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Chapter 1, Booting Linux
#1 Give Your Computer the Boot
HACK
HACK
#1
Give Your Computer the Boot Hack #1
Take control of your system and boot the operating system you want, when
you want it.
The beginning of all Linux journeys originates with the humble boot-
loader—the small bit of code that jump-starts the whole boot process.
Knowing how to configure your bootloader is almost requisite for using a
Linux system. You also need to understand the bootloader if you want to
configure your system to boot more than one operating system.
Within the exciting bootloader world are a number of choices for starting
your computer. For x86 machines, there are two main contenders: LILO and
GRUB. If you are running Linux on a Mac, LILO and GRUB are not avail-
able, and the main bootloader is called yaboot. Another potential situation in
which you might need to boot a computer is when you are trying to boot a
CD to install an operating system. Sometimes you can encounter a problem
booting from a CD if your computer’s BIOS does not support booting from
CD-ROM or if your CD-ROM drive does not support booting from a CDR.
You can resolve this problem with a tool called the Smart Boot Manager.
This hack explores the GRUB, yaboot, and Smart Boot Manager bootloaders.
Configure GRUB
Without a doubt, GRUB is a far more flexible boot manager than LILO. It
enables you to add new kernels or boot parameters without having to install ...