boot sequence with Serial ATA

[Ryan Atici]

I assume that, if not all, many of you have Serial ATA hard drives in your
computers.

I like to raise this question, rather a concern for me. I like to put 3
"Western Digital 74GB 10,000 RPM Enterprise Serial ATA" hard drives in my
new system that I want to build, using ASUS A8V-Deluxe motherboard. I am
planning to install 3 different operating systems on each hard drive.
1- First serial ATA drive will have Windows XP Professional
2- Second serial ATA; Windows 98 Second Edition
3- Third serial ATA; Linux operating system.

In old motherboards with IDE hard drive connection, the CMOS of the
motherboard gives you an option to choose boot sequence so that you can boot
up from any one of the hard drives of your choice, which is what I have in
my old computer.

I've never had any personal experience with new motherboards with built-in
Serial ATA connection, but the information that I am getting is that the
CMOS in ASUS motherboards doesn't offer you any option to choose boot
sequence for serial ATA hard drives. Does that apply to all ASUS
motherboards? Or ASUS corrected that problem in their current motherboards?
If not, how about other motherboard like ABIT, Gigabyte, MSI, Tyan? Do any
of those motherboards offer boot-up sequence option for Serial ATA hard
drives? I mean, why not offer an option to choose boot sequence in CMOS in
new motherboards for Serial ATA hard drives? If none of the new motherboards
with built-in Serial ATA hard drive connection offer boot-up sequence in
CMOS, how do you boot up the hard drive of your choice if you have more than
one hard drive with difference operating systems?

Thanks...

 

[DaveW]

Apparently you are new to this. If you use a multi-boot system as you have
planned ,then you choose the boot OS each time from within the screen right
after the boot screen. BUT, Win 98 HAS TO BE the OS on the Primary drive.
XP and Linux can go on the other drives.