lilo vs. gag

**A. Jorge Garcia** · 10-15-2003, 01:04 AM

I'm curious to hear from people with experience using both lilo in the mbr and gag. How is using gag different, or does gag just install itself in the mbr too? If so, is using gag safer somehow or easier?

TIA,

**oscar** · 10-15-2003, 01:18 AM

to use gag with linux lilo must be installed in root partition, no in mbr.
gag may be installed in mbr or it may be run from diskette.
If lilo is installed in mbr, as usual, GAG dont "see" it.

http://gag.sourceforge.net/index.html

**oscar** · 10-15-2003, 01:35 AM

GAG is not a replacement for lilo or grub. It is a "switcher"
This cut&paste may help to understand

I better recommend you to use the GAG boot loader http://gag.sourceforge.net/ ,a short description of the process would be:

1.- Use a tool to make the partitions for each OS (Partition Magic $, DiscDrake (from a knoppix for example), etc). Linux can be in the 2 HD.

2.- Then install in a good order de Os's, setting the appropiate partition ACTIVE and installing there, then change the active partition for the next and intall there the other windows. Then install linuxes. But take care of this, INSTALL THE APPROPIATE BOOT LOADERS (NT LOADER, LILO, ETC) IN ITS PARTITION, NO THE MBR. Gag will be installed in MBR.

3.- Install GAG, then you have a "higher" level boot loader that you can use to switch any os by preserving their respective boot loaders (NT loader, lilo, etc). Gag is installed from a diskette, and you save your configuration in the diskette.

**A. Jorge Garcia** · 10-15-2003, 02:12 AM

OK, so gag just switches boot loaders, say XP on hda1 and linux on hda2 with lilo in root. But is gag in mbr safe? I've had very bad experiences with lilo in mbr....

TIA,

**rneff** · 10-17-2003, 06:09 PM

So instead of having options in the boot loader in the MBR you have seperate boot loaders in the beginning of each partitions and then you use gag to select which partition to boot..

I think this is what gag is, from reading this post.

**A. Jorge Garcia** · 10-17-2003, 06:13 PM

Right, but I thought that messing with the mbr is not a good idea. Doesn't gag get installed in the mbr just like lilo does?

TIA,

**rneff** · 10-17-2003, 06:15 PM

Sounds like it does. Messing with the MBR can be a very bad idea, but that does not mean that you cant/shouldnt do it. If you do what you are supposed to then everything will be fine. ALWAYS MAKE BOOT DISKS and then you can never really get into trouble.