The Multi-Boot Configuration Handbook

The Multi-Boot Configuration Handbook

by Roderick Smith
Released March 2000
Publisher(s): Que
ISBN: 9780789722836

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Book description

The Multi-Boot Configuration Handbook provides guidance to installing two or more OSes on a single computer. This book explains why things work the way they do and gives examples of real-world experience in using multiple operating systems in harmony with one another. You'll be able to coax several OSes into coexisting on one computer. You'll also understand something more about the basics of how a PC operates. See how to avoid the frustration of installing multiple operation systems. The Multi-Boot Configuration Handbook provides a guide to the intricacies of installing and maintaining a multi-OS computer.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. About the Author
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. Tell Us What You Think!
  5. Introduction
  6. Overview
    1. The Trials and Triumphs of a Multi-OS Computer
      1. Getting Started
      2. The Desire and Need for Multiple OSs
      3. Avoiding Potholes on the Road to Multi-Boot
      4. Nessus: The Eight-OS Computer
      5. Summary
    2. Operating Systems for x86 Hardware in 2000
      1. Your OS, Please…
      2. DOS
      3. Windows 95 and 98
      4. Windows NT and Windows 2000
      5. OS/2
      6. BeOS
      7. Linux
      8. The BSD Variants
      9. Commercial Versions of UNIX
      10. Summary
  7. The Boot Process
    1. The x86 BIOS: Its Limits and Capabilities
      1. BIOS History and Design Theory
      2. Add-On Card BIOSs
      3. BIOS Updates
      4. EIDE and SCSI Hard Disk Handling
      5. The Handoff to the OS
      6. Summary
    2. Boot Loaders: Simple and Complex
      1. The Post-BIOS Boot Process
      2. Single-OS Boot Loaders
      3. Designs for Multi-OS Boot Loaders
      4. Common Boot Loaders
      5. Summary
  8. Partitioning and Partition Management
    1. Hard Disk Partition Basics
      1. The Need for Partitions
      2. Partition Types
      3. Filesystem Codes
      4. Summary
    2. Tools for Disk Partitioning
      1. Partitioning Mechanics
      2. MS-DOS's and Windows 9x's FDISK
      3. Windows NT Disk Administrator
      4. OS/2's FDISK
      5. Linux's fdisk
      6. PartitionMagic
      7. Additional Partitioning Software
      8. Dealing with Large Hard Disks
      9. Partition Formatting
      10. Summary
    3. Tips for Optimizing System Performance
      1. Optimizing Performance
      2. Minimizing Primary Partition Consumption
      3. Fast and Slow Portions of Hard Disks
      4. Splitting OSs Across Multiple Hard Disks
      5. Splitting Files Across Partitions
      6. Summary
    4. Modifying Partitions After the Fact
      1. Modifying Partitions
      2. Consequences of Drive Repartitioning
      3. Converting a Partition from One OS to Another
      4. Backing Up, Repartitioning, and Restoring
      5. Using PartitionMagic
      6. Summary
  9. Operating System Installation
    1. The OS Installation Checklist
      1. Why This OS?
      2. Checking Hardware Compatibility
      3. Cleaning Up Existing OSs
      4. Preparing Disk Space
      5. Installing a Boot Loader
      6. Summary
    2. Installing Specific Operating Systems
      1. Preparing for More Than One OS
      2. DOS and Windows 9x
      3. Windows NT and Windows 2000
      4. OS/2
      5. BeOS
      6. Linux
      7. FreeBSD
      8. Summary
    3. Finding Help
      1. When Things Don't Go as Planned…
      2. The OS Publisher
      3. OS Help Files
      4. Independent Publications
      5. The Internet
      6. Local User Groups
      7. Summary
  10. Data Exchange
    1. Filesystems for Assorted OSs
      1. Understanding Filesystems
      2. FAT and Its Variants
      3. Windows NT's NTFS
      4. OS/2's HPFS
      5. BeOS's BFS
      6. Linux's ext2fs
      7. UNIX's FFS
      8. CD-ROM and DVD-ROM Filesystems
      9. Summary
    2. Tools for Accessing Foreign Filesystems
      1. Providing Shared Access to Filesystems
      2. Methods of Filesystem Access
      3. The Ubiquity of FAT
      4. Foreign NTFS and NTFS 5.0 Support
      5. Foreign HPFS Support
      6. Linux's BFS Support
      7. Foreign ext2fs Support
      8. Linux's FFS Support
      9. Alternatives to Sharing Filesystems
      10. Summary
    3. Application Data File Formats
      1. Platform-Independent File Formats
      2. Platform-Limited File Formats
      3. Platform-Specific File Formats
      4. Summary
  11. Common Configurations and Tools
    1. Cross-Platform Utilities
      1. Making It All Work Together
      2. The GNU Utilities
      3. Non-GNU Open Source Tools
      4. Standards-Based Tools and Protocols
      5. Summary
    2. Cross-Platform Applications
      1. Applications or Utilities?
      2. Office Suites
      3. Document Exchange: PDF Readers
      4. Internet Applications
      5. Summary
    3. Modifying GUI Look and Feel
      1. GUI Add-Ons for Windows
      2. GUI Add-Ons for OS/2
      3. GUI Add-Ons for BeOS
      4. The X Window System: The Chameleon of GUIs
      5. Summary
    4. OSs Within OSs: Emulators
      1. When to Use an Emulator
      2. DOS Compatibility and Emulators
      3. Windows Emulators
      4. VMware
      5. When to Run an Emulator, Multi-Boot, or Use Multiple Computers
      6. Summary
  12. Network Access
    1. TCP/IP Networking
      1. Using FTP for Cross-Platform Data Exchange
      2. Exchanging Documents via Email
      3. Using a Web Site for Platform-Independent Communications
      4. Remote Logins
      5. Remote GUI Control
      6. Summary
    2. File and Printer Sharing
      1. Understanding File and Printer Sharing Basics
      2. NFS for UNIX-Style File Sharing
      3. SMB/CIFS for Microsoft-Style File Sharing
      4. UNIX-Style lpd Printer Sharing
      5. SMB/CIFS for Microsoft-Style Printer Sharing
      6. Summary
  13. Hardware Considerations
    1. Ensuring Adequate Resources
      1. Resource Considerations
      2. Hard Disk Space
      3. OS Memory Requirements
      4. CPU Speed Requirements
      5. Cross-Platform Backup Needs
      6. Summary
    2. Finding Drivers
      1. Tracking Down Drivers
      2. Determining Your Hardware's Chipsets
      3. Checking for Drivers from the Manufacturer
      4. Checking for Drivers from the OS Publisher
      5. Checking for Third-Party Drivers
      6. Summary
    3. Performing Hardware Upgrades
      1. The Upgrade Process
      2. Locating Suitable Hardware
      3. Preparing a Zoo of OSs for an Upgrade
      4. Taking Precautions Against Disaster
      5. Suggested Sequence of Updates
      6. Summary
  14. Index

Product information

  • Title: The Multi-Boot Configuration Handbook
  • Author(s): Roderick Smith
  • Release date: March 2000
  • Publisher(s): Que
  • ISBN: 9780789722836