Learn Boot Stuff, Not Guides.

[RandomClown]

I was wondering if anyone knows where to find good info on how these multi booters work.

I am not the noob that wants a guide on how to do it. I am the noob that wants to LVL up out of a noob.

I do not want to setup a multi boot. Rather, I want to learn all the the gears, nuts, & bolts of it.

===================

For example, how does this "Grub" work?

Using Google, I would most likely get "How-to-guides", weird ":(){:|:&};:" commands, & other non-understandable info.

[ok, so maybe not ":(){:|:&};:" ;) ]

I wanted to read something like:

"...So Grub creates a partition in blah hard drive & when read on startup, the computer will make Vista boot by blah BIOS blah boot.ini from drive (R:)."

[of course I made that all up; thats why it doesnt make sense :D]

===================

When I installed XP, it created boot.ini crap in my storage HDD.

HDD with partitions "C:\" & "M:\" both contain OSes.

HDD with partition "R:\" is my storage drive I stuck on.

Why did XP install to "M:\Windows\" but make "R:\boot.bed" & "R:\boot.ini"?

===================

I think knowing how things work is better than following instructions.

Noobs wont have to keep asking for "how-to"s for everything, & can figure out for themselves.

It even applies to real life situations.

[Emeryth]

Start with wikipedia. Read up on MBR, partitions, the booting process. Read the grub manual.

And the best way to learn is by multibooting and/or BREAKING things e.g. install linux, then windows, and then try to repair it (so that both systems are bootable).

[RandomClown]

Start with wikipedia. Read up on MBR, partitions, the booting process. Read the grub manual.

And the best way to learn is by multibooting and/or BREAKING things e.g. install linux, then windows, and then try to repair it (so that both systems are bootable).

ok, so I did reading on the MBR & stuff..

MBR gets confusing with the hex, so I am not sure what I understand.

This threw me way off; scroll half way down:

http://mirror.href.com/thestarman/asm/mbr/GRUB.htm

=============

Install linux on this computer?

No thanks. I R equals a n00b. If I fail at "repairing it", then I cant get help online.

:D

Grub requires a Lunix OS right? Would I be able to use the boot.ini to boot a Linux?

[Culile]

its been some time for me but this might be what you are looking for. heh as i said been some time foir me dont hold me to it :P

[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="Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
c:\boot.lnx="Ubuntu v8.10"

[DingleBerries]

ok, so I did reading on the MBR & stuff..

MBR gets confusing with the hex, so I am not sure what I understand.

This threw me way off; scroll half way down:

http://mirror.href.com/thestarman/asm/mbr/GRUB.htm

=============

Install linux on this computer?

No thanks. I R equals a n00b. If I fail at "repairing it", then I cant get help online.

:D

Grub requires a Lunix OS right? Would I be able to use the boot.ini to boot a Linux?

Really? Are you fucking serious?

[digip]

Maybe you shoul dinvest in another pc and use the old one for learning how to install stuff, break and fix, etc. If not possible, get VMware orVirtualPC and start installing virtual machines that you cna do pretty much the same damn thing and teach yourself in a whole lot safer an environment. What you screw up in the VM does nothing to your pc, so you can just delete the vm and start over as many times as you need.

[PLuNK]

Just install Fedora and get It over & done with.

Personally I've never dipped that deep into GRUB, I might now thought but most of the time if there's a problem It was caused by a simple typo.

[X3N]

your best bet is the documentation for Gentoo which has all the manual grub setup that you need to know. It aint that complicated if you work with it a bit...

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/hand...ap=10#doc_chap2

If in doubt for anything Linux related visit the Gentoo documentation page because it pretty much shows how to do everything manually.

If you don't really know what your doing i would definitely try and work with a computer that you can mess up for a while. Also you should read up on how to chroot to a different install of linux in order to fix a mistake you made if you screw up your mbr.

[VaKo]

For the love of god start using virtualization.

[X3N]

vm's are great for building linux test boxes

vmware server ftw

[RandomClown]

ohh crap!

Thats awesome! I can make an entire fake computer setup? [virtual]

Would that take longer to install both fake OSes,

since I would have 2 OSes running?

I mean my real Vista & the fake XP / another OS are both running.

I read nLite could chop down the install, so that is another process I have to go through.

If I go virtual, then I need the time 1st.

Now I am a bit busy, which is why I was hoping for an encyclopedia.

======================

I read the gento.org guide.

There was nothing has said that GRUB requires Linux.

I assume it does, since I never heard of # emerge grub in Command Prompt.

I was hoping to learn about something that would easily & safely allow me to setup any 2 [or more] OSes together.

I have Vista+XP & if GRUB needs Linux, then I am forced to chuck in another OS.

I posted about my boot problem before, but it did not solve my problem.

I cant repair the boot of my computer. I installed XP into my computer,

but my computer will boot Vista. I have to boot XP with a CD every time I need XP.

I was not looking into installing Linux at the moment, but I wanted to learn of another booting method that I might use.

======================

Culile, I am using Vista,

which is my default since there are no drivers for XP on my computer.

I dont have a boot.ini in Vista. Since it boots Vista, I assume it will ignore boot.ini if I made one.

