A simple multiple boot option is described below. Read through to the end.
Please send any questions/comments to [EMAIL PROTECTED] as I don't track
this news-list regularly. The info below has already been forwarded to
Chris Fisher
for the next update of the LOADLIN HOWTO, wherein a simpler option of
calling LOADLIN within CONFIG.SYS was not yet recogized.
Also anyone using a laptop
with an ATAPI floppy drive should note relevant comments below.
; ===MicroSwish CONFIG.SYS begins
=
; These comment lines which can stay in CONFIG.SYS, preceded by the
;
; So long as the INSTALL of a MicroSwish functions in CONFIG.SYS,
;instructions herein are valid, though I haven't tested Win2000/NT
;No further commands are needed in AUTOEXEC.BAT or AUTOEXEC.DOS
; Write edit this CONFIG.SYS under DOS/WIN
; as linux/unix editors use a different hard stop
; which DOS will report as errors.
; As DOS or Win starts, it will pause and give a choice of the
; menuitem=xxx below
[menu]
menuitem=DOSorWIN
menuitem=LinuxOK, Linux in partition /dev/hdaN
menuitem=LinuxNext, Linux in partition /dev/hdaN for kernel.new test
menuitem=ZIPorLS120, Linux on ZIP or LS120 Superdisk
menudefault=LinuxOK,10
; that is a 10 second pause before defaulting to Corel
[LinuxOK]
INSTALL=\LINUX\LOADLIN.EXE \LINUX\vmlinuz2.210 root=/dev/hdaN vga=3 ro
; where \LINUX is a Directory on your booting floppy, DOS or
Win3.x/Win95/Win98 partition
; After every update of a kernel in Linux, copy the kernel.new to
\LINUX\kernel.new
; or you will have a mismatch of kernels and /lib/modules/new in your
Linux partition
; Kernel naming such as vmlinuz2.210 or kernel.new rather than
vmlinuz-2.2.10 is necessary
;because of limitation to the DOS 8+3 filename style
; N in /dev/LinuxPartitions is number of the root partition
; as displayed with Linux fdisk
;fdisk -l /dev/hda
;OR fdisk -l /dev/hdb in Linux is on your 2nd hard drive
;OR fdisk -l /dev/sda of SCSI disks
;OR fdisk -l /dev/WhatEverDisk RootName.txt to record the output
;
; Floppy drive usage, IMPORTANT!!!
; Most new laptops have ATAPI type floppy drives,
;which are /dev/hdn rather than /dev/fd0 floppy like.
;These require support in the kernel on the booting floppy.
;Under Linux on your hardrive, support can be provided by a loadable
module
; If during floppy usage, a report from
; lsmod
;includes ide-floppy , your system is using a loaded module for
floppy support.
; A different kernel with ide-floppy compiled into it
; is then Necessary for use on any type of boot floppy, with LOADLIN or
otherwise,
; OR for PC BIOS which support it,
; Booting with LS120 SuperDisk or a ZIP disk of an ATAPI/IDE ZIP drive.
; Their is ide-floppy support in the Rescue disk made from resc1440.bin
off Debian
Linux distributions
[LinuxNext]
INSTALL=\LINUX\LOADLIN.EXE \LINUX\kernel.new root=/dev/hdaN vga=3 ro
; This is a SAFE way of testing your kernel.new without YET altering your
linux installation.
[ZIPorLS120]
INSTALL=\LINUX\LOADLIN.EXE \LINUX\vmlinuz.zip root=/dev/hdc1 vga=3 ro
; my ATAPI ZIP drive is reported as /dev/hdc
; on which there are /dev/hdc1 root and /dev/hdc2 swap partitions.
[DOSorWIN]
; add here whatever else is in your DOSorWIN CONFIG.SYS
; FINAL NOTE
; This is NO HARM in stalling LILO in your root partition
; having /etc/lilo.conf with
; root=/dev/YourRootPartition
; I always do so because
; There is UTILITY in that
; 1) LILO adds flexibility
; 2) should you switch to some other boot loader
; changes within your LINUX partition are not necessary
;
; end CONFIG.SYS courtesy MarvS.
