Date: Fri, 27 May 2005 11:13:11 -0400 (EDT) From: Jerry McAllister <jerrymc@clunix.cl.msu.edu> To: fteg@london.com (Fafa Hafiz Krantz) Cc: questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Proper dual booting Message-ID: <200505271513.j4RFDBP2028658@clunix.cl.msu.edu> In-Reply-To: <20050527114458.561421CE306@ws1-6.us4.outblaze.com>
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> > > Hello. > > Here is what I see when I turn on my computer: > > F1 FreeBSD > F5 Disk2 > > This doesn't look very good. How do I make it like this: > > F1 FreeBSD > F2 Windows XP > > I heard I had to rewrite code. > But that's pathetic! Plus, I'm kinda dumb. Before you start calling thing pathetic, you had best try understanding how they work and why they are the way they are. You will both look less foolish and get along better as well. I haven't followed anything about what disks you have installed or what you put on each, but: What you are seeing implies that you have FreeBSD as the only bootable slice on disk 1 and that there is an MBR on disk 2 - and maybe some bootable slices. Normally you would put your MS junk boot on the first slice of the first disk and put any other OSen after that. That is because MS often does no work friendly with other systems. If you did that as most instructions say you should, it might look like: F1 MS-DOS (or ??) F5 Disk2 or F1 MS-DOS F2 FreeBSD It will attempt to list the bootable primary slices plus additional disks with MBRs. Then if you select the addition disk, it will show you the list of bootable slices on that disk. The FreeBSD MBR intentionally limits itself to fitting in the small standard MBR block so it will work with the widest variety of systems. That means it has limited space to create extra lists of labels to display. You can rewrite the existing one to replace one of the existing ones with one you want - that is what they mean by rewriting code. Or you can use a third party MBR. The third party MBRs skip that requirement of accomodating all systems boot and take advantage of the fact that most modern systems (including FreeBSD) wast some blocks at the beginning to make geometry work out conveniently. So they have lots of room to have extensive lists of OS labels and such things. But, they won't work with all systems and BIOSen. SO, choose your poisen and quite calling people pathetic when you don't know what you are talking about. ////jerry > > -- > > Fafa Hafiz Krantz > Research Designer @ http://www.home.no/barbershop > Enlightened @ http://www.home.no/barbershop/smart/sharon.pdf >
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