  NT OS Loader + Linux mini-HOWTO
  Bernd Reichert, <reichert@dial.eunet.ch>
  v1.11, 2 September 1997

  1.  Abstract

  This document describes the use of the Windows NT boot loader to start
  Linux.  This procedures have been tested with Windows NT 4.0 WS and
  Linux 2.0.


  2.  How does the NT OS Loader work

  The NT OS loader likes to have the boot sector from the other
  operating systems available as a file. It reads this file and starts
  the operating system selected, i.e. either Windows NT in different
  Modes or any other OS.


  3.  Tips on how to install Windows NT and Linux on the same System

  3.1.  Windows NT installation

  Try to install Windows NT first. If you want to use NTFS for your
  Windows NT-partition, keep in mind, that the todays production version
  of Linux cannot access NTFS partitions.  An alpha driver that can read
  NTFS-Partitions is available at http://www.informatik.hu-
  berlin.de/~loewis/ntfs.  You may create a separate FAT-Partition for
  data exchange or you have to use DOS-formatted floppies.


  3.2.  Partitioning

  Another Mini-howto recommends not to use NTs "Disk Administartor" to
  create the Linux swap- and root-partitions. It is sufficient to see
  the free space there. I also recommend to use linux's fdisk later.


  3.3.  Linux installation

  Now boot linux from diskettes, create the swap and root-partition.
  Fdisk assumes the ntfs-partition to be a HPFS-partition.  This is
  normal.  Boot again from diskettes and install Linux as you like.


  Just in case the installation procedure suggests that you could mount
  the HPFS partition which it has found: Ignore it.


  3.4.  Lilo

  When you come to the Lilo-Section, specify your Linux-root-partition
  as your boot device because the Master Boot Record (MBR) of your
  harddisk is owned by Windows NT. This means that the root-entry and
  the boot-entry in your /etc/lilo.conf have the same value.  If you
  have a IDE-harddisk and your Linux-partition is the second partition,
  your boot-entry in /etc/lilo.conf looks like:



       boot=/dev/hda2



  If you have two disks and your Linux resides on the first partition of
  your second disk, your boot-entry in /etc/lilo.conf looks like:



       boot=/dev/hdb1



  Run lilo with a kernel that matches your system.  Check the kernel by
  booting from diskette first if you are not sure.


  If you cannot boot Windows NT now, you have a problem.  I hope you
  have created a repair-disk recently.



  4.  Bootpart

  There is a NT-programm called bootpart written by G. Vollant that can
  do the jobs from the next two points for you. Bootpart is available at
  http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/gvollant/bootpart.htm.


  If you want to know how things are working together, use the
  procedures described in point 5 and 6.



  5.  The Linux part of the work

  You have to boot from diskettes until the NT-part is fixed.


  Now you have to peel the bootsector from your Linux-root-Partition.
  With /dev/hda2 as your linux-partition, the dd-command is:



       # dd if=/dev/hda2 of=/bootsect.lnx bs=512 count=1



  There is something wrong if your bootsect.lnx has more than 512 bytes.

  Now copy the file bootsect.lnx to a DOS-formated floppy if this is
  your way to transfer files to the NTFS-Windows-partition.

  You can copy it with



       # mcopy /bootsect.lnx a:



  or with



  # mount -t msdos /dev/fd0 /mnt
  # copy /bootsect.lnx /mnt
  # umount /mnt



  6.  The Windows NT part of the work

  Copy the file from the diskette to C:\\bootsect.lnx. I don't tell you
  how to do that.

  What lilo.conf is for linux is c:\\boot.ini for Windows NT.  Remove
  the, system- and the read-only-attribute before you can modify it
  with:



       C:\attrib -s -r c:\boot.ini



  Now change the file boot.ini with an editor, notepad for example, as
  follows:



       [boot loader]
       timeout=30
       default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
       [operating systems]
       multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows NT Workstation ...
       multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows NT Workstation ...
       C:\BOOTSECT.LNX="Linux"



  Only the last line has been added in this example.  Restore the
  attributes after you have saved boot.ini with:



       C:\attrib +s +r c:\boot.ini



  After a shutdown of your Windows NT and a restart your should see the
  following:



    OS Loader V4.00

    Please select the operating system to start:

    Windows NT Workstation Version 4.0
    Windows NT Workstation Version 4.0 [VGA mode]
    Linux

  Select Linux and see

    LILO loading zImage ....



  7.  Play it again Sam

  A new copy of bootsect.lnx must be transfererd to C:\BOOTSECT.LNX evry
  time the bootsector of your linux-partition has been modified.  This
  happens for example when you install a new kernel with lilo.  As you
  can see such a system in not ideal for testing experimental kernels.



  8.  Troubleshooting

  If things do not work as expected, check bootability with a floppy
  disk.  With /dev/hdb1 as your Linux-partition, your /etc/lilo.conf has
  the following entries:



       root=/dev/hdb1
       boot=/dev/fd0



  Run lilo with a diskette inserted. Now try to boot from the diskette.
  If your Linux on /dev/hdb1 can't be started, the NT OS loader will
  also fail to start it.  If you see a lot of 01 01 01 01, your root-
  disk is not accessible.  Check whether all your disks are known by the
  bios.


  If the floppy boots your Linux partition, you can peel of your boot-
  sector for the NT OS loader with:



       # dd if=/dev/fd0 of=/bootsect.lnx bs=512 count=1



  You can keep this diskette as your rescue-diskette just in case your
  Windows NT installation breaks.



  9.  References


  ·  The Linux+WindowsNT mini-HOWTO

  ·  The FAQ for FreeBSD 2.X


  10.  Acknowledgements


  ·  Thanks to Xiaoming Yi <z3c20@ttacs.ttu.edu> for the tip that the
     procedures work also with other disks than the first one.

  ·  Thanks to Frank Dennler <Frank.Dennler@zkb.ch> for the diskette-
     trick.


  11.  Feedback

  Any comments are welcome.



