Multi-OS Boot Question

meeshka · 07-13-2003, 08:54 PM

I currently have a dual boot Windows/Linux system and want to add another partition and install FreeBSD.

In the FreeBSD install, it mentions that the boot files must be within the first 1024 Cylinders. Is this a requirement for FreeBSD itself or just for the FreeBSD boot loader?

If I use a linux boot loader (LILO or Grub) which doesn't have a problem with the 1024 cylinder limit, will it be able to boot FreeBSD if it's boot files are above cylinder 1024?

5amYan · 07-15-2003, 10:47 AM

AFAIR only OpenBSD "needs" to be at the begining of the primary boot disk...

Tuvok · 07-16-2003, 12:05 AM

meeshka,

You can use grub (also lilo) to multiboot with FreeBSD. Use an editor to add an entry into the menu.lst file (found in the /boot/grub directory). Add:

title FreeBSD
root (hd0,x)
chainloader +1

Replace x with the number of your partition minus 1 (i.e. /dev/hda1=0, /dev/hda2=1, /dev/hda3=2 and so on). Note: replace x only with one digit (like 1 or 2). Save file and execute grub-install in shell.

Good luck

deesto · 07-29-2003, 01:15 PM

The GAG boot loader is also great for this purpose and should do exactly what you need, doesn't matter where the partitions are on the disk, and it's easy to use:
http://gag.sourceforge.net/