A Dos primary partition for all boot loaders?

[saikee]

Answers

(1) Yes.

(2) Yes.

(3) Actually when you install Win7 the partition sda1, for being a Dos partition, is the "C"drive that bootmgr sees first. The "C" drive is always the location it places its bootmgr.

You install Win2k/Xp first so that the sda1 boot sector is occupied by NTLDR. When Win7 is installed later it replaces it with bootmgr's own version.

bootmgr can load NTLDR directly so no need for NTLDR using the boot sector of sda1. That is how M$ solved its booting mess. We might as well make use of it.

Bootmgr actually cannot boot up a NT version of Windows directly. It simply fires up NTLDR. IT is NTLDR that boot whatever systems contained in boot.ini.

4. If you boot each MS system individually then you need to hide the other MS systems. The Dos partition here is to install Dos, Win2k, Xp, Vista and Win7 all collectively so that every one can see each other (except Dos which can only see Fat32 due to technical limitation). Thus the Dos partition has all the boot loader for the Dos and the other 4 Windows (NTLDR serves Win2k/Xp and bootmgr serves Vista/Win7). On top of it I put Grub inside because the /boot directory is common to Grub and bootmgr. This is definitely "cool"!

5. Correct. In order for it to work there must be a boot loader inside that partition's boot sector.

I have been shifting my 4 MS Windows around and thought I could put all the boot loaders together like I did. It is a great conduit to understand how the various boot loaders can live in harmony. If we understand how the boot loaders work we can make them sing for us!

Grub1 for example doesn't reside in the boot sector. I didn't know about it until I did this thread. The Grub here simply has hard coded the stage2 location of the hard disk in the MBR, leaving the boot sector entirely to bootmgr, which according to the published information must be able to boot all the MS Windows that I can install in the disk. What MS did not expect is that I use a Dos partition as the "C" drive and slip in Grub inside too.

Had the "C" drive been a NTFS Grub can't go inside as it cannot read a NTFS filing system. That is why Dos Fat32 was used, plus it is a bonus to boot up a Dos in addition to 4 Windows.

I did get a kick out of using one Dos partition to boot every operating system in the PC, including one Dos and 4 Windows, So enjoy it!