multiple boot - xp, vista, gnu/linux, osX86

[kamaleon]

Hi folks

Consider me now a *real* member of this community now - just received my Lenovo 300 N100!


My first impressions is that the machine comes full of garbage though. It takes ages to boot and to shutdown! Full of [censored] software which i wouldn't invite into my hard drive! Another annoying thing, the bloody thing created *one* partition only. Not the ideal scenario for me.

Anyway, i would like to wipe the whole thing out and reinstall xp, and why not do a multiple boot so i can play around with vista , some nice gnu/linux distro and osX86!

It seems that there's a boot manager called Acronis, would anyone recommend using this?

Could anyone gimme some hints'n'tips on how to go on about this?
I've just created the recovery cd + dvd, i suppose i can just play around knowing that i can reset everything back to the factory defaults at some point later, right?

Any input would be most appreciated

Cheers!

[ryepie]

The first part of a nice combination I have used is a partitioning utility called GParted which effectively allows you to create partions on your free disk space and completely hide the everything else. So you would install one OS on a new partition, then hide it and create a new partition and install the next OS and so forth.

Then install something called OSL2000, which will see all of your partitions (even if you have left some hidden), and it will ask you which partion you wish to boot from. You can then also see the other partions as seperate drives in the file manager software of the OS you have booted in to, making it easy to share files between them all.

The advantage of this is that the boot record of each OS is completely untouched. So if you wish to revert to one OS again then you use GParted to combine/format the unwanted partions. It's your choice if you also uninstall OSL2000.

[kamaleon]

Hi mate, thanks for the reply.

So OSL2000 replaces grub, windows xp bootloader, etc right? Does it install itself on the mbr?

I know gparted, qparted, etc. But why exactly do you advise me to hide the partitions?

[jack_b]

Whatever you do first make the backup CDs/ DVDs. If God forbid, you have to sent the system back for replacement, it will be one less hassle. Other then that, just uninstal the bloatware, resize the partitions and you are good to go

JACK

[ryepie]

If you hide the partitions in turn using GParted then you can set each one up as a primary partition and install each OS in a completely isolated fashion. Once all your installing is done then you install OSL2000. Then it's up to you if you unhide all of them using GParted, as OSL will detect them all anyway.

OSL will then effectively see a bunch of primary partitions and ask you which one to use, then the boot record on the partition you choose will be used to load its OS. So OSL does not replace XP's bootloader or Vista's MBR in the sense of overwriting it; they remain intact on the partition they are installed on. OSL is merely the first thing the computer loads (a sort of master master boot record). That's why it is fairly easy to undo the whole process; just wipe all but the one partition you want to keep, uninstall OSL and job done.

[kamaleon]

ok, but in that case, then i must prevent grub from installing right?

[carbon_unit]

Just have it install in the root of it's own partition, not in the MBR.

[kamaleon]

ok mateys, i'll see what i can come up with, will be posting here soon

ps: any extra hints on other bootloaders? like easybcd which apparently seems to be free?

[kamaleon]

well been spending the past 48h going around in circles, nothing seems to work for the time being... osx86 messed vista's bcd, don't seem to be able to install grub to its partition's bootsector, etc etc...