Re: Booting FreeBSD-5.3 from NTLDR

From: Loren M. Lang (lorenl_at_alzatex.com)
Date: 01/30/05

  • Next message: J65nko BSD: "Re: BIND9 doesn't seem to do anything" 
    Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2005 04:06:18 -0800
To: rax@rakhesh.com

    On Sun, Jan 30, 2005 at 03:35:45PM +0400, Rakhesh Sasidharan wrote:
    > Hi Joe!
    >
    > Thanks for that. I'll try that today evening from home, and see how it
    > goes. :))
    >
    > But now here's something else. A doubt actually, based on what you
    > said. I didn't mention this in my previous post -- but I had infact
    > copied the "/boot/boot0" file to my WinXP partition (though I can't
    > recollect if I renamed the file like you said), and poof!! my whole
    > parition table and MBR was overwritten!! Suddenly there's no more
    > WinXP, and all my partitions there are gone, and all I can boot into
    > is FreeBSD!
    >
    > Thankfully I had Fedora, and using that I searched the net for
    > partition unerasing programs, found a demo version which would just
    > show me all the deleted paritions (thank god!), booted with a DOS
    > floppy and used this program to find the sector numbers of all my
    > paritions, and then used Linux fdisk to recreate those partitions and
    > move on. :D
    >
    > At that time I reasoned out that since "/boot/boot0" is a copy of the
    > FreeBSD, maybe somehow it overwrote my "/dev/ad0" MBR when I copied
    > the file over (possibly this file is special or something) and that's
    > how things got messed up. Could you throw some light on what could
    > have made things happen that way? Is the fact that I copied "boot0"
    > without renaming what caused all these problems? Is "boot0" a special
    > file or something?

    No, boot0 is just a normal file that is 512 bytes long. There is
    nothing special about it. In it is a bootloader program that can be
    used to boot FreeBSD, and if you run it during boot, it will read the
    partition table and look for all OSes. I think it will modify the
    partition table, though, marking the last OS you booted into, but that's
    the program running doing that, the file itself is harmless.

    >
    > Thanks,
    > Rakhesh
    >
    > On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 09:04:20 +0000, Joe Kraft <hishadow@netcabo.pt> wrote:
    > > Rakhesh Sasidharan wrote:
    > > > I didnt see a copy of this mail returned to me, so am sure if it has
    > > > reached the list. Since I just subscribed, its possible something is
    > > > wrong -- and so am resending it.
    > > >
    > > > Sorry for the inconv. :))
    > > >
    > > > On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 10:47:41 +0400, Rakhesh Sasidharan
    > > > <rakhesh.s@gmail.com> wrote:
    > > >
    > > >>Hi,
    > > >>
    > > >>Are there any issues in booting FreeBSD using NTLDR? My machine has
    > > >>Windows XP, Fedora Core 3, and FreeBSD-5.3, and while I know I can use
    > > >>GRUB to boot FreeBSD, I want to try booting it using NTLDR. Just for
    > > >>kicks -- its something I haven't tried so far. :))
    > > >>
    > > >>My ad0 disk has WinXP (and NTLDR), while ad1 has FreeBSD. I tried the
    > > >>usual suggestions of extracting the first 512 bytes of "/dev/ad1"
    > > >>(using "dd") into a file and telling NTLDR to use that file for
    > > >>booting. But it doesn't work. Then I tried extracting 512 bytes from
    > > >>other locations like "/dev/ad1s1" and "/dev/ad1s1a" and "/dev/ad1s1c",
    > > >>but to no avail. Finally I even tried copying over copying
    > > >>"/boot/boot1" (and even "/boot/boot2" and "/boot/loader" coz I was at
    > > >>my wits end) to a file, and telling NTLDR to use that file for booting
    > > >>-- but again nada! Most of the times I'd get a "Boot Error" message,
    > > >>while at other times nothing happens.
    > > >>
    > > >>Searching around on Google, I found a post to freebsd-stable that asks
    > > >>the same question
    > > >>(http://www.mail-archive.com/freebsd-stable@freebsd.org/msg64950.html).
    > > >>The reply given there was to use this program called BOOTPART (can be
    > > >>run from Windows, it extracts the bootsector of any partition you
    > > >>specify, which can then be used to boot into that partition using
    > > >>NTLDR). Using that program does allow me extract the bootsectors of
    > > >>the FreeBSD partition, and use that from NTLDR to boot into it -- but
    > > >>I am still stumped -- how does this program manage to extract the
    > > >>bootsectors, while "dd" is not? I've used the "dd" method to
    > > >>successfully boot into Fedora Core 3 using NTLDR, so I know it
    > > >>generally does the job.
    > > >>
    > > >>Any suggestions folks? Is there some incompatibility thing with NTLDR,
    > > >>or am I going wrong somewhere?
    > > >>
    > > >>Thanks,
    > > >>Rakhesh
    > > >>
    > > >
    > > >
    > > >
    > >
    > > I'm doing it with Win2k, I haven't tried it yet with XP though. And
    > > I'll preface this, with I'm doing this from memory because I can't find
    > > the web page they originally came from.
    > >
    > > I had Win2k set up already with an empty partition for FBSD. A fresh
    > > backup of the windows part, and the magic "recovery disk" may ease
    > > concerns of trashing what you have, but I like to live dangerously so I
    > > didn't have them.
    > >
    > > Boot the FBSD install CD and install, when you're setting up the
    > > partition I've tried to get the installer to leave the boot loader
    > > alone, but NTLDR gets clobbered every time.
    > >
    > > When you've got FBSD running, save a copy of /boot/boot0 somewhere you
    > > will be able to get to it from Windows.
    > >
    > > Now you've bot FBSD but not windows, now go back to your Win2k install
    > > CD and "repair" your current installation, all you should have do do is
    > > the 'inspect boot files" part.
    > >
    > > Once windows restarts, as "administrator" you need to edit boot.ini to
    > > add an entry for FBSD. Mine looks like (the last line wrapped, but
    > > should be a single line):
    > >
    > > [root@slug mnt]# cat boot.ini
    > > [boot loader]
    > > timeout=10
    > > default=C:\freebsd.boot
    > > [operating systems]
    > > C:\freebsd.boot="FreeBSD"
    > > multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000
    > > Professional" /fastdetect
    > >
    > > Then copy the boot0 file to C: drive (I called it freebsd.boot).
    > > Restart the computer and you should have two choices in the list and you
    > > can choose to boot windows or FBSD.
    > >
    > > Best of luck,
    > > Joe.
    > >
    > >
    >
    >
    > --
    > Rakhesh
    > rax@rakhesh.com
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