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Linux Desktop Hacks
book

Linux Desktop Hacks

by Nicholas Petreley, Jono Bacon
March 2005
Beginner to intermediate content levelBeginner to intermediate
342 pages
15h 55m
English
O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Content preview from Linux Desktop Hacks
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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 ...
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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 0596009119Supplemental ContentCatalog PageErrata