choice of boot manager

[dany_list at natzo.com]

My preference goes to "Smart Boot Manager" http://btmgr.sourceforge.net/

Free and lots of options. Let's say you have 2 windows installations on two
different hard drives (I know that's too much). You may run into troubles (like
starting booting from the second one and getting your desktop from the fisrt
one) if you start booting from the second disk directly. With SBM you can swap
the drive IDs so the second one becomes the first one Windows is looking for.

No need for any partition, just install the full app into MBR. If something goes
wrong, boot from floppy and re-install.

Dany

Quoting Rob <listone at deathbeforedecaf.net>:

> Lee Shackelford wrote on Thursday January 15, 2004:
> 
> > I am planning a multiple operating system installation on a Compaq
> Proliant
> > 5000.  The purpose of the installation is hobbyist and instructional. The
> > computer does not provide network management services.  The proposed
> > operating systems are Windows 95, FreeBSD, and Windows 2000 Server.  A
> > fourth operating system may be added at a later date.  Have you had any
> > experience with any of the following boot manager programs that may
> suggest
> > their relative applicability to this project?  The boot manager programs I
> > am considering include the following:  LILO, GRUB, MATT, NTLDR/BOOT.INI,
> > RANISH, and the boot loader that comes with FreeBSD, the name of which I
> do
> > not know.  Any information about positive or negative experiences with any
> > of these programs in a multiple operating system configuration would be
> > appreciated.  Your truly, Lee Shackelford
> 
> The standard FreeBSD boot loader can boot Windows systems. Its main problem
> is cosmetic - Linux and FreeBSD slices are recognised, but Windows is
> displayed as '???' and these labels cannot be customised.
> 
> I use grub-0.92 (/usr/ports/sysutils/grub/ or a package on the 3rd CD). It's
> thoroughly customisable and supports a wide range of operating systems -
> some Linux distributions use it instead of LILO.
> 
> After installing the package, you have to copy a few files and run the
> grub(8) program to install it on the MBR. In an attempt to be OS-neutral,
> grub uses its own naming scheme for disks: (hd0,0,a) is the first BSD
> filesystem on the first slice of the first disk.
> 
> Here's my boot menu:
> 
>   # defaults
>   color           light-gray/black white/blue
>   default         saved
>   timeout         10
> 
>   # Desktop
>   title           FreeBSD 4.9-RELEASE
>   root            (hd0,a)
>   kernel          /boot/loader
>   savedefault
> 
>   # Win2k
>   title           Windows 2000 Professional
>   root            (hd0,1)
>   chainloader     +1
>   savedefault
> 
>   # shutdown
>   title           (power off)
>   halt
> 
> The 'savedefault' feature is handy - whichever OS you select will be the
> default next time. Without this, rebooting the non-default OS is a real
> pain.
> 
> I've had a couple of tries at using the NT boot.ini method. The procedure
> has been well documented by many people, but it never went smoothly for me -
> I always had the feeling that Windows didn't really want to boot another OS.
> 
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