Multiboot questions

[pc nerd]

I copied the following from the "Boot Configuration Data Editor Frequently
Asked Questions" which I found found elsewhere on the Microsoft website.

Multiboot Environments
Can I install Windows Vista on a computer that already contains an operating
system?
Yes. You can install Windows Vista on a different partition. It is best to
install Windows Vista after you install the older operating systems. Older
operating systems will continue to use Boot.ini for boot configuration.

Should I replace the code that used to work with Boot.ini to now use BCD on
Windows Vista?
No. You will need to alter your code so that it uses Boot.ini for the older
operating systems, and so that it uses BCD on Windows Vista.

What does "your code" mean?

OK. If I want to install both XP & Vista on separate partitions, apparently
I need to install XP first. During the XP install I have the option of
creating 2 partitions don't I? It's my understanding that there can be only 1
primary partition & only the primary partition is bootable. Every other
partition is an extended partition. This is what confuses me. XP uses the
boot.ini file & is installed first on the primary partition. Won't Vista be
installed on an extended partition? Since XP uses the boot.ini file & Vista
uses the bcdedit file, which file is used if both XP & Vista are installed in
a multiboot configuration? Which would be the default OS?

To further complicate matters, suppose that I want to install XP, Vista &
Linux. Which of the 3 do I install first since Linux uses a different boot
file?

Thank you.

 

[GorkusPuss]

Hello PC Nerd,

If you want to simplify the issue look into a third party boot manager (if you want to spend
the money on one) like, TeraByte BootIt NG.

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/bootit-next-generation.htm

Not hard to figure out how to use it and set your partitions up, you can hide partitions
from other ones if that's your intent, install OS in any order you please, set default OS
for bootup.

You can create more than two partitions on an XP install, I think one is referred to as the
active partition, as for primary partitions, you can have 4 of them (1 being the active one).

http://en.kioskea.net/repar/partitio.php3

- GorkusPuss

 

[pc nerd]

I browsed around the Microsoft website after I sent the e-mail & found out
that I can install different versions of Windows on different partitions on
the same hard drive or on separate hard drives. I would prefer the latter.
So, I could have XP on one hard drive & Vista on a separate hard drive. But
that still doesn't answer my question about multibooting between XP & Vista.
Since XP uses the boot.ini file & Vista uses the bcdedit file, which file is
used when the PC boots up, boot.ini or bcdedit or some other file?

If I have 2 new unformatted hard drives on a PC (I guess that they would be
C & D.) & I install XP first, won't it give me a choice of installing XP on
either C or D? Let's say that I choose C. Then I install Vista, won't it
detect that there is already a version of Windows installed on C & install
Vista on D?

 

[Nonny]

I browsed around the Microsoft website after I sent the e-mail & found out
that I can install different versions of Windows on different partitions on
the same hard drive or on separate hard drives. I would prefer the latter.
So, I could have XP on one hard drive & Vista on a separate hard drive. But
that still doesn't answer my question about multibooting between XP & Vista.
Since XP uses the boot.ini file & Vista uses the bcdedit file, which file is
used when the PC boots up, boot.ini or bcdedit or some other file?

I have Vista on one drive and XP on another. And a clone of Vista on
yet a third drive.

I can choose the boot order in my BIOS every time I start/restart the
system... i.e., I can choose whether to boot using the Vista drive or
using the XP drive (or the cloned drive for that matter).

Can you?

 

[Ramone]

You are complicating something that's really not complicated. If you are
thinking of having a triple boot system just boot to XP CD, make your
partition, format and install. Never mind the drive lettering, that will
take care of itself. Then boot to the Vista DVD, make your partition, format
and install. It's practically automatic when you build your multi-boot this
way. If you install Linux 3rd, Grub will automatically take over as the boot
manager.

Here's a link to a forum dedicated to multi-booting.

http://www.pronetworks.org/forum/index.php

Ramone

 

[Timothy Daniels]

I copied the following from the "Boot Configuration Data Editor
Frequently Asked Questions" which I found found elsewhere
on the Microsoft website.

Multiboot Environments
Can I install Windows Vista on a computer that already contains
an operating system?
Yes. You can install Windows Vista on a different partition. It is best to
install Windows Vista after you install the older operating systems. Older
operating systems will continue to use Boot.ini for boot configuration.

Should I replace the code that used to work with Boot.ini to now
use BCD on Windows Vista?
No. You will need to alter your code so that it uses Boot.ini for the
older operating systems, and so that it uses BCD on Windows Vista.

What does "your code" mean?

It *probably* means an operating system.

OK. If I want to install both XP & Vista on separate partitions,
apparently I need to install XP first. During the XP install I have
the option of creating 2 partitions don't I? It's my understanding
that there can be only 1 primary partition & only the primary
partition is bootable. Every other partition is an extended partition.

The PC architecture allows 4 Primary partitions, or 3 Primary
partitions and one Extended partition. The Extended partition can
contain "many" logical drives (i.e. logical partitions). But the Master
Boot Record on a hard drive can only pass control to the Boot Sector
of a Primary partition, and that Primary partition must be the one that
is marked "active" in the Partition Table. Once the Boot Sector gets
control, it looks for the loader - which loads the OS, which can be in
any partition (Primary or logical) on any hard drive in the system.
Repeat: The OS can reside on any partition, Primary or logical,
on any hard drive in the system.

This is what confuses me. XP uses the
boot.ini file & is installed first on the primary partition. Won't Vista be
installed on an extended partition? Since XP uses the boot.ini file & Vista
uses the bcdedit file, which file is used if both XP & Vista are installed in
a multiboot configuration? Which would be the default OS?

To further complicate matters, suppose that I want to install XP, Vista &
Linux. Which of the 3 do I install first since Linux uses a different boot
file?

Thank you.

Here is a handy website for multi-booting Vista, XP, and Linux:
http://apcmag.com/the_definitive_dualbooting_guide_linux_vista_and_xp_stepbystep.htm

To add Linux when Vista is already installed, check out this section
of the above site:
http://apcmag.com/how_to_dualboot_vista_with_linux_vista_installed_first.htm

The free downloadable utility "EasyBCD" manipulates the BCD file for
you since the Vista load procedure is much more complicated than for
previous Windows OSes.

Many people, especially the Linux lunies, prefer to use Grub to manage
the multi-booting. If you prefer to let Grub just manage loading of Linux
and have the Vista multi-boot manager direct the loading of all OSes,
the last sentence of the above web page applies:

"If instead of GRUB you want Vista's bootloader to be in charge,
load up the Vista installation and install EasyBCD. Go to
"Manage Bootloader", then "Reinstall the Vista Bootloader", and
GRUB is overwritten. You can then configure the Vista bootloader
to add Linux to the boot menu."

This means that when you install Linux, click the Advanced tab or button
and tell the installer to put Grub in the Linux partition, *not* the MBR.
The place that Grub is to be put is just below the root of the Linux file
system in a folder that is named "NFS", IIRC. Then the Microsoft MBR
will still pass control to the Vista multi-boot manager, and Grub will
function only when the Vista multi-boot manager passes control to it.
And you'll still have a Microsoft standard MBR, restorable with the
Microsoft Vista installation DVD.

*TimDaniels*

 

[Peter Foldes]

smokin hot

grub4dos is a Linux app. Are you sure your dual booting with Vista is set up
correctly