Table of Contents
Introduction.
Who Should Buy This Book? How This Book Is Organized. What's on the
CD. Conventions Used in This Book.Text Conventions. Special
Elements.
I: OVERVIEW.
1. The Trials and Triumphs of a Multi-OS Computer.
Getting Started. The Desire and Need for Multiple OSs.Gaining
Access to Additional Software. Using the Right Tool for the Job.
Transitioning from One OS to Another. Learning About New
OSs.Avoiding Potholes on the Road to Multi-Boot.Know Your Hardware.
Know What to Expect of a New OS. Give Yourself Adequate Time.
Expect a Learning Curve. Assemble OS-Specific Documentation.Nessus:
The Eight-OS Computer.The Hardware. The OS Players. Disk
Partitioning. Boot Management. Data Sharing
Arrangements.Summary.
2. Operating Systems for x86 Hardware
in 2000.
Your OS, Please.... DOS.Varieties of DOS. Best Uses for DOS. When
to Ditch DOS.Windows 95 and 98.The DOS Heritage of Windows. Uses
for Windows. When to Consider Alternatives.Windows NT and Windows
2000.Microsoft's New Technology. When to Use NT Rather than 95 or
98. Limitations of NT.OS/2.The Second OS for the PC. The Three
Faces of OS/2. Limitations of OS/2.BeOS.BeOS's Macintosh
History. BeOS as a Multimedia Platform. Limitations of BeOS.Linux.A
Free Reimplementation of UNIX. Linux as a Server and on the
Desktop. When Not to Join the Bandwagon.The BSD Variants.A Free
Evolution of UNIX. BSD as a Server and on the Desktop. When to
Use Other Versions of UNIX.Commercial Versions of UNIX.The Forking
of the UNIX Heritage. OSs for Servers and High-Performance
Computing. Do You Need a Commercial UNIX?Summary.
II: THE BOOT PROCESS.
3. The x86 BIOS: Its Limits and Capabilities.
BIOS History and Design Theory.16- and 32-Bit Code. The BIOS as
Driver for DOS. Modern Uses of the BIOS. What BIOS Do You
Have?Add-On Card BIOSs.Video BIOSs. Boot BIOSs for SCSI and
Networking. Additional BIOSs.BIOS Updates. EIDE and SCSI Hard Disk
Handling.Understanding CHS Geometry Limits. Getting Around the
1024-Cylinder Limit. Common BIOS Disk Utilities.The Handoff to the
OS. Summary.
4. Boot Loaders: Simple and Complex.
The Post-BIOS Boot Process.The Job of the Boot Loader. Partition
Hiding. The 1024-Cylinder Limit Revisited. Multi-Disk
Arrangements.Single-OS Boot Loaders. Designs for Multi-OS Boot
Loaders.Floppy-Based Boot Loaders. MBR-Based Boot Loaders. Boot
Sector-Based Boot Loaders. Dedicated-Partition Boot Loaders.
Booting from a Running OS. Chaining Boot Loaders.Common Boot
Loaders.Windows NT's OS Loader. IBM's Boot Manager. Linux's LILO.
PowerQuest's BootMagic. V Communications's System CommanderSummary.
III: PARTITIONING AND PARTITION MANAGEMENT.
5. Hard Disk Partition Basics.
The Need for Partitions.Breaking Data into Manageable Chunks.
Isolating OSs from Each Other. Improving System
Performance.Partition Types.Primary Partitions. Extended and
Logical Partitions. Software's Varying Approaches to Partition
Types.Filesystem Codes.Identifying a Partition's Format. When Codes
Collide.Summary.
6. Tools for Disk Partitioning.
Partitioning Mechanics. MS-DOS's and Windows 9x's FDISK.Creating
FAT Partitions. Deleting Partitions. Understanding FDISK's
Limitations. Variant FDISKs in Other DOS Versions.Windows NT Disk
Administrator.Creating Partitions. Deleting Partitions. Adjusting
Partitions' Disk Labels.OS/2's FDISK.Creating Partitions. Deleting
Partitions.Linux's fdisk.Creating Partitions. Deleting Partitions.
Advanced Operations. Linux fdisk Variants.PartitionMagic.Creating
Partitions. Deleting Partitions.Additional Partitioning Software.
Dealing with Large Hard Disks. Partition Formatting.Low-Level and
High-Level Formatting. When to Format a Partition. Tools for Disk
Formatting.Summary.
7. Tips for Optimizing System
Performance.
