Every time you turn on your computer, its as if its the first time your computer has ever been turned on since there are no instructions or data in memory. This allows for multiple boots to allow different operating systems to be loaded and used on the same computer. For example, Macs allow users to run OS X, Windows, and Linux using the Boot Camp boot manager that comes as a OS X utility.
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For all WinNT before Vista the ntldr will be the 4th and last program in the boot sequence chain. It's called the bootloader and it is the one that does the actual job of starting Windows from the System32 folder. (The ntldr also has the auxiliary function of a bootmanager which can with the aid of a partition list held in the boot.ini start a Windows OS on a different partition to the one it is itself on).
The Vista and Win7 boot sequence is slightly different because ntldr has been superseded. In old WinNT the ntldr was both bootmanager and bootloader, but from Vista these two functions have been separated out into two different programs. The bootmanager function of finding and selecting the OS to be started is now called bootmgr. The bootloader function of actually starting the OS is now a new file called winload.exe. The bootmgr program stays in the root of the partition and winload.exe has been placed inside the System32 folder alongside the Windows OS it has to start. This has added an extra step to the boot sequence chain, so in Vista it is the 5th program that starts Windows.
If you already have a Windows dualboot and then add Vista as a third OS then you will not get three choices from the new Vista boot menu, because the original ntldr will continue to be used to select which of the old OSes to boot. Each of the bootmanagers in the chain will offer separate boot menus. Vista's bootmgr will offer 2 choices of Vista and previous OSes, then ntldr will display your original boot menu. Overall the multiboot sequence is no different to the dualboot one. Both bootmgr and ntldr will always be on the active partition of the boot hard drive and both will ignore PBRs and jump directly to Windows in the System32 folder. (The ntldr has also always skipped PBRs).
Once you have a grasp of how the boot sequence chain progresses then you should be able to see what will break the chain and so have a much better awareness of what you can and cannot do. You obviously cannot format the system partition and do a fresh install of any OS there without losing all the other boot options. A fresh install on the system partition will not detect anything that has gone before and so will not configure the bootmanager to include any of the other OSes on the computer. You also can't install or reinstall old WinNT on any of the other partitions as this will rewrite the system partition PBR to look for ntldr, which will mean the boot sequence chain of any Vista install will be broken. You should be able to reinstall a Vista to any of the other partitions as this will reuse any current bootmgr and ntldr it finds on the system partition.
Perhaps you can now understand why Microsoft say you have to install your operating systems in the order of the oldest first. A newer OS will ensure the changes it makes to the boot components on the system partition are backward compatible for all the older OSes. With Vista that change should be obvious to you now, for Windows 2000, XP and 2003 it is the ntldr that causes the problem, as a fresh or repair install of Windows will always replace any existing ntldr on the system partition with its own, which won't be forward compatible to the newer Windows OSes. The 2K ntldr cannot boot XP and the XP one cannot boot 2003. When it comes to Win9x it is a somewhat different situation for a dual or multiboot set up. You can only natively have one install of Win9x on the computer when using the Microsoft bootmanager and this install has to be on the system partition. So obviously you will have major problems trying to do this and retain any current dual or multiboot arrangement. (I'm not covering Win9x here as there are plenty of other guides around for that and this guide is long enough already).
The first obstacle to tackle before I go any further is I believe simply one of attitude. The first obstacle to tackle before I go any further is I believe simply one of attitude. I'm constantly frustrated by people saying that they don't think they should tamper with the Microsoft way of doing things. This response always perplexes me somewhat because there will hardly be one amongst us who has not already chosen a different path for some area of our computing experience. When you choose to use a different firewall, or browser, or whatever, you do so because you recognise that Microsoft cannot always produce the best software in all areas. That sometimes third party apps can be better developed and supported, can offer features you want and not do things you don't want. When we replace bundled software like Media Player we may do so because it does things we don't like for reasons that might not be in our interests. Now I'm not a Microsoft hater, far from it, I just like to be in control and I like to improve on something if it can be improved. The bootmanager bundled with Windows does not do what I want and does things I don't want.
Above shows the IPL starting the PBR of the XP install on the second partition of the hard drive. Each Windows install on the drive is entirely independent and has no links to a system partition or a bootmanager that is inside another OS. All are started by their own PBR and each one has an ntldr or bootmgr that is set to only start its own OS. The immediate advantage of this is that you can do whatever you like with each OS without affecting any other. You can make changes on one partition without breaking the boot sequence chain of others, so you can install or reinstall any Windows OS in any order you like. You can image and clone individual Windows installs without having to worry about how they are connected to a system partition. If you use a clever enough IPL you can start any PBR on any hard drive and if you put that IPL in the MBR of every hard drive then you can swap drives around and still immediately boot any OS on your computer.
As mentioned earlier the Microsoft IPL is small and very limited in its capabilities, but it can be easily replaced with one that can give you many more functions and features. There are several around and they are commonly referred to as MBR bootmanagers. They will halt the boot sequence at the IPL stage to give you a boot menu. When you make your choice the active partition flag will be handed to that partition and then its PBR will be loaded. Different MBR bootmanagers offer varying options for hiding other partitions, booting logical partitions and second or higher hard drives, password protecting particular OSes, or even hiding the bootmanager so only you know you have a multiboot machine. Some can even auto-detect partition, drive and OS changes and update and correct the boot menu for you. It's up to you to decide which meets the needs of your own particular setup. Most can be installed from floppy or CD or from inside Windows. The four I have tested so far with Vista are OSL2000, Boot-US, GAG and ParagonBM. In the event of anything messing up your multiboot system then these types of bootmanagers can usually manage a full recovery by simply reinstalling them, which is a simple and quick task, unlike reinstalling and reconfiguring a damaged Microsoft bootmanager.
There are some other utilities around that either use the same disk space as MBR bootmanagers or hook themselves into the Microsoft IPL. You need to know that you don't have something already in there that an MBR bootmanager might change. The most common thing would be a Dynamic Drive Overlay (DDO) which is used to compensate for a hard drive that is larger than the computer can natively handle. If you have fitted a larger hard drive and used any of the manufacturer's apps to get it set up and working, then you might have an Overlay in your MBR. Scroll about half way down this page to 'Software Translation'.
The next best option is a bootmanager that you keep on its own small dedicated partition, often at the start of the boot hard drive, but some will use a logical partition. Even though this may sound similar to the way ntldr and bootmgr operate it does not usually require the partition to become a system partition, so each Windows install can still be independent with its own ntldr or bootmgr and loaded by its own PBR. The bootmanager partition will always be the one started by the IPL. Be aware however that most bootmanagers of this type still replace the Microsoft IPL in the MBR so that it will always target the bootmanager partition at computer startup. The Active status of partitions will be ignored by the new IPL and will instead be controlled and changed by the bootmanager itself when you make your booting choice. Many of the issues relevant to pure IPL bootmanagers can also therefore apply to dedicated partition bootmanagers.
The size of the bootmanager partition shown above is of course not to any scale and in reality is usually very small. There are several of these types of bootmanagers around, each offering varying features. I've tested XOSL, BootMagic, Acronis OSS and BootIT-NG, all of which can work with Vista, but a couple have serious issues you need to be aware of. See the bootmanager page for specific details. 2ff7e9595c
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