Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!cernvax!antoniop From: antoniop@cernvax.cern.ch (antonio pastore) Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.misc Subject: Re: Boot of A:, switch to C:? Message-ID: <3301@cernvax.cern.ch> Date: 4 Dec 90 08:48:27 GMT References: Organization: CERN, European Laboratory for Particle Physics Lines: 113 In article LONGSHOT@VAX1.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU ("Rewind, operator gonna kill 'em with sound") writes: > > At the last company I worked at, the way we set up booting from >a selected partition was to run a script under unix that got its redirected >input from a file and use it to run UNIX fdisk. This script would set the >active partition to DOS, and call a re-boot(by sending chars to the keyboard >buffer, I think). We had a batch file under DOS that did pretty much the >same thing. All we had to do to boot from the other OS was to run the script >or batch file and we would be up and running. This is a LOT easier than >trying to boot from a floppy and switch command paths. > > >-Longshot( Erik J. Green) > >longshot@att1.mankato.msus.edu Why do you want to make it so difficult? Use one of the multiboot program available in the PUBLIC DOMAIN (mine, for example). At boot time simply chose the partition you want to boot and it is all. ----------------------------------------- Here follows the uuencoded version of hdboot.com program. When you run uudecode on it, the resulting file is obviously a BIBNARY file. So if you plan to move on MSDOS with some comunication system (i.e.: ftp) do not forget to specify BIN to the program. The hdboot.com file is 1792 byte long. To run the program, boot MSDOS (any version from 2.1 up), and just run 'hdboot'. The program will interactively ask a confirmation before installing the new boot sector on your hard disk. Answer 'Y'. Reboot the computer and boot the MSDOS partition to check if hdboot is properly running. You can manually run any of the 4 partition. Usually, starting a not esisting partition or without an O.S., a failure message will be printed. When the new boot sector takes control, it proposes, as default partition, the current ACTIVE partition. Press return to run the default. XENIX/UNIX must always be the ACTIVE partition, otherwise they will not boot. If you know how to doit, (i know) save the old boot sector before running hdboot. This will prevent the loss of the disk if something will go wrong. DISCLAIMER ---------- I have been running hdboot from 1987 and upgrading it until the final version you get. I ran it with MSDOS versions 3.x up to 4.x, XENIX 286 (both SCO and OLIVETTI), Venix 86, SCO XENIX 386, all without problems. I double checked the file you are receiving uuudeconding it and runnning it again. BEWARE ANYHOW, BECAUSE HDBOOT IS A DANGEROUS PROGRAM. I WILL NOT FEEL RESPONSIBLE IF HDBOOT WILL NOT SUPPORT YOUR HARDWARE/SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION OR IT WILL PRODUCE ANY DATA LOSS. Enjoy, Antonio /---------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | Antonio Pastore | CERN - CN/CE/MS Microprocessor Support | | E-Mail: antoniop@cernvax.cern.ch | 1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland (Europe) | \---------------------------------------------------------------------------/ ---------------------------------------------------------- begin 644 hdboot.com MN+L!/;T!=@FZG 'HB0#I@@"Z^0'H@ "T#+ (S2$\>706/%ET$KKB NAL +KI M NAF +@! .M=D,8&X@)9D+KB NA4 +0"L &R@+8 M0"Q 8S;CL.[ 3-$[K! M ;@! '(NOKX%O[X'N4( \Z2T [ !LH"V +4 L0&,VX[#NP &S1.ZW0&X 0!R M!KK\ K@ %#H!0!8M$S-(;0)S2'#!T)O;W0@F4@97AC965D M(# Q0D0@:&5X+@T*)$5R&5D(&1I&5D(&1I&5D(&1I7-T96T@6S$M.%TZ(%LQ70@( #%=#0H-"@#Z_+C M!X[8!2 CL".T+P (%"XO0!0O@ B_ZY 'SI^ 8O#!;X!4(N/P 'H&P!>N M4+@ ?%#+B@5'/ !T";L' +0.S1#K\,.[ "]!0"X 0+-$W,&377VZ3[_OS0 M)H$^_@%5JG0#Z3+_PP E end