I have a tablet PC I would like to turn into a multi boot computer.

I have recently started using linux more and more. I still need Windows XP Tablet Ed. but would also like to have a few linux distros loaded.

I plan on partitioning my HD as follows:
30 GB - Windows XP
5 GB - Slax
10 GB - Fedora Core 3
10 GB - Mandriva
5 GB - Free

This is not set in stone. As time passes I will more than likely change each OS, except windows. I am looking for a way to set each of these up. I also need to know what boot loader to use and how to install it. I am not a linux pro, more like a noob. So take that into consideration.

Also, with multiple nix* os' will they use the same boot, swap etc? I'm somewhat confused about that.

Lilke fedora has:
/
/boot
swap
and slax has the same thing.
Are these logical on one partition or on seperate partitions?

At a minimum, you need one partition (/, the root of the filesystem) for each distro, and one swap to serve all the *nix you install. Since you only boot one distro at a time, one swap is all you need.

Multiple distros can't share one /boot partition because that's where each distro will put its own compressed kernel image, system map, and a few other things. Could get very confusing.

As for the bootloader, lilo, grub, and some other less well known bootloaders could do the job. Choose one distro to be the master (as far as the one which installs the bootloader to the MBR. Install the other distros first, installing their respective bootloaders to the root of the partition its going into, not the MBR. When you install the last one, write the bootloader to the MBR.

Distros and bootloaders these days are pretty well behaved. The one you choose for master will probably write the bootloader config without problems. When you reboot, you should see the bootloader menu, with xp and your *nix.

If you do have bootloader problems, and return to these boards for help, please include /etc/fstab and the bootloader config in your post. Most problems that occur involve inconsistencies between those two files.

Thank you very much for your reply.

One problem. I have Windows XP Tab ed. already install and configured. I have resized the partition with PM8 to allow space for my other distros. What can be done to keep XP in tact, I have read that I can use the nt boot loader with nix.

yes you can opt for ntloader but it is quite involved because you need a running Linux first, then you copy the first 512 bytes of Linux boot-loader and store it in the "C" drive of XP and lastly you need to edit XP's hidden file boot.ini to include the additional booting choice.

You have therefore keep XP's MBR intact but still have a bootable Linux. That usually a piece of cake if you can ask Linux installer to put Linux boot-loader in a floppy.

To let a Linux to take over the MBR is the easiest way as Linux dual boot your computer automatically without you lifting a finger, if you select the correct options provided by the Linux installer (most users do).

The the most important bit to know in your case is that XP's MBR can always be restored, using a DOS floppy or XP's own installation CD. Therefore it is harmless to let any other boot loader into the MBR.

Linux's own boot loader is also restorable just by any Linux Live CD.

I let grub handle the boot process.

I now have fedora core 3 and windows xp installed and working. Now I am having trouble with primary and logical partitions. Does each nix install reqwuire a primary? I have tried to use logical and it wil not allow it.

I am 99% certain that you have run out of quota on the number of primary partitions in the disk. The maximum is 4 and Linux reserves hda1 to hda4 for it.

If you want more than 4 partitions then one of the primary must be "given up" to turn into an extended partition which has no storage in itself but point to the starting and finishing points of a set of logical partitions. You can have a maximum of 63 partition in an IDE and 15 in a Sata (Primaries + logicals). I haven't managed to have more than 60 in an IDE myself.

My guess is you have to delete one primary and create as many logical partitions in it as you want.

All Linux can be booted from both logical and primary partitions. I never give Linux a primary because DOS, Windows, BSD and Solaris need it more than Linux. In fact they can survive without it.

Sounds good. Thanks for the help. I will give it a shot and let you know how it turns out. I started playing with it trying to figure things out myself.

How can I directly edit the grub loader if an install wipes out my previous grub settings?

Mandria didn't play nice with Fedora and only gave me th option of booting Win and Man. So I had to reinstall fedora just to get my grub settings back :/

My /boot doesn't need primary?

No

I don't like the idea of putting a /boot in its own partition because if the system doesn't boot you need to locate its root partition too. It is easier to stick with / and nothing else.