Just to let you know, in case you have a solution:

My XP's boot.ini says multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(3)\WINDOWS=

The bcdedit.exe thing is fugging confusing.

New stuff to learn. I know boot.ini is not secure cause a virus could fuk it up,

but whatever.. "Winners dont do wares", says Hak5, & a lot of wares have viruses.

======================

PLuNK, I did not say what the info was for because my last attempt to fix my problem failed.

No auto fix [inside Vista/XP & the OS CDs] will fix my boot setup.

Fedora is another Linux, right?

======================

Yes DingleBerry, I am serious.

:D

[KeelBug]

I installed XP into my computer,

but my computer will boot Vista. I have to boot XP with a CD every time I need XP.

Has this been suggested to you yet? > APC Mag.

There are plenty of tutorials out on how to do XP + VISTA / LINUX installs and make the boot selection setup easy.

EasyBCD for Vista is a nice tool.

[VaKo]

There is an overhead with vitualization, as you correctly pointed out you are effectivly running 2 machines at once on the same hardware. But I run a virtual copy of XP with 256MB of RAM at work for some XP only AD tools. Works fine, bit sluggish if I'm running anything more than said tools, but for you it would do fine as you don't really care about the OS running, just that it boots in the fashion you require. And up until recently I ran several virtual machines on a P4 (northwood) system, which while slow and crappy was useable enough to function as a lab setup. As your machine is vista only, you might need some more RAM but 2GB should be enough, 4 is better though.

The only way you will learn this stuff effectively is through trial and error, academic knowledge is good but it always looses out to field knowledge.

[X3N]

ohh crap!

Thats awesome! I can make an entire fake computer setup? [virtual]

Would that take longer to install both fake OSes,

since I would have 2 OSes running?

I mean my real Vista & the fake XP / another OS are both running.

I read nLite could chop down the install, so that is another process I have to go through.

If I go virtual, then I need the time 1st.

Now I am a bit busy, which is why I was hoping for an encyclopedia.

======================

I read the gento.org guide.

There was nothing has said that GRUB requires Linux.

I assume it does, since I never heard of # emerge grub in Command Prompt.

I was hoping to learn about something that would easily & safely allow me to setup any 2 [or more] OSes together.

I have Vista+XP & if GRUB needs Linux, then I am forced to chuck in another OS.

I posted about my boot problem before, but it did not solve my problem.

I cant repair the boot of my computer. I installed XP into my computer,

but my computer will boot Vista. I have to boot XP with a CD every time I need XP.

I was not looking into installing Linux at the moment, but I wanted to learn of another booting method that I might use.

======================

Culile, I am using Vista,

which is my default since there are no drivers for XP on my computer.

I dont have a boot.ini in Vista. Since it boots Vista, I assume it will ignore boot.ini if I made one.

Just to let you know, in case you have a solution:

My XP's boot.ini says multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(3)\WINDOWS=

The bcdedit.exe thing is fugging confusing.

New stuff to learn. I know boot.ini is not secure cause a virus could fuk it up,

but whatever.. "Winners dont do wares", says Hak5, & a lot of wares have viruses.

======================

PLuNK, I did not say what the info was for because my last attempt to fix my problem failed.

No auto fix [inside Vista/XP & the OS CDs] will fix my boot setup.

Fedora is another Linux, right?

======================

Yes DingleBerry, I am serious.

:D

grub isn't Linux dependent it just makes it easier to use because that's what it was designed for. but going through the gentoo install process forces you to learn the fundamentals of each step.

[Emeryth]

You can always try out GRUB without installing it by simply booting any linux live cd or making a GRUB floppy/usb drive.

As for your main problem, the Vista bootloader should automatically find the XP installation and ask you which system you want to boot every time.

It surprises me that the vista autorepair function didn't help you, I have successfully used it to repair many complicated boot problems (like fixing the boot records on partitions with both Vista and XP and without destroying the MBR which had GRUB installed).

[RandomClown]

KeelBug:

I was not planning on moving to Linux unless I had to, to get the boot working.

I will try this EasyBCD.

Wait for my edit. :D

VaKo:

My computer has 2GB RAM & a 2.1Ghz Dual Processor.

I assume my computer will be able to run virtual computers then.

X3N/Emeryth:

mmm....

I do believe I have attempted multiple USB Linuxes in the past. I could never get USB boot working.

I think my computer was incompatible with USB booting.

Now that it died & I am on a newer computer, I may try it again.

Is there something I have to do, other than copy a USB Ver. Linux ISO to my thumb drive?

[VaKo]

Yeah, you'll have no problem with that setup, just install VMware Server and have a play.

[PLuNK]

If you don't ever plan to use *nix or any other variants there's no real need to learn the inners of Grub or Lilo because Windows is a different world to the free alternatives out there.

Unless you start using *nix on a daily basis don't waste your time.

[RandomClown]

mmk, so i tried EasyBCD.

I remember trying the program last time I made my thread.

It failed again.

T~T

I dont know why my computer will not boot XP without the CD!

I guess I'll try the VMware thing later on.

A bit busy at the moment.

[PLuNK]

Can't you just salvage your data then reinstall Windows?

It does need to be reinstalled every now & then.. (6/12 months)