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From: tmh@prosun.first.gmd.de (Thomas Hoberg)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386,comp.unix.msdos,comp.unix.questions,unix-pc.general
Subject: Re: multiple bootable partitions
Keywords: Is it possible?
Message-ID: <481@prosun.first.gmd.de>
Date: 18 Oct 90 16:26:21 GMT
References: <1990Oct14.095603.5272@ecst.csuchico.edu> <1990Oct16.145551.15653@ddsw1.MCS.COM>
Followup-To: comp.unix.sysv386
Organization: GMD-FIRST, D-1000 Berlin 12, Germany (West)
Lines: 12

You don't need a separate Partition just for the boot code. The space within
the MBB is quite sufficient to stuff a boot menu program into. I got one on my
machine: It will present me with a menu of all partitions on both drives 
connected to the primary controller, at boot up, and I can load any operating
system from any partition by entering 1..8. I admit it's a tight fit and error
messages are textually short (BEEP) but it works nicely. It comes with the
AX operating system developed at the Berlin Technical University, but the
source I should have somewhere (but not here), assembles with MASM or TASM.
There is no installation utility, so you would have to patch in the correct
partition table yourself, and then transfer it to the boot block. If there
is sufficient interest (EMAIL please), I'll post the sources and maybe even
add an installation utility.