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Harrison
3rd June 2008, 12:36
Is it possible to dual boot an Amiga with a single HD? If so what software is needed? Are there boot loaders available for the Amiga similar to GRUB?

The reason I want to do this is so I can installed Workbench 3.1 and AmigaOS 3.9 on the same HD. And maybe if this is possible to also have separate installations of ClassicWB and Linux on their too.

Stephen Coates
3rd June 2008, 13:53
I just select the correct partition in the Early startup menu.

I also recall setting the 3.1 partition which I don't use much to not bootable in HDToolBox then just make it bootable when I use it, but this may not be necessary.

I am not aware of any software which does this.

Buleste
3rd June 2008, 15:08
2 bootable partitions, same priority. Main partition hads the **0: prefix and the second has **1: and then as SC said pick the drive in the AES screen. Thats how i run OS3.9 and OS4. Not the most gracefull of solutions but it does work. I suppose it could be done with an altered startup sequence and say a 3.1Libs and Libs folders etc and boot with no startup then type execute 3.1startup-sequence and edit it to set assigns to "assign Libs: sys:3.1libs" etc. but that would be very inefficiant and damn confusing.

Stephen Coates
3rd June 2008, 17:57
So you just set both partitions to the same priority? Does that mean that you will always have to select one due to it not knowing which to use first?

Buleste
3rd June 2008, 21:40
It then boots due to the first device name e.g DH0: would be booted before DH1: if you don't use AES.

TiredOfLife
3rd June 2008, 23:51
Amigakit are looking into creating dual boot software for OS3xxx and OS4.

At the min, I just use the early startup menu.

There are plenty of programs to boot up different startup sequences, although that's not the same.

burns flipper
5th June 2008, 12:54
http://classicwb.abime.net/classicweb/multiboot.htm

Bloodwych
5th June 2008, 18:11
http://classicwb.abime.net/classicweb/multiboot.htm

That's more like dual startup-sequences than dual booting, loading different setups on the same partition and Workbench, but you could do something similar to boot two operating systems I would have thought.

You'd put 3.1 on the first partition and 3.5/3.9 on the second. Then setup a boot menu (or mouse button boot program like I did in the ClassicWB packs) in the original startup-sequence that goes on and executes other scripts.

It's not perfect however, as you'll have to have loads of assigns for things like C, S, ENV: etc. pointing to the second partition. Perhaps there are other complications; I don't know as I've never tried.

Must be a partition boot loader on Aminet, or you can just use the early startup menu to choose a partition as others have mentioned above.

Harrison
5th June 2008, 18:21
I'm quite surprised than no one seems to have directly developed a proper partition boot loader for the Amiga. Every other system I can think of has one.

ppill
5th June 2008, 21:40
It's not perfect however, as you'll have to have loads of assigns for things like C, S, ENV: etc. pointing to the second partition. Perhaps there are other complications; I don't know as I've never tried.


There's a little program called movesys (http://aminet.net/package/util/cli/MoveSYS) that thakes care of all that dirty work (reassigning all those essential system drawers). I use it with my CF versions of ClassicWB.

It really shouldn't be too difficult. I have no idea how OS4 goes about initializing itself but with 3.5/3.9 it's simply a case of a slightly altered SetPatch command that loads the updated libraries (at least I think it is -- never really used it much).

Couple of IF/ENDIFs in the startup-sequence and you should have a working setup.


I'm quite surprised than no one seems to have directly developed a proper partition boot loader for the Amiga. Every other system I can think of has one.

There's a working port of LILO that comes with the m68k, Amiga version of Linux. Never tried it myself though.

Buleste
6th June 2008, 10:32
OS4 starts by basically updating the ROMs and performs a soft reboot and then loads normally albiet with all sorts of different ways of handling things.