Optimizing Performance. Minimizing Primary Partition
Consumption.OSs That Require Primary Partitions. Booting from
Logical Partitions.Fast and Slow Portions of Hard Disks.Hard Disk
Design Consequences. Locating Important Partitions Optimally.
Locating Partitions Relative to One Another.Splitting OSs Across
Multiple Hard Disks.Minimizing Head Movements Through Independent
Heads. Consequences of Dissimilar Disk Speeds. EIDE and SCSI Speed
Differences. A Sample Configuration.Splitting Files Across
Partitions.Reliability Advantages of Multiple Partitions.
Flexibility Advantages of Multiple Partitions. Minimizing Head
Movements by Isolating Data. The Dangers of Too Many Disk
Partitions.Summary.
8. Modifying Partitions After the
Fact.
Modifying Partitions. Consequences of Drive Repartitioning.Drive
Letter Changes. UNIX Device Identifier Changes.Converting a
Partition from One OS to Another.Clearing Away Old Data. Recovering
the Partition's Space. Moving Data to Its New Home.Backing Up,
Repartitioning, and Restoring.The Need for Reliable Backup. Tools
to Use for Repartitioning. Restoring Data.Using PartitionMagic.The
Need for Reliable Backup Revisited. Checking Your Data's Integrity.
Moving and Resizing Partitions. Copying a Partition. Converting
Partitions. Using the Wizards. Cleanup After the Change. Coping
with Troubled Partition Tables.Summary.
IV: OPERATING SYSTEM INSTALLATION.
9. The OS Installation Checklist.
Why This OS?What Faults Do You See in Your Current OS? Does the New
OS Meet Your Unmet Needs? What Features Do You Like in the New OS?
Other Reasons for Installing an OS. Alternatives to a Full-Blown OS
Installation. How Great a Leap Is It to the New OS?Checking
Hardware Compatibility.Verifying Your Hardware-The Theory Checking
Your Hardware Before OS Installation. Doing a Test
Installation.Cleaning Up Existing OSs.Cleaning Out Unused Files and
Programs. Defragmenting Your Hard Disk. Preparing Your Hardware.
Anticipating Drive Identifier Changes.Preparing Disk Space.Creating
New Partitions. Formatting New Partitions. OS Installation Order.
Installing the New OS. Reinstalling the New OS.Installing a Boot
Loader.Selecting a Boot Loader. When to Install the Boot
Loader.Summary.
10. Installing Specific Operating
Systems.
Preparing for More Than One OS. DOS and Windows 9x.Partition
Requirements. The 1024-Cylinder Limit. Protecting Other OSs.
Tweaking Hardware After Installation.Windows NT and Windows
2000.Partition Requirements. The 1024-Cylinder Limit. Adding
Drivers to the Install Procedure. FAT and NTFS.OS/2.Partition
Requirements. The 1024-Cylinder Limit. Adding Drivers to the
Install Procedure. FAT, HPFS, and JFS.BeOS.Partition Requirements.
The 1024-Cylinder Limit.Linux.Partition Requirements. The
1024-Cylinder Limit. Kernel and Driver Versions. LILO
Configuration.FreeBSD.Partition Requirements. The 1024-Cylinder
Limit.Summary.
11. Finding Help.
When Things Don't Go as Planned.... The OS Publisher.Useful
Official Contact Information. Knowing What Information to Have at
Hand.OS Help Files. Independent Publications.Your Friendly Local
Book Store and Library. Computer Magazines for Assorted OSs.
E-zines: Online Computer Magazines.The Internet.Using Web Sites for
Online Help. Reading Usenet Newsgroups. Using IRC to Get Help.
Subscribing to Internet Mailing Lists.Local User Groups.Locating a
User Group. User Group Regular Meetings. User Group Special
Events.Summary.
V: DATA EXCHANGE.
12. Filesystems for Assorted OSs.
Understanding Filesystems.Features Supported by Assorted
Filesystems. Key Filesystem Data Structures. Filesystem Speed and
Robustness. Journaling Filesystems.FAT and Its Variants.From
Floppies to Hard Disks: FAT's Long Tenure. Classic FAT. VFAT.
FAT-32. Is It Time to Retire FAT?Windows NT's NTFS.NTFS's
Strengths and Weaknesses. When to Use NTFS.OS/2's HPFS.HPFS's
Strengths and Weaknesses. When to Use HPFS.BeOS's BFS.BFS's
Strengths and Weaknesses. When to Use BFS.Linux's ext2fs.ext2fs's
Strengths and Weaknesses. When to Use ext2fs.UNIX's FFS.Unique FFS
Partition Requirements. FFS's Strengths and Weaknesses. When to Use
FFS.CD-ROM and DVD-ROM Filesystems.Plain ISO-9660: The Lowest
Common Denominator. Rock Ridge Extensions to ISO-9660. The
Joliet Filesystem. UDF. Miscellaneous Additional
Formats.Summary.
