XPost: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware, alt.comp.hardware   
   From: not.my.real@email.address   
      
   Norm X wrote:   
      
   > I'm setting up software on a 32-bit netbook that I restored. The new   
   > drive is a 32GB internal SSD from SuperTalent. New installation is   
   > always rewarding. I had an installation of Android_x86 on a tiny 8GB   
   > Sansdisk thumbdrive. Benchmarking shows the internal SSD is faster.   
   > After the WinXP-32 installation was working nicely, I used Partition   
   > Magic to downsize WinXP by 8GB and move Android_x86 to the free space. I   
   > had used EasyBCD with Vista or Win7 as the boot drive for multi-boot and   
   > WinXP. Now I find that EasyBCD does not work on WinXP. I dread the   
   > thought of an Android/Linux solution for multiboot, but I could be   
   > wrong. I've been using multi-boot for decades. Please suggest a way I   
   > can do WinXP multiboot into a non Windows OS. I might add that I have   
   > used Linux install after resize of WinXP to yield free space. Linux   
   > installs a Grub bootloader in the MBR. From my experience, I might risk   
   > everything six months down the road.   
      
   So, are you asking how to do this from the Windows side of things? (If not,   
   please clarify.) If so, install grub to the partition Android is installed   
   on (instead of the MBR) and then add this line to C:\boot.ini (assuming   
   Android is on /dev/sda2, the second primary partition of the first drive):   
     multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)="Android_x86"   
      
   Note that you want this line to be pretty similar to the one that reads   
   "Microsoft Windows XP Home/Professional/whatever"; "multi" might be replaced   
   with "scsi", for example, and "disk" and "rdisk" should have the same   
   numbers as the Windows line, assuming both partitions are on the same disk.   
      
      
   If that doesn't work for you, for whatever reason...   
      
   1) Boot into Android.   
   2) Create a copy of the grub bootloader. This should do it:   
      dd if=/dev/sda of=android.mbr count=1   
      (if = input file; of = output file -- use an 8.3-format name)   
      ***IMPORTANT: YOU CAN SERIOUSLY HOSE YOUR SYSTEM***   
      *******IF YOU USE THE WRONG THING FOR "of"!!!******   
   2a) Alternately, google for "mbr backup windows" and use one of the   
       resulting (free) tools.   
   3) Move that file to the root directory of the Windows C:\ drive.   
   4) Add this to the [operating systems] section of your boot.ini file:   
      C:\android.mbr="Android_x86"   
      (Replace "android.mbr" with whatever you named the file.)   
   5) Make sure that in the [boot loader] section, the "timeout" entry (if it   
      exists) is higher than zero.   
   6) Save boot.ini and enjoy your multiboot system.   
      
   This, of course, assumes that you actually have grub installed. If not,   
   you'll need to install grub properly (or lilo or whatever floats your boat),   
   do the above list, then reinstall the NT boot sector (which can be done from   
   the XP CDROM recovery console with the command "fixmbr").   
      
   Note that this process *should* work with any OS where you can access the   
   MBR.   
      
   I know this probably looks horribly complicated, but it isn't, really.   
      
   Here's some relevant info from Microsoft re: boot.ini:   
     https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/ff550245.aspx   
      
   --   
   We may lose without even fighting. That would be a new experience for me.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)