Boot up question

**adamherb** · 01-02-2005, 12:41 AM

Is there a way that you can make a dual boot that Auto boots to one OS unless you push a certain key during boot up. I dont mean a menu, and then an auto select after a timer runs out, but something more like the CMOS control program. Thank you for any help.

**Harry Kuhman** · 01-02-2005, 01:15 AM

Originally Posted by adamherb

Is there a way that you can make a dual boot that Auto boots to one OS unless you push a certain key during boot up. I dont mean a menu,.....

I'm not clear what your issue is with a menu. XOSL does present the boot up options that you configure as a menu, but can be set to default to one of the selections if you don't pick from in menu in a user determined number of seconds. If you don't want to wait you can select a choice from the menu or you can type a number key that corresponds to the menu position that you want.

**adamherb** · 01-02-2005, 01:44 AM

Basiclly this is what I want:

If you push the power button, and just let it boot, it will boot into windows.
If you push a certain key during the boot up, say enter, then it boots into Linux.
It would work just like the BIOS configuration program, as long as you dont push the button, it goes right to windows.

Sorry if this makes no sense either.

**Alterscape** · 01-02-2005, 02:43 AM

That's called a bootloader, and depending on how you set up your Knoppix/Windows, you'll be using some combination of the NT bootloader (which is part of XP) and LILO or GRUB. All 3 of these tools provide the functionality you're looking for, in different ways. I believe Knoppix uses LILO by default, but I don't know the details of setting it up, since as I explained in your other thread, I'm currently fighting with it. I caution you to be careful of making Windows unbootable (I've done it once..) but others here can inform you much more reliably than I..

**Harry Kuhman** · 01-02-2005, 02:58 AM

Originally Posted by adamherb

Sorry if this makes no sense either.

I understand what you want, just not the logic behind it. Functionally, XOSL does just that, but it does display a boot menu while the timer gives you a chance to boot other than the default item. Other than trying to be sneaky and not show the menu, I don't see the difference.

I don't know of any program that does just what you want without a menu. On the other hand, the source code for XOSL is available here and the source code for Smart Boot Manager is available here, so if you really really want to make a version of either that doesn't display a menu when it boots you should certainly be able to do so.

**adamherb** · 01-02-2005, 03:12 AM

I share the computer, and the other people would get confused by a menu

**Harry Kuhman** · 01-02-2005, 03:17 AM

If the computer has a floppy you could also make a Smart Boot Manager floppy, leave the computer's MBR set to boot Windows, and insert the floppy when you want to iboot another partition or boot a CD (if installing another OS to hard disk be sure NOT to install lilo or grub in the MBR, install one of them to the partition the Linux system is on).

**adamherb** · 01-02-2005, 03:35 AM

That sounds good about the floppy thing. How do you do that? Is there a guide or something?

**Alterscape** · 01-02-2005, 03:44 AM

Just install Knoppix with the bootloader going in /BOOT instead of /MBR (its one of the setup options), and then let it create a floppy during the install process. You can use the floppy to boot Knoppix.

**adamherb** · 01-02-2005, 03:51 AM

Thanks! Ill do that. Are there any other settings that I have to remember, or any things that I need to know for an install. The documentation section seems to be down.