13. Tools for Accessing Foreign
Filesystems.
Providing Shared Access to Filesystems. Methods of Filesystem
Access.Using Access Utilities for Quick Access. Using Drivers for
Integrated Access. Read-Only Versus Read/Write Access.The Ubiquity
of FAT.DOS's Handling of FAT. Windows 9x's Handling of FAT. Windows
NT's Handling of FAT. OS/2's Handling of FAT. Using FAT in BeOS.
Linux's FAT Options. UNIX's FAT Possibilities.Foreign NTFS and NTFS
5.0 Support.DOS Drivers for NTFS. Windows 9x Drivers for NTFS. OS/2
Drivers for NTFS. BeOS NTFS Drivers. Linux's NTFS Drivers.
FreeBSD's NTFS Support.Foreign HPFS Support.DOS and Windows 9x HPFS
Drivers. Windows NT HPFS Drivers. Linux HPFS Drivers. FreeBSD HPFS
Drivers.Linux's BFS Support. Foreign ext2fs Support.DOS ext2fs
Access Tools. Windows 9x ext2fs Drivers. Windows NT ext2fs Access.
OS/2 ext2fs Drivers. BeOS ext2fs Drivers. FreeBSD ext2fs
Drivers.Linux's FFS Support. Alternatives to Sharing
Filesystems.Raw tar Files.
Networking.Summary.
14. Application Data File
Formats.
Platform-Independent File Formats.Platform-Independent File Formats
for Text. Platform-Independent File Formats for Graphics.
Platform-Independent File Formats for Spreadsheets.
Platform-Independent File Formats for Databases.
Platform-Independent File Formats for Archives.Platform-Limited
File Formats.Platform-Limited File Formats for Text.
Platform-Limited File Formats for Graphics, Spreadsheets, and
Databases.Platform-Specific File Formats.Platform-Specific File
Formats for Text, Spreadsheets, and Databases. Platform-Specific
File Formats for Graphics. Platform-Specific File Formats for
Archives.Summary.
VI: COMMON CONFIGURATIONS AND TOOLS.
15. Cross-Platform Utilities.
Making It All Work Together. The GNU Utilities.How to Get GNU
Programs. Using GNU Shells for Common Command Prompts. Using GNU
File Utilities. Using tar and gzip for File Archiving. Developing
Software with GNU Compilers and Debuggers. Editing Text with GNU
Emacs.Non-GNU Open Source Tools.The XFree86 GUI Environment. Using
InfoZip for File Archiving.Standards-Based Tools and
Protocols.Using TCP/IP Networking. Using TeX and LaTeX for Text
Formatting.Summary.
16. Cross-Platform Applications.
Applications or Utilities? Office Suites.Applixware. Corel
WordPerfect Office. Lotus SmartSuite. Sun StarOffice.Document
Exchange: PDF Readers.Adobe Acrobat Reader. Xpdf and BePDF.
Ghostscript-Based Viewers. Creating PDF Files from PostScript Using
Ghostscript.Internet Applications.Using Netscape Communicator.
Using FTP Programs. Using Telnet for Remote
Access.Summary.
17. Modifying GUI Look and Feel.
GUI Add-Ons for Windows.Virtual Desktop Pagers for Windows.
Changing the Appearance and Function of Windows and the Desktop in
Windows.Altering the Mouse's Appearance and Behavior in Windows.GUI
Add-Ons for OS/2. Virtual Desktop Pagers for OS/2. Changing
the Appearance and Behavior of OS/2's Windows. Altering the Mouse's
Appearance and Behavior in OS/2. WPS Add-On Utilities.GUI Add-Ons
for BeOS. The X Window System: The Chameleon of GUIs.Understanding
the X GUI Model. Selecting a Window Manager Selecting a File
Manager. Complete Desktop Environments.Summary.
18. OSs
Within OSs: Emulators.
When to Use an Emulator. DOS Compatibility and Emulators.Support
for DOS in Windows 9x. Support for DOS in Windows NT. Support for
DOS in OS/2. Linux's DOSEMU.Windows Emulators.OS/2's Windows
Emulators. WINE in UNIX-Like OSs. The Willows TWIN Project.
ReactOS: A Windows Clone.VMware.Emulating a PC on a PC. What Is
Needed to Run VMware? Running VMware.When to Run an Emulator,
Multi-Boot, or Use Multiple Computers. Summary.
