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[Lowell Gilbert]

Reply-To	  'freebsd-questions' <freebsd-questions at freebsd.org>
Subject: Re: 4.9-RELEASE + XP Pro problem
References: <200402201831.i1KIVao11103 at clunix.cl.msu.edu>
From: Lowell Gilbert <freebsd-questions-local at be-well.ilk.org>
Date: 20 Feb 2004 13:54:54 -0500
In-Reply-To: <200402201831.i1KIVao11103 at clunix.cl.msu.edu>
Message-ID: <44ptc9wphd.fsf at be-well.ilk.org>
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Jerry McAllister <jerrymc at clunix.cl.msu.edu> writes:

> You want to choose the first one to install the FreeBSD Boot Manager
> The standard boot record will only boot FreeBSD and nothing else.
> 
> The terminology is a little confusing here, but you want the FreeBSD
> boot _manager_ not just the standard boot _record_  - two different
> sector positions on the disk.  The boot _manager_ choosed which
> boot _record_ to start booting with.

To reduce the confusion:  the standard boot record will boot whatever
is marked as the "active" slice, not just FreeBSD.  If you have a tool
that can change the active slice, you don't technically need to change
the Master Boot Record ("MBR") to boot something different.  This is
rarely useful, although occasionally someone will want to set up the
disk so that it always boots one particular slice if booting from the
hard disk, and boot from a floppy to boot other slices.

Also, the boot manager gets installed to the MBR; you can't have it
installed at the same time as the standard boot record.  This is why
the boot manager is so minimally featured; it fits completely into the
MBR, and so has to stay within 512 bytes.