Windows XP boot loader/ Multiboot with more than just one hard drive

  • Thread starter Thread starter Daniel Meszaros
  • Start date Start date
D

Daniel Meszaros

Hi,

I installed a Linux system on a separate hard drive and I want to start
both, Windows XP and Linux from the Windows boot menu.

I've extracted the Linux system's boot sector using BootPart
(http://www.winimage.com/bootpart.htm) and integrated it to BOOT.INI:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
C:\CitXenSrv.MBR="Citrix XenServer Free"

Unfortunately I cannot get the Linux system started. I thought this may
have been caused by the separate hard drive which possibly cannot be
accessed. So I tried it differently without an extracted boot sector:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Citrix XenServer Free"

But I haven't been successful either.

I know that this can be "worked around" using GRUB4DOS but I'd prefer to
have it done just unsing Windows components. Does anyone of you know
about how to get this working that way?

CU,
Mészi.
 
Daniel said:
Hi,

I installed a Linux system on a separate hard drive and I want to start
both, Windows XP and Linux from the Windows boot menu.

I've extracted the Linux system's boot sector using BootPart
(http://www.winimage.com/bootpart.htm) and integrated it to BOOT.INI:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
C:\CitXenSrv.MBR="Citrix XenServer Free"

Unfortunately I cannot get the Linux system started. I thought this may
have been caused by the separate hard drive which possibly cannot be
accessed. So I tried it differently without an extracted boot sector:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Citrix XenServer Free"

But I haven't been successful either.

I know that this can be "worked around" using GRUB4DOS but I'd prefer to
have it done just unsing Windows components. Does anyone of you know
about how to get this working that way?

CU,
Mészi.
Click to expand...

I never bothered trying to use Microsoft's stupid method of "dual"
booting. It has you [partial] load one OS (Windows) to then decide
which other OS to load. Instead use a real multi-boot manager. I use
GAG which is free (gag.sourceforge.net). There is also Smart
BootManager (btmgr.sourceforge.net) but I've never used it. There are
other boot managers some which are payware, like Acronis OS Selector
(part of their Disk Director suite), Terabyte's BootIt NG, and OSL2000
Boot Manager (osloader.com); however, the free GAG does everything I
need. grub4DOS runs under DOS which means it needs a partition in which
to install DOS. I don't see the point since what you really want is a
bootloader that runs as the bootstrap code in the MBR and is independent
of any OS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_GRUB). I like GAG since I
can experiment with the setup that can be ran from a floppy or other
bootable device before I decide to have it replace the bootstrap code in
the MBR, plus this gives me a backup in case the 446-byte MBR bootstrap
gets stepped on (there are many utilities that want to use the MBR's
bootstrap area).

Only 1 program can use the MBR bootstrap area so you'll have to
surrender it to whatever program you want to use it. For example, I'm
currently using it for Acronis' recovery manager to let me restore a
backup image which means I cannot use GAG. The MBR bootstrap code loads
before you load the boot sector from any partition for an OS. You don't
need to rely on any OS for GAG or any multi-boot manager to run because
it's not part of any OS.
 
Hi,

I installed a Linux system on a separate hard drive and I want to start
both, Windows XP and Linux from the Windows boot menu.

I've extracted the Linux system's boot sector using BootPart
(http://www.winimage.com/bootpart.htm) and integrated it to BOOT.INI:
Click to expand...

You probably did not read the instructions
as it specifies that your active partition to be fat16.

The easy was to have done this was to have simply installed Linux on
your 2nd drive while the XP drive was still on the machine
and just have let Grub handle the booting
 
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