[Lance1]

I posted this in the XP forum, but had no response. It being mainly a Linux issue, I thought that I would get a better response in the Linux forum. Here it is!

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Hi all!

Here’s what I would like to do. I want to install Linux 9.0 on an older 6GB drive, but not a dual boot with XP. I’ll disconnect the existing drive for the install Linux 9.0. I know that you can create a Linux 9.0 boot disk, but I don’t want that. I would, after the install of Linux 9.0, reconnect the XP drive and install a boot manager to have the choice between XP Pro and Linux 9.0. So the question is, what is the better boot manager to use in this situation? I was thinking of XOSL. Is this the one that I should use? Or is there one better?

Lance.

[HappyHacker]

Originally Posted by Lance1

I posted this in the XP forum, but had no response. It being mainly a Linux issue, I thought that I would get a better response in the Linux forum. Here it is!

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

Hi all!

Here’s what I would like to do. I want to install Linux 9.0 on an older 6GB drive, but not a dual boot with XP. I’ll disconnect the existing drive for the install Linux 9.0. I know that you can create a Linux 9.0 boot disk, but I don’t want that. I would, after the install of Linux 9.0, reconnect the XP drive and install a boot manager to have the choice between XP Pro and Linux 9.0. So the question is, what is the better boot manager to use in this situation? I was thinking of XOSL. Is this the one that I should use? Or is there one better?

Lance.

I have never used it, so I do not know.

Every copy of Linux I have installed on the same or a different HDD has had a very good boot loader with it. None have had any problems with being dual or tri boot. Is there any reason you want to use a third party boot software?

[tsunam]

Also compared to most third party software, the linux boot loaders require 3 lines max to add a OS..simple as pie

[Lance1]

No, there’s no particular reason I would use a third party app. Just something that I was thinking of doing and wanted some input on.

Lance

[saikee]

There is absolutely no need to be scared of Linux this way. If you use a Linux bootloader, can only be Lilo or Grub (but DOS-based Loadlin may work on a 6Gb disk), you will have to let Linux take over the Master Boot Record (MBR) of the boot disk that stores Window. Either one can do the job admirably. I let my 16 Linux take turns as the boot loader. There are 9 Grubs and 7 Lilos there. Every one boot Window too. The bootloader in MBR can be removed at any time by XP's fixmbr or a bootable DOS floopy's fdisk /mbr.

If you want to keep Window's MBR as a virgin but also want to run Linux that is easy as well. Simply in your BIOS let the Linux hard drive boot before Windows drive. Linux's bootloader will sit in the MBR of the second disk.

You need to have Windows presence when the Linux is installed so that Linux can detect and include it as a booting choice, although it is only 3 lines max to added to the boot menu (exactly as tsunam said) if you do not do it this way.