I advocate one / partition for the entire distro and /boot is just part of the root directory /. Grub, Lilo and NTldr never have a complaint about finding it. All my 45+ Linux are all inside one partition each.
-------------------------
You don't need to edit a boot loader. You replicate it using special command

grub-install /dev/hda <------------for Grub to put in MBR
lilo -b /dev/hda <--------------for Lilo to take over the MBR
fdisk /mbr <---------------for DOS floppy restoring Windows MBR (even XP and Win2K)
fixmbr <---------------A longer method of using Windows installation CD restoring Windows MBR

You edit the boot loader's control file using any of the editor at your disposal (vi, nano, kwrite, gedit.....)

Grub is controlled by /boot/grub/menu.lst
Lilo is control by /etc/lilo.conf
XP is controlled by boot.ini which is hidden and you need the extra work of copying the Linux boot loader into the "C" drive of XP.

Mandriva may not have set up everything for you but like any Linux you can always amend its boot control file to boot every system in the box.

The easiest to multi boot is to chainload the Linux exactly like a WIndows using the commands in Grub

title this is my system in jth partition of ith disk (Grub counts from 0)
root (i,j)
chainloader +1

---------------

Lilo is not much different. It uses only 2 lines per system for chainloading

other=/dev/hda?
Label=systemA

In order for the above to work you need to ensure every Linux has its boot loader inside its root partition. You can do so while inside that Linux replicate the bootloader exactly as you put in the MBR except adding the partition number after the disk number.

For example if you Linux is in hda3 and has Grub, while inside it you replicate its boot loader in root partition by

grub-install /dev/hda3

Do I need to tell you in Lilo you need to type?

lilo -b /dev/hda3
You can edit every boot loader control file so that everyone multi boot the rest and periodically change it in the the MBR.

Here is what happened.

I had Win XP installed, I installed FC3, then I installed Slax. lilo from slax took over. How can I get the grub back with FC3?

Can I just change the active partition in fdisk to FC3?

Do I need to copy my /boot from FC3 to /boot in Slax?

I have also tried to edit the chain loader with no success. FC3's Grub, I tried to add Slax.

It wouldn't have if you didn't tell it to install lilo in the mbr.

Boot the FC3 installation disk.

type "linux rescue" and push enter when the prompt arrives.
Choose your language and keyboard layout.

Choose "NO" when it asks you about networking.

Push "Continue" on the next box about mounting your partitions.

type "chroot /mnt/sysimage/"
type "grub-install /dev/hda"


You wouldn't want to use chainloader for booting linux distros.

Shame on you guy with a working Linux but doesn't know how to use a good one to rescue a bad one.

I think all my advice has fallen on deaf ears.

-------------------

Here are the steps for a guy with a working Slax wanting to get FC, say in hda5, back on MBR

(1) boot into Slax
(2) mkdir /mnt/hda5 <-------- make a temp. directory called /mnt/hda5
(3) mount /dev/hda5 /mnt/hda5 <---------- mount device hda5 on temp. directory
(4) chroot /mnt/hda5 <---------- change root to it and inside FC
(5) grub-install /dev/hda <--------- tell Grub to put FC's boot loader in MBR

Reboot and FC's Grub will take over the PC booting.

I am not going to repeat how you could make a system chainloaderable because all the information is in post #10.
-----------------

apepost,

Regarding your statement of

"You wouldn't want to use chainloader for booting linux distros." is hard to swallow as I chainload every of my 50+ systems by it, including about 45 Linux. I can do the other way too but it is more work.

You can use Linux A to boot Linux B by calling it kernel & initrd. That is the direct method.

Alternatively you can use Linux A to boot the "boot loader" of Linux B. That is the indirect method or chainloading.

The indirect method is a easier because

(1) You only need to know the root partition number in the disk
(2) You don't need to know the kernel and initrd names
(3) You don't touch the original set up as constructed by the installer by editing it
(4) You have the boot loader permantly preserved inside it root partition
(5) You can make a Grub floppy to boot all the PC systems
(6) You can rotate the boot loader in the MBR

You dont know what you have missed out!

OK i give up. Just be sure you install the bootloader on the / partition of each os. I don't know much about lilo, but i guess saikee can tell you how to do that with your already installed slax.

Althoug Using chainloaders would meen you have to go trough two bootloaders before you can start booting the os. It just seems a bit messy to me.

saikee > thank you for your explanations all allong this post. It won't be lost for everybody, as I was searching some info about partitioning my new SataII HD & external Ide HD for 1 Win & 3 Linux as in here

apepost > Shame on me as I didn't think about chrooting my Ubuntu when I smashed it's /boot content when installing Arch Linux.

Reason for (not) having a separate /boot is much much more clear to me now. Thank you guys for your time