Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!unisoft!hoptoad!wet!abe
From: abe@wet.UUCP (Dave Abercrombie)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: Installation, partitions, master boot
Keywords: IDE master boot, partition
Message-ID: <2642@wet.UUCP>
Date: 28 Jun 91 04:17:58 GMT
Organization: Wetware Diversions, San Francisco
Lines: 56


I am interested in putting OS/2 on my Micronics 386 system,
but I already have two operating systems on my disk, and
wonder what I will need to do to add OS/2.  Some specific
questions follow a description of my situation and goals.

I have a 100 megabyte IDE drive with four partitions:

     0 = MS-DOS 5.0 (bootable)
     1 = MS-DOS 5.0 filesytem
     2 = Coherent filesystem
     3 = Coherent (bootable)

Coherent is a $100 UNIX clone; the current version is a
small memory model 80286 multi-tasking, multi-user OS.  The
80386 large memory model version will be released in several
months (we all hope! - see comp.os.coherent).  Coherent's
installation put a small routine in the hard drive's master
boot block.  This routine pauses at the start of the boot
process to ask which partition I want to boot from
(Coherent's version of fdisk allows one to mark no
partitions as "active" i.e., no default boot partition).
A response of 0 gets me DOS, and 3 gets me Coherent.  Of
course, responses 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, & 7 don't do much for me!
I think it's kind of nifty!

I have a vague plan to get another IDE drive (my Phoenix
BIOS supports two drives), and partition it into OS/2 HPFS
and more Coherent.  Questions:

1. Can I install OS/2 on a second drive as described
   and not mess up my master boot block on the first
   drive (so that I can still choose an operating
   system at boot time)?  The MS-DOS 5.0 upgrade trashed
   my master boot block - I needed to reinstall it.

2. If OS/2 installation doesn't mess up my master boot block
   (or I subsequently reinstall it) does it seem like I will
   able to choose between the three operating systems at
   boot time?  I realize this might be difficult to answer.

3. What is the OS/2 "dual-boot" feature I have read a bit
   about, and how does it relate to my goals?  I gather that
   it operates differently than Coherent's master boot
   routine.

4. HPFS sounds neat: is there any reason I might not be able
   to use it in my proposed configuration?

5. Are the answers to any of these questions likely to
   change with the release of OS/2 2.0?  I am inclined
   to wait until then, rather than install 1.3 now and
   upgrade to 2.0 later (the MS-DOS upgrade was more
   difficult than I imagined).

6. Am I crazy, or does this all sound like fun?