Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 11:12:54 +0000 From: Clem.Dye@wdr.com To: Clem.Dye@wdr.com, marko@uk.radan.com Cc: questions@freebsd.org, rmarler@tomatoweb.com Subject: RE: Re: Multi-Boot Message-ID: <H0000082017b073f@MHS>
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After I posted the message it dawned on me that of course the boot
sector won't contain a drive reference - doh! The implications
therefore (as I understand it) must be that if the NT bootloader is
to be used, it must reside in a small [DOS] bootable partition on the
first drive. FreeBSD would then have to be installed on the remainder
of the first drive, whilst NT goes on the second drive. A bit of a
chore, but not impossible. As I plan to install FreeBSD on a test box
first, I can try-out both scenarios and report back. I'm hoping to
get around to this within the next couple of weeks.
Now, how about the scenario where FreeBSD is installed on the second
drive and DOS/NT on the first drive but the FreeBSD bootloader is
installed. Can the FreeBSD bootloader be used to boot DOS/NT and
FreeBSD, or do the same rules apply as to where FreeBSD must live -
ie: somewhere on the first drive?
Clem
-----Original Message-----
From: marko
Sent: 18 March 1999 11:03
To: Dye, Clem
Cc: marko; rmarler; questions
Subject: Re: Multi-Boot
Clem.Dye@wdr.com wrote:
>
> Hmmm. I was planning a similar DOS/NT4.0/NT5.0/FreeBSD 3.1
> installation on my test box, with the idea that FreeBSD be installed
> on the second drive in its entirety but still using the NT
> bootloader. (An aside: a nice way to see if FAQ is valid for NT5.0,
> but I digress.)
>
> I re-read the FAQ and the example shows how to use the NT bootloader
> where FreeBSD is on the same drive. What it doesn't say (as far as I
> can tell) is that FreeBSD has to be on the same drive as NT. At
> least, that's my understanding. That leaves two questions, in my
mind:
>
> 1) Is it possible to use the NT bootloader to multi-os boot where
> FreeBSD isn't on the first drive?
>
I'm at work so I haven't got the FAQ to hand, but IIRC it does say
something about which drive FreeBSD has to be on (I think the word
"same" is shown in bold). Bear in mind that whilst NT can be in any
partition on any drive it *must* boot from the first primary partition
on the first drive. I also remember someone else saying in a previous
thread on this subject that FreeBSD had to be on the first disk. To
add FreeBSD to the NT boot menu you dd(1) the first sector of the
FreeBSD partition to a file on C:\ and if I understand it correctly
this sector only contains partition info, it doesn't reference which
disk it's on (otherwise you wouldn't be able to move drives around) so
NT's boot loader will look for the partition on the first disk.
> 2) If the answer to (1) is 'no', is it possible to use the FreeBSD
> bootloader to boot DOS/NT etc. in addition to FreeBSD if the FreeBSD
> install is allowed to update the boot record on the first drive?
>
I believe it is possible to use Booteasy. I've never used it myself
though.
I'd be very interested if it is possible to make NT's boot loader owrk
with FreeBSD on another disk as I will be getting a second HD in a
couple of weeks and would like to use it exclusively for FreeBSD.
Currently I'm planning on having ``/'', ``/var'' and swap on the first
HD and ``/usr'' on the second.
> Clem
>
--
FreeBSD - The Power To Serve http://www.freebsd.org
My Webpage http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~markov
_______________________________________________________________
Mark Ovens, CNC Apps Engineer, Radan Computational Ltd. Bath UK
CAD/CAM solutions for Sheetmetal Working Industry
mailto:marko@uk.radan.com http://www.radan.com
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