this installs grub onto
 .    the MBR.
 . 
 .    Press CNTRL-D twice or type 'exit' + Enter twice.
 . 
 .    Your system will reboot.  Remove the Fedora installation CDROM and grub
 .    should take it from there.
 . 
 . Q. My Windows 98 installation is now showing up in the GRUB boot menu after I
 .    had to install grub into the MBR again.
 . 
 . A. Open the grub.conf file in a text editor.  For example:
 . 
 .    vi /boot/grub/grub.conf
 . 
 .    Edit the boot entries to ensure that the correct partition is assigned to
 .    Windows 98. Multiple Windows operating systems are not handled by lilo and 
 .    grub without chain-loading.  I've used BootPart 2.20 (not on the MBR) to
 .    handle more than one Micro$oft OS on a single harddrive.  BootPart is
 .    available at www.winimage.com to download.
 . 
 .    BootPart is an easy tool for adding additional partitions to the Windows NT
 .    multi boot menu.  You can use it to add the OS/2 boot manager or a Linux 
 .    partition.  Bootpart 2.50 is free and also compatible with Windows NT, 
 .    Windows 2000 and Windows XP.
 . 
 . Q. How do I get Linux to work with Bootpart 2.50 using the lilo boot loader?
 . 
 . A. Method 1: Install Lilo on the MBR and BootPart on the First Sector
 .    Method 2: Install BootPart on the MBR and Lilo on the First Sector
 . 
 .    For Linux, you can install Lilo at the beginning of the Linux partition
 .    and then add the Linux partition with BootPart:
 . 
 .    When you install Linux or run liloconfig, select "Superblock of the root 
 .    linux partition" as the location for Lilo. On the Linux box, this added 
 .    the line "boot=/dev/sdb4" into the file /etc/lilo.conf
 . 
 .    This method puts Bootpart on the MBR and lilo on the First Sector.  It is
 .    possible to have lilo on the MBR and Bootpart on the First Sector also.
 . 
 . Q. How do I get Linux to work with Bootpart using Grub (linux + winNT/XP)?
 . 
 . A. Method 1: Install GRUB on the MBR and BootPart on the First Sector
 .    Method 2: Install BootPart on the MBR and GRUB on the First Sector
 . 
 .    There is more information on using Method 2, however, I prefer Method 1.
 . 
 .    Method 1 will cause the PC to boot to the GRUB menu first, offering the
 .    options of Linux or Microsoft.  When Microsoft is selected the 'NTLDR'
 .    bootloader or BootPart displays a menu with two Microsoft Operating 
 .    systems.
 . 
 .    (this information shall be revised, it is designed for 3 os's)
 . 
 .    (proceed at your own risk!)
 . 
 . 
 . 
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