I am looking to install multiboot software and ran across one called "gag" from open source. This appears to be able to boot DOS, Windows,and various LINUX operating systems. It also appears to be able to be installed from any operating system. OK, enough background. Here is the question. Does anyone have any experience with this program? Please be complete with good or bad reasons.
Thank you
============= I am just going down this path, including trying to get an old laptop with a small hard drive w/W2k to boot Ubuntu Linux from a usb WD Passport drive, and my main box to boot off a new 300gig HD for linux only. ( Laptop bios does not allow booting from a USB device. ) I have tried several freeware packages, and suggest GRUB [GRand Unified Bootloader]
This should install when you install linux on a windows box. Note that you will have to log in as "root" [or use sudo and a text editor Vi/VIM/EMACS] to edit menu.lst which is the config file for GRUB.
What distro(s) of linux and what version of Windows are you running?
NB==> I highly recommend making up a floppy boot disk with GRUB and not touching the base GRUB/menu.lst on your hard drive as a single period in the wrong place means you can't boot your computer. for 15.3kk hits. for > 1kk hits for >250k hits including
Unka' George [George McDuffee] ============ Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), U.S. president. Letter, 17 March 1814.
Although it is not free, VMware allows you to run several OS'es at the SAME time! I run Linux (verious old Mandrake versions, need to update) as the main system, and run Win2K Pro as the "guest" system. It runs MUCH more stably on a virtual system than on real hardware, and stays up for months at a time. This allows you to switch back and forth in seconds, move files from one system to the other with Samba networking, etc. I have this setup both at home and on my desk at work.
Jon
I was looking at a distro, and one of them supported a USB pen drive, kickstarted by a CDROM just for the boot.
I'd be able to help if you were asking about LILO or GRUB. What's GAG got that those don't?
First, VMWare is not free, but VMPlayer is. Download from VMware site.
Second, lots of premade "appliances" available for free, mostly on the VMware site.
Third, if you install Linux first you can then install vmplayer in it, download a 10 gig blank "appliance" then install your legal copy of Windows in it.
Google is your friend.
technomaNge
I've never heard of GAG. GRUB has become the standard open-source and free bootloader; has a lot of development, and is really the only one to be considered. It has displaced the earlier LILO.
I've done multiboot by installing Win2000 with FAT32 and creating a DOS (from Win98) boot floppy with COMSPEC=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM at the end of AUTOEXEC.BAT. Boot sequence is A:, CD, C: Remove the floppy for Windows, insert to boot DOS which will run from C:.
Knoppix runs on NTFS and I think you could do something similar with a CD, but I haven't tried it yet. The WinTV 950 works well enough that I stopped chasing MythTV.
These assume you want all your files accessible from both operating systems. I haven't found a DOS variant that works well on NTFS.
thanks for the answers and thoughts. I now have some more searching and reading to do.
BTW I am running win98se/P3 on my desktop and xp pro/P3 on my laptop
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