Do you multiboot?
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| Steven_Rosenber May 07, 2009 2:28 AM EDT |
I do, but I wish I didn't. I still think it's better to keep one OS on one drive in one PC, but I often go against my own advice. I haven't killed GRUB in a while, but I've done it plenty of times. I'm moving toward swapping drives instead of multibooting. If only the laptops I'm using would cooperate and not make removing a drive a major endeavor ... My advice for multibooting: Let one distro be the "lead," with it installing GRUB on the Master Boot Record. For all the other distros, have them install their bootloader (GRUB, LILO or what have you) on their own root partition instead of the MBR. Then chainload into all other distros from the "lead" GRUB in the MBR. That way you don't have multiple distros competing to write over GRUB in the MBR. |
| r_a_trip May 07, 2009 3:11 AM EDT |
I used to dual boot in the days I thought I couldn't live without Windows. It was a pain. Windows' longevity (talk about an oxymoron; at least in those days) was always considerably shorter than Linux (I used to mess up Linux back then too). Windows was very efficient in killing Lilo and coming from a "click and drool" background I wasn't proficient enough to restore Lilo any other way than to reinstall Linux. These days I don't even entertain the idea of multi-boot setups. I put distro's and the occasional Windows installation (just to sniff the vapors coming from the Redmond kitchen) in a virtual machine. (Anyone notice that Windows 7 really looks KDE 4-ish?) This way I can satisfy my inner geek and still be sure my main system keeps running. |
| jacog May 07, 2009 4:33 AM EDT |
I still do. I keep Winders around to play games. Sadly, few of the titles I want to play are available for Linux and they often don't run on Wine. I do buy Linux games though when I can. I bought the game "X2:The Threat" for WIndows a while back, lost it, then re-bought it again as a budget-bin title. I then learned that it was being ported to Linux, but by then I had already bought it twice for Windows, so there was no point in buying it again. Later I heard that the sequel, X3, was being ported to Linux, so I held off on purchasing that. So now I have the urge to play a space sim again, and will be buying the Linux version of X3, even though it's more expensive than the Windows version. But I have not destroyed my boot record in a long time. Usually an installation of any variant of Windows will accomplish that wonderfully, so my usual rule is to install Windows first, then the Linux side. |
| tracyanne May 07, 2009 5:01 AM EDT |
I haven't multi booted in years. I only keep Windows around on a VM so I can provide support, mostly to support people to move off Windows, these days, and in case I need to do some emergency programming on one or another of our webs applications. I don't play games much, the very occasional FPS, and Solitaire while I'm waiting, but only on Linux. I'm not interested enough to actually buy games. |
| bigg May 07, 2009 7:05 AM EDT |
I don't know if I've ever not multibooted. I keep Windows on every machine just in case. I'm not the only one who uses the computers, after all. I usually have at least two or three Linux distros installed as well. Just in case one distro doesn't do what I need, I can try another that has either newer or older software or just for some reason might do what is needed. I always use the chainloader command in GRUB so that each distro can update itself after a new kernel is installed. I've seldom had problems with GRUB and it is really easy to fix any problems, at least the ones I've encountered. |
| herzeleid May 07, 2009 1:48 PM EDT |
My company supplied laptop came with xp, and I'm obliged to keep that OS on the drive, so that one's multiboot. OTOH my own linux boxes run linux. full stop. We do have a mac or two for the occasional legacy proprietary app (tax cut for example) and the macs are also single boot. Any hypothetical need for ms doze would be satisfied in a VM, which could be shut down when finished with whatever chore necessitated its use, freeing up RAM and CPU cycles for more interesting work. |
| tuxchick May 07, 2009 2:03 PM EDT |
I know that all the cool kids are virtualizing, but I still prefer multiboot for testing. I get a proper native environment without additional hassles for networking and hardware drivers. The one advantage of a virtual guest is making screenshots of booting and installations. |
| Scott_Ruecker May 07, 2009 3:03 PM EDT |
I have a laptop that duel boots OpenSUSE and XP. I don't use it very much but I split my time between the OS's pretty evenly though. Other than that I my main desktop only has PCLOS on it. I have another PC that has Debian testing and XP on it but I haven't even turned it on in almost a year.. |
| azerthoth May 07, 2009 3:51 PM EDT |
good grief, do I multi-boot, lappy has sabayon and funtoo on it. Desktop has sabayon4 32 bit, funtoo 64 bit, XP64, and 2 dedicated partitions for flavor of the day to play with. From lots of experiance playing with grub, this little how to is the hard way to do things. I keep a master for grub, edit that to add or remove new distros and if I have to go in and tell grub where to locate it. # grub > root (hdx,x) **this is where your /boot/ is > setup (hdx) or (hdx,x) **this is where your stage1 is > quit ** all done, go play I mean seriously, how hard is that? |
| bigg May 07, 2009 4:07 PM EDT |
@azerthoth Those three lines are how I do it too. Grub is not something to fear. |
| softwarejanitor May 07, 2009 5:28 PM EDT |
I don't own a copy of Windows, so if I was multi-booting it would be if I wanted to check out a different Linux distro or maybe one of the *BSDs. Possibly even OpenSolaris on a lark... |
| ColonelPanik May 07, 2009 5:35 PM EDT |
Tevas. |
| herzeleid May 07, 2009 7:12 PM EDT |
Opensolaris has been ported to lark? why wasn't I informed? |
| theboomboomcars May 07, 2009 9:10 PM EDT |
I multiboot. I have a laptop and a desktop, and at various times I have to boot them up. |
| jezuch May 08, 2009 2:02 AM EDT |
If having two versions of the kernel in lilo is multi-booting, then yes, I do multi-boot ;) |
| gus3 May 08, 2009 10:16 AM EDT |
jezuch, as in one custom-built kernel, and one stock kernel to fall back on in case you screwed up the custom build? |
| Sander_Marechal May 08, 2009 11:20 AM EDT |
No need for custom kernels even. I always keep a generic i386 kernel installed just in case I need to move my hard disk to a different machine for some reason. |
| techiem2 May 08, 2009 3:38 PM EDT |
Most of my systems are plain old single boot. My laptop multiboots: Gentoo (of course) BackTrack (in case I feel like playing with it) Ubuntu (the stock install which I don't think I've update much...) Memtest86+ Sbootmgr XP Pro (for some games that don't run in Wine/crossover. argh!) |
| tuxchick May 08, 2009 3:46 PM EDT |
Yes, I have hiking boots, garden boots, and nice shiny leather Western boots. |
| theboomboomcars May 08, 2009 3:49 PM EDT |
I've got hiking boots and snow boots. I also have my every day shoes, and my dress shoes, and I always wear two at a time. So I am multiboot and multishoe. |
| jezuch May 08, 2009 3:58 PM EDT |
Quoting:jezuch, as in one custom-built kernel, and one stock kernel to fall back on in case you screwed up the custom build? Exactly, except that instead of a stock kernel I have a known-good older version of the custom-build one. |
| techiem2 May 08, 2009 4:36 PM EDT |
Same here. Of course, I always tweak my kernel configs, but always keep at least one older version just in case I totally screw up a build and break boot. hehe. |
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