Re: [Rule-list] Miniconda, slinky, and other OSes

[James]

On Mon, 25 Mar 2002 08:16:43 -0600
Gordon Buzowetsky <address@hidden> wrote:

> 
> > 
> >     User wants to just *try* RULE, on some little space left
> > 
> >     User cannot/doesn't want to remove other operating system
> >     because it must remain there for any reason, from need of
> >     software originally developed only for Win, or anything like
> >     that.
> > 
> > The second category includes potentially all users going to RULE not
> > because they can't afford new HW, but because they feel right to cut
> > as much bells and whistles as possible, and must still share that only
> > PC with kids/wife/anybody using Win*.
> > 
> > Ideas? Suggestions for test cases? 
> > 
> >     Ciao,
> >             Marco Fioretti
> >             RULE project leader
> 
> 
> Hi...
> 
> Good point Marco...
> 
> I would hope there would be some benign way of installing RULE...instead
> of the normal overwriting of the mbr; which many distros love to do, and I
> mean MANY!!  We gotta make this one just one cut above the rest!!!
> 
> For the last year or so I have been using a 'lilo floppy'...not installing
> the kernel on it but just the pointer to /boot.  I don't know of a better
> way to explain it...but it works really well.  If you want to boot linux,
> use the floppy; If you want dos or windoze just pull the floppy.  All
> that's needed to make this work is; modify /etc/lilo.conf....to
> boot=/dev/fd0 instead of the usual boot=/dev/hd??.  When you run 'lilo' it
> then modifies the floppy and not the mbr.  I have been using this to boot
> our installs...on my p166 where I do have a working lilo on another
> distro; I don't install the RULE lilo.
> 
> Other than that there's always 'loadlin'....but that means booting dos and
> then cd'ing into a directory and running a .bat file.  I have and still
> do, use this method, for emergencies...Apparently there are problems doing
> this with the 2.5 kernels tho, not sure what, haven't tried.
> 
> I would suggest the probably the easiest method for time being
> anyway...would be the ability to choose the boot method...the standard
> boot floppy is all right, but just terrible slow.  Slack has a little
> setup utility called liloconfig...don't know if its available in RH or
> not.  But will write the lilo.conf the way you want it.
> 
> Another thought...and this could be for future consideration...is
> installing either to umsdos or a loop install........both are quite
> efficient, and you don't have to mess with lilo at all.  For a 'test
> drive' version of RULE this may be the easier method.  These use loadlin
> and a bat file for booting, and the file system is nothing but one big dos
> file....
> 
> Just airing out thoughts on a Monday morning...;-)
> 
> Later...G

ummm how about just having lilo boot into whatever OS you want on the disk?  
I've found as long as I install windows first then repartition using something 
like Partition Magic I can have multiple OS's on one box.  I've had up to 4 
(windwoze Linux FreeBSD and NetBSD) all living on one (for that time) big drive.

James

> 
> 
> 
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