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Thread ID: 64440	2005-12-15 02:42:00	Running cloned XP installs with GRUB??	woodslanding (9427)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
412875	2005-12-15 20:38:00	Just to clarify: I have an 80 gig drive. WinXP on C: drive, partition2 WinXP fresh install with no drivers, soon to be empty space, partition1 Data on partitions 3 and 4 I have PM8. I've heard of XOSL, but was recommended to GAG instead on the forum mentioned above. I'll install that, I think. Thanks for all the helpful info! I think I feel pretty safe cloning the second partition to the first, and just see if I can boot into it, either with or without a boot manager. If I can't, I can always wipe it and start again. And If I can succeed in making a clone ISO of the main OS to DVD, I'll feel fairly safe! Wish me luck! e	woodslanding (9427)
412876	2005-12-15 20:53:00	I'm still a bit lost as to the reasoning here. You have a lot of data that you *need* to be secure (in this case music). You also want to have access to the internet I'm not sure how dual booting will help here. If you did dual boot your PC with winXP on C drive and D drive. Both windows varients would still be able to see the data on both partitions, and if you windows(internet) partition got infected with something nasty it could easily wipe/steal your music just the same as if it was the windows(music) drive that got infected. If you want an easy, and secure way to access the internet I would recommend a knoppix CD/DVD (depending on your drive) and a memory key. That way you would boot to an OS that gets rebuilt every boot, and you HDD would be locked in read only mode, so nothing could delete your files. not to mention that no spyware bothers to target linux. I know that dosn't answer your question, but I hope it helps solves your problem -Qyiet	qyiet (6730)
412877	2005-12-15 21:28:00	Well, it's a good point that my music files will be available to a virus via the other OS, unless I hide those partitions from it (which I think I can do with a boot manager, but don't really want to) but I'm not too worried about that, as long as I've got virus protection . The big problem is the incompatibility of virus protection programs and music programs . You can't have something scanning in the background when you're doing audio . . . . . and I'm less worried about infected data than an infected OS . I could the other OS, but in 3+ years of surfing on my dual-XP dell, I've never had a problem crop up on the music OS . The surfing OS has been up and down . . . . . Anybody know the likelyhood of a virus targeting data on a partition other than the OS?? The logistical hassle of LINUX is that I then need to maintain another data partition in FAT32 in order to download software and upgrades . . . . And I've not yet had a linux install work out of the box . My Knoppix disk couldn't get me on the net because it didn't recognize my wireless card . Neither did another live linux disk I tried . But surfing without favorites or cookies in a completely non-customized environment is going to get old, anyway (unless there's a way around that . . . . ) I'd sooner install Linux, and get it the way I like it . Problem is XP IS the way I like it already :)	woodslanding (9427)
412878	2005-12-16 01:12:00	Since you have been on a single partition, everything is on "C:" . I think you will find that either cloned version will regard the partition it is on as "C"" . That is the boot partition for that incarnation of the OS . Only one will be active any any time . ;) A boot manager which lives in the MBR is not really necesary to be able to do that . Once the boot . ini file of the MS loader has located the partition it is to boot from, that's what it will use . NTLDR is just a loader; it's not the OS . Once it's in memory, it executes fronm there . My only doubt about using GRUB is that, as far as I know, it's a Linux boot loader . It will handle any other OS, but it's installed by and maintained from Linux . As far as I know . :D There are other boot managers which are MS based . They might handle other OSs as well, but they are installed and maintained from MS OSs . You should be able to hide whichever is the "other" partition . That should make things pretty safe .	Graham L (2)
412879	2005-12-16 08:04:00	hmmm... so do e s this m e an that windows will boot from what e v e r boot.ini fil e it finds first?? If th e r e ar e mor e than on e , only th e on e on th e first partition will b e us e d? That mak e s s e ns e . Th e n, onc e start e d, th e os says "what driv e l e tt e r am I?" and assigns things from th e r e ?? Sounds r e asonabl e . I'll s e e if it works! If it do e s, I can skip installing GAG (an op e n sourc e non-os-bias e d bootload e r...) Thanks! e	woodslanding (9427)
412880	2005-12-16 16:10:00	W e ll, it worlk e d, looks lik e !! I just did th e OS partition backup, using Imag e for Dos. It compr e ss e s th e fil e , so it fit on 2 DVDs, although it might almost just hav e fit anyway. I r e stor e d from th e disks to mak e sur e it work e d, and it boot e d fin e into th e original OS on partition 2. I add e d a lin e to its boot.ini, by copy past e , and gav e it a diff e r e nt nam e , and boot e d up into th e n e w OS on partition 1. Only probl e m so far: a good bit of stuff missing from th e syst e m tray(!) Mor e as it happ e ns. But it do e s s e e m to work without a third-party boot manag e r. And both OSs do consid e r th e ms e lv e s to b e on th e C driv e . Thanks to all for your h e lp! e	woodslanding (9427)
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