VII: NETWORK ACCESS.
19. TCP/IP Networking.
Using FTP for Cross-Platform Data Exchange.The Two Sides of FTP:
Client and Server. Setting Up an FTP Server. Using an FTP
Client.Exchanging Documents via Email.Transmitting Plain-Text
Messages. Using UUencoding to Send Binary Files. Attaching
Documents to Send Binary Files.Using a Web Site for
Platform-Independent Communications.Creating a Web Site with a Word
Processor or HTML Editor. Good Web Site Design Tips.Remote
Logins.Logging In to a Multiuser OS. Accessing Alternative OS
Resources via Remote Login.Remote GUI Control.Using an X Server to
Control UNIX-Like OSs. Using VNC to Control UNIX or
Windows.Summary.
20. File and Printer Sharing.
Understanding File and Printer Sharing Basics. NFS for UNIX-Style
File Sharing.Basics of NFS Configuration. Controlling User ID
Mapping. Accessing Remote Files with NFS.SMB/CIFS for
Microsoft-Style File Sharing.Configuring Windows to Share Files.
Configuring a Samba Server in UNIX to Share Files. Accessing Remote
Shares from Windows.UNIX-Style lpd Printer Sharing.Configuring the
Shared Printer. Accessing the Shared Printer.SMB/CIFS for
Microsoft-Style Printer Sharing.Configuring Windows to Share
Printers. Configuring a Samba Server in UNIX to Share Printers.
Accessing Remote Printers from Windows. Accessing Remote Printers
by Using Samba.Summary.
VIII: HARDWARE CONSIDERATIONS.
21. Ensuring Adequate Resources.
Resource Considerations. Hard Disk Space.OS Disk Space
Requirements. Using Shared Space to Minimize Wasted Disk Space.
Tips when Adding Disk Space.OS Memory Requirements.Memory
Requirements for Various OSs. Getting By with Reduced Memory.
Motherboard Memory Support.CPU Speed Requirements.CPU Speed
Requirements for Various OSs. Intel-Compatible CPUs. Non-x86 CPUs
for the Daring.Cross-Platform Backup Needs.Selecting a Tape Drive.
Determining a Backup Schedule. What to Back Up and from Which OS.
File and Disk Image Backups. Developing an Emergency Restore
Procedure.Summary.
22. Finding Drivers.
Tracking Down Drivers. Determining Your Hardware's Chipsets.The
Importance of Chipsets and Drivers. Using Device Information in
Windows. Visually Inspecting the Board. Snooping in Driver
Files.Checking for Drivers from the Manufacturer. Checking for
Drivers from the OS Publisher.Checking the OS Distribution CD-ROM.
Checking the OS's Official Web Site.Checking for Third-Party
Drivers.Freeware and Shareware Drivers Not-Yet-Official Linux
Drivers.Summary.
23. Performing Hardware Upgrades.
The Upgrade Process. Locating Suitable Hardware.Researching OS
Requirements. Checking Claimed Compatibility. Contacting the
Manufacturer. Obtaining Drivers.Preparing a Zoo of OSs for an
Upgrade.Checking the Existing Hardware Settings. Preparing Your OSs
for the New Hardware.Taking Precautions Against Disaster.Proper
Handling of Computer Hardware. Backing Up Before an Upgrade.
Keeping Your Driver Options Open. What to Do If the New Hardware
Doesn't Work.Suggested Sequence of Updates.Basic Hardware Checks.
Easy to Configure First, Difficult to Change Last. Most Likely to
Cause Problems First-Or Last. Most Important First. Overall
Suggestions.Summary.
Index.Promotional Information
The Multi-Boot Configuration Handbook provides guidance to
installing two or more OSes on a single computer. This book
explains why things work the way they do and gives examples of
real-world experience in using multiple operating systems in
harmony with one another. You'll be able to coax several OSes into
coexisting on one computer. You'll also understand something more
about the basics of how a PC operates. See how to avoid the
frustration of installing multiple operation systems. The
Multi-Boot Configuration Handbook provides a guide to the
intricacies of installing and maintaining a multi-OS computer.
About the Author
Roderick W. Smith has years experience running a wide variety of
OSs, often in multiboot configurations. Rod has publications in
several computer magazines, most notably, Linux Journal and
maintains several Web pages devoted to Linux and OS/2. He is the
author of Special Edition Using Corel WordPerfect 8 for Linux and
The Multi-Boot Configur ation Handbook published by Que; and Linux:
Networking for Your Office published by SAMS. He can be reached via
email at http://www.rodsbooks.com/books/.