[ale] Linux (vmware) and NT

Robert Hoffman rob at frankenlinux.com
Sun Jul 23 03:52:16 EDT 2000 

O.K. I set up an NT disk and played with it until I got it working. I had to use the following entry in lilo.conf to get NT working as the slave drive:

other=/dev/hdb1
	label=NT
	table=/dev/hdb
	map-drive = 0x80
	to = 0x81
	map-drive = 0x81
	to = 0x80

Don't forget to run lilo as root to have these changes written to the master boot record.

After this, I hit "tab" at the LILO: prompt and choose NT. When I was given the choice of which NT to load, I found that I could only boot NT using the original option to run "Windows NT Workstation 4.0" or the original VGA safe mode. So, I guess you don't need to edit C:\boot.ini at all.

I'll stick this on my web site tomorrow since all the HOWTO's seem to assume you can only use NT on the master boot record.

I have this working; if you have any trouble, shoot me an email.

-Rob Hoffman

---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: "Gary S. MacKay" <gary at edisoninfo.com>
To: ale at ale.org
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 11:40:53 -0400 (EDT)

>Thank you for the response! I have the linux part working, but when I
>select the NT option, I get an error about "can't locate NTLDR" or
>something like that. Any ideas?
>
>- Gary
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>If Bill Gates had a nickel for every time Windows crashed... 
>            ..oh wait, he does.
>
>
>On Sat, 22 Jul 2000, Robert Hoffman wrote:
>
>> Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 10:02:48 -0400
>> From: Robert Hoffman <rob at frankenlinux.com>
>> To: ale at ale.org, Gary S. Mackay <Gary at edisoninfo.com>
>> Subject: Re: [ale] Linux (vmware) and NT
>> 
>> VMWare is great but you can't use it to run an existing NT disk from within Linux. You would have to install VMWare and then install NT. This option will let you run Linux and NT at the same time. Just a warning: VMWare takes a large chunk of memory to dedicate to its host OS. You get to decide how much but NT isn't really happy with less than 128 MB. So, if you have 196 MB ram and gave 128 to NT, Linux would be left with 64 while you have VMWare running.
>> 
>> Alternatively, You can put lilo in charge of the dual boot. This really
>> requires that you understand disk partitioning and assignments. I'll try to give you a runthrough here.
>> 
>> Disclaimer: Do this at your own risk in case it doesn't work. Back up your data. Note that I have never personally done this.
>> 
>> First, make an emergency bootdisk for linux using mkbootdisk.
>> 
>> Second, make an emergency bootdisk for NT using... well, I guess you don't really have this option do you? ;-)
>> 
>> I will assume that both disks are on your primary ide controller. You should be able to tell for sure by looking at your motherboard or checking lilo.conf to see if you're booting into hda and not hdc. NT has an equivalent file called boot.ini.
>> 
>> Now, let's make your Linux disk the primary drive and NT the slave. Boot into NT and edit boot.ini. It is a read only and hidden file, so you will have to change its properties to edit it. This should do the trick: attrib -s -h -r c:\boot.ini
>> 
>> Boot.ini should look something like this:
>> 
>>         [boot loader]
>>         timeout=5
>>         default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
>>         [operating system]
>>         multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows NT Workstation ver 4.0"
>>         multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows NT Workstation ver 4.0 [VGA mode]" /basevideo /sos
>> 
>> Since the NT disk is going to change from hda to hdb, you need to change
>> "disk(0)" to read "disk(1)". Just to be safe, we'll leave a copy of the old entry so that you can still boot the drive the old way.
>> 
>>         [boot loader]
>>         timeout=5
>>         default=multi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
>>         [operating system]
>>         multi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows NT Workstation ver 4.0"
>>         multi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows NT Workstation ver 4.0 [VGA mode]" /basevideo /sos
>>         multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="NT Original Setup"
>>         multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="NT Original Setup [VGA mode]" /basevideo /sos
>> 
>> Note that I changed the disk number for the line starting with "default" as well as those starting with "multi". Save the file and shutdown NT.
>> 
>> Change the jumper on the NT drive so the slave setting.
>> 
>> Connect both disks to the ide cable so that Linux is master and NT is slave.
>> 
>> Boot up your machine. At this point, you should be booting into linux
>> without a choice to boot into NT.
>> 
>> Now we need to edit /etc/lilo.conf. It probably looks something like this:
>> 
>> boot=/dev/hda
>> map=/boot/map
>> install=/boot/boot.b
>> prompt
>> timeout=50
>> linear
>> default=linux
>> 
>> image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.2.16-3smp
>>         label=linux
>>         read-only
>>         root=/dev/hda7
>> 
>> 
>> Add a section to boot to NT:
>> 
>> boot=/dev/hda
>> map=/boot/map
>> install=/boot/boot.b
>> prompt
>> timeout=50
>> linear
>> default=linux
>> 
>> image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.2.16-3smp
>>         label=linux
>>         read-only
>>         root=/dev/hda7
>> 
>> other=/dev/hdb1
>>         label=NT
>>         table=/dev/hdb
>> 
>> 
>> We're almost done. Run lilo as root; this is important
>> 
>> That should do it. Reboot and hit the "TAB" key at the LILO: prompt. You should be given a choice to boot linux or NT. To run NT, type NT and hit enter.
>> 
>> Let me know how it turns out.
>> 
>> -Rob Hoffman
>> 
>> 
>> ---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
>> From: "Gary S. Mackay" <Gary at edisoninfo.com>
>> Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 12:59:00 -0400
>> 
>> >I currently have two hard drives, each is bootable. I just power down and
>> >change the cable from one to the other. Manual dual boot :).
>> >
>> >I would like to boot primarily into linux and have the NT drive boot via
>> >Vmware. I've looked at vmware, but can not figure out how to get it to see an
>> >already existing NT setup.
>> >
>> >Question in the mean time. What do I put in my lilo.conf to have lilo control
>> >the dual boot? 
>> >
>> >- Gary
>> >
>> >-- 
>> >Edison Information Technologies
>> >P.O. Box 554
>> >Milan, OH  44846-0554
>> >419.499.7040
>> >www.EdisonInfo.com
>> >Gary at EdisonInfo.com
>> >--
>> >To unsubscribe: mail majordomo at ale.org with "unsubscribe ale" in message body.
>> >
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