Message-ID: <19991204024613.15809.qmail@nwcst291.netaddress.usa.net>
Date:  3 Dec 99 19:46:13 MST
From: Joseph Morris <b52g AT usa DOT net>
To: opendos AT delorie DOT com
Subject: Re: Loading Linux with DR-DOS Loader?
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> "Lars-Einar Jansson" <lars_einar DOT jansson AT 2 DOT sbbs DOT se> wrote:
> I intend to install RedHat Linux on a machine presently running Win95
> and DR-DOS 7.03. I use DR-DOS Loader to be able to double-boot between 
> DR-DOS and Win 95.

IIRC, Loader just does some trickery to boot different versions of DOS, so it
can't be used to boot a non-DOS operating system such as Linux.

> What would be the best way to maintain the option to boot to Win95 and 
> DR-DOS when I install Linux in the empty space I have reserved for it on 
> my second harddrive?

Use LILO, but keep LOADER.
Add an entry for DOS and this will boot Loader.

This means you must make 2 choices when booting instead of 1, but it works.

Alternatively, you can do what I did, and use both drives.
Using LILO, it is possible to swap drives C and D so that you can boot
drive D (and DOS will still think it's drive C).

By doing this, you can put a small DRDOS partition on D and boot it with LILO.
 Then you can choose between DRDOS, WIN95 and LINUX all from LILO (which means
only 1 choice, not 2).

If you decide to do this and need more info, feel free to email.
doug-15 AT bigfoot DOT com is fastest.

> Reading the docs accompanying RedHat, it seems to me the best 
> solution would be to use Loadlin, after first having booted to DR-DOS.

That is an alternative, but I prefer LILO myself.

> Or should I remove Loader and try LILO instead? Win95 and the system 
> files for DR-DOS reside in the first partition of the first hd, whereas
> the rest of the DR-DOS files reside in the second partiotion of the
> first hd.

For the LILO trick, keep the win95 files in the first partition of the
first drive, and put the DRDOS files in the first partition of the second
drive.  It works by remapping the disks at BIOS level
(0x80 -> 0x81, 0x81 -> 0x80) so you MUST have them on separate physical disks
for the trick to work.

> Lars-Einar Jansson
> Stockholm, Sweden


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