# Dual boot



## itsmeacalling (Nov 17, 2008)

Hi 
I have just installed FreeBSD into a machine that was already duel booting Windows XP and Linux Mint. When I now boot the machine I have the choose of F1 DOS - F2 Linux - F3 ? - F4 FreeBSd. F1 DOS will boot and so will F4 FreeBSd but the other two F2 and F3 do nothing.  Can any body tell me how to get my Linux to work

Thanks


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## g4rdn3r (Nov 17, 2008)

You can install grub, and then configure it. http://www.ubergeek.co.uk/blog/2008/05/grub-freebsd-windowsxp/. However it don't solve the problem.


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## vinod (Nov 17, 2008)

re-install grub with live cd. http://www.linuxmint.com/wiki/index.php/How_to_repair_your_grub


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## Weinter (Nov 17, 2008)

If you are using Vista or XP I think you can configure a FreeBSD entry using bcdedit


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## kamikaze (Nov 17, 2008)

You can install a boot loader that can boot a Linux kernel into your Linux partition (not the MBR!). The FreeBSD boot loader is a chain loader. That means it just identifies partitions and starts the boot loader it finds there.

That's how it manages to be so small (< 512 byte).


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## Weinter (Nov 17, 2008)

kamikaze said:
			
		

> You can install a boot loader that can boot a Linux kernel into your Linux partition (not the MBR!). The FreeBSD boot loader is a chain loader. That means it just identifies partitions and starts the boot loader it finds there.
> 
> That's how it manages to be so small (< 512 byte).




With regards to FreeBSD Boot loader i *think* there are some issues with Vista due to the non standard Vista booting method 
If you used BSD boot loader Vista wouldn't boot i think 
(And because it has to be <512bytes it is downright ugly )

So i created a entry in Vista boot loader using bcdedit 
Works like a charm §e

Also for laptops with recovery partitions you wouldn't want to use BSD boot loader i think because if you accidentally hit the wrong button you will start recovery....x(


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## Weinter (Nov 17, 2008)

* bcdedit /create /d "Linux" /application BOOTSECTOR
Sometimes the /create doesn't work so use /copy
    * bcdedit /copy /d "FreeBSD Operating System" /application BOOTSECTOR
    * bcdedit /set {ID} device boot (where ID is a very long number which you will get after the first command)
Copy /boot/boot1 (FreeBSD CD) to C:\Windows
    * bcdedit /set {ID} PATH \Windows\boot1
    * bcdedit /displayorder {ID} /addlast (I did not try but probably you can also use "/addfirst")
    * bcdedit /timeout 5 (time in seconds before the default OS is started)


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## kamikaze (Nov 19, 2008)

Weinter said:
			
		

> With regards to FreeBSD Boot loader i *think* there are some issues with Vista due to the non standard Vista booting method
> If you used BSD boot loader Vista wouldn't boot i think
> (And because it has to be <512bytes it is downright ugly )
> 
> ...


Actually you can boot Vista with the FreeBSD boot loader.

You can also mask partitions, so you won't be able to accidentally start recovery.

I'll ask the author of the FreeBSD boot loader for Vista howto weather I may translate it.


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## hedwards (Nov 19, 2008)

I've used GAG a bit, and it works fine, is reasonably easy to setup and can be done via cdrom. It's not necessarily the greatest, but it's easy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAG_(boot_loader)


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## zeiz (Nov 19, 2008)

*boot manager*

I'd say GAG looks ugly nowadays but it works perfectly. I have 8 OS's to boot (1PP -xp, 2PP - FreeBSD, 3PP(at the end)- storage, 4EP - 6 linuxes) and I never had problems to boot any OS even after reinstall or exchanging linuxes: just setup GAG again in a minute and never forget to choose an OS's grub/loader setup on its own root.
Yeah...of course I dream to have gfx grub like bootloader for FreeBSD too 'cause it's the best OS ever!

From my point of view Vista is a junk whatever "special" boot they created (let's wait for W7 from M$  XP with sp3 looks much better to me.


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