From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: from int-mx1.corp.redhat.com (int-mx1.corp.redhat.com [172.16.44.254]) by listman.redhat.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9EBC53F963 for ; Tue, 13 Nov 2001 23:50:46 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail.redhat.com (mail.redhat.com [199.183.24.239]) by int-mx1.corp.redhat.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with SMTP id fAE4okp12594 for ; Tue, 13 Nov 2001 23:50:46 -0500 Received: (from mail@localhost) by mail.redhat.com (8.11.0/8.8.7) id fAE4okg13390 for blinux-list@listman.redhat.com; Tue, 13 Nov 2001 23:50:46 -0500 Received: from mail2.netacc.net (mail2.netacc.net [208.34.108.27]) by mail.redhat.com (8.11.0/8.8.7) with ESMTP id fAE4okw13386 for ; Tue, 13 Nov 2001 23:50:46 -0500 Received: from bharding (algoma-host7.doorpi.net [12.37.10.12]) by mail2.netacc.net (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id fAE4oiL66742 for ; Tue, 13 Nov 2001 23:50:44 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20011113225351.00a6dd60@mail.doorpi.net> X-Sender: bharding@mail.doorpi.net X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.6 (32) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 22:53:51 -0600 To: blinux-list@redhat.com From: Brent Harding Subject: Re: Linux on a 2-Drive Machine In-Reply-To: References: <00a201c16c61$78a82ec0$e08caad8@tds.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" X-Loop: blinux-list@redhat.com Sender: blinux-list-admin@redhat.com Errors-To: blinux-list-admin@redhat.com X-BeenThere: blinux-list@redhat.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.1 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: blinux-list@redhat.com List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Linux for blind general discussion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Wow, never thought of switching to boot linux from it's own drive by loading lilo on it and switching the boot flag. Do I really have to switch in the bios if I use two different drives, as technically they have different partition tables and will both be able to be set bootable. At 07:17 PM 11/13/01 -0700, you wrote: >On Tue, 13 Nov 2001, John J. Boyer wrote: > >> I don't want to do anything to the C drive, least of all >> writing in the boot record. I just want the D drive to have a >> complete Linux system. > >Here's the partition table for my so called "C:" drive: >Partitioning info (fdisk -l /dev/hdb): >Disk /dev/hdb: 12 heads, 35 sectors, 989 cylinders >Units = cylinders of 420 * 512 bytes > > Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System >/dev/hdb4 1 988 207462+ 6 FAT16 > >This means that windoze is on partition 4 of my hdb (2nd) hard >drive (and in this case, the only partition on that little >drive). So you see, the "C:" designation is just a legacy M$ way >of labeling a partition on your hard drive, an awkward one, if >you ask me. The MBR (Master Boot Record) where a previous poster >told you to put lilo, is a small sector outside any partition on >the first drive, and is not part of any operating system, >including MS-WIN9x,2000, or linux. The MBR is reserved for the >installation of a boot loader: lilo is a far more capable, and >versatile boot loader than the usual M$ junk (note that it is >able to make my second drive appear to be first, when booting >win9x); there are at least three other boot loaders in common use >with linux. > >There are also boot sectors available on each partition, which >can be used, if you make that partition boot active, or tell your >BIOS to boot from that partition (in the case of more recent BIOS >versions). I prefer to put lilo on the boot sector of the linux >root partition, which can be just about anywhere (currently hdc2, >in my case), if the bios will support it, or, if not, another >linux partition, and activate the boot flag for that partition. >That way, ill behaved viral M$ installation software can't make >linux unbootable. All I have to do if MS-Windoze changes the >boot flag, is to change it back to the proper partition. But >that is just a matter of preference. > >> I understand that I can start it with loadlin after my system >> boots to dos in the normal way from the C drive. > >Often newbies do prefer to use loadlin, till they get greater >confidence and understanding, but that has it's drawbacks, >including the fact that the grossly inferior M$ FAT filesystems, >with their characteristic fragmentation problems, can easily lead >to an unbootable system. I suggest you make sure that you you >have at least 2 methods of booting, including a floppy for >emergencies, and that you also learn to use one of the rescue >disk schemes available. > >-- >L. C. Robinson >reply to no_spam+munged_lcr@onewest.net.invalid > >People buy MicroShaft for compatibility, but get incompatibility and >instability instead. This is award winning "innovation". Find >out how MS holds your data hostage with "The *Lens*"; see >"CyberSnare" at http://www.netaction.org/msoft/cybersnare.html > > > >_______________________________________________ >Blinux-list mailing list >Blinux-list@redhat.com >https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list > >