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From: thomas@aeon.in-berlin.de (Thomas Wolfram)
Subject: OS-BS v2.0 Beta8 released (Yet another boot loader)
Message-ID: <CF9zGH.1Lp@aeon.in-berlin.de>
Organization: Cities in Dust
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1993 01:43:28 GMT
Lines: 61
Hi,
I've uploaded os-bs (O/S Boot Select) v2.0 Beta8 to ftp.prz.tu-berlin.de
under /pub/pc/os-bs. It's called osbsBETA.exe and a self-extracting
archive running under DOS, like the previous versions. (DOS is
only needed for running the installation program, i.e. a bootable
DOS floppy is enough).
What's new?
It is completly rewritten. Os-bs is now able to boot from logical
partitions in extended partitions and from every disk which is
accessible via the BIOS during booting (i.e. if you have e.g. a AHA1542C
and e.g. three disks it should be possible to boot also from the third
disk = drive 0x82).
But in the moment only Linux/LILO is known to boot with os-bs 2.0 from
other partitions then a primary. If you have Linux in a logical par-
tition you can install the LILO loader also in the boot sector of this
partition rather in the extended partition's sector since os-bs 2.0 can
load LILO from this location now.
Whether the different free *BSD's boot with it is not tested yet.
The reason why I release this beta.
For DOS and OS/2 I'll probably add workarounds for booting from second
(maybe other) disks in one of the next Beta's.
Os-bs has now a nicer (colored window) boot menu similar the OS/2 boot
manager which pops up after the BIOS tests are passed and you can stop
also the timer. Also the installation program is much more comfortable
("ASCII Windows" desktop) and you can edit also system IDs in the par-
tition table with it now (this is sometimes necessary).
In the moment os-bs needs except the Master Boot Record the space of four
(will probably grow) additional sectors. For this it uses the almost always
unused sectors 2, 3, 4, 5 on cylinder 0, head 0, disk 0 for which it computes
a simple 'xor' checksum. If the first stage loader (in the MBR) of os-bs
recognizes that the checksum is invalid it tries to boot the active par-
tition like it also the orignal master boot programs do.
(The place will be selectable in the future.)
This Beta is not complete yet, and has still some restrictions, so please
read README.1ST first.
Thomas
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
OS Boot Select is a replacement of the ordinary master boot
program. It provides a customizable boot menu with a timeout
and the abiltity to automatically set the active partition
before booting. This avoids boot problems with some UNIX
systems. Unlike the OS/2 2.x boot manager's it only requires
the 512 byte of the master boot sector (sector 0) and some
additional sectors which can be anywhere on the disk
but no seperate 1MB partition.
OS Boot Select comes with a installation program running
under DOS.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Thomas Wolfram <thomas@aeon.in-berlin.de> Germany: 0 30 31421171
PRZ TU Berlin (EANTC) <wolf@prz.tu-berlin.de> abroad: +49 30 31421171
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