(ReactOS Wiki) Boot FreeLoader from GRUB

== Background ==

GRUB is a popular boot manager for people with many different operating systems installed on one machine or hard disk. [[FreeLoader]] is ReactOS's bootloader and also a possible boot manager. If you have GRUB already installed and then install ReactOS, FreeLoader's abilites become redundant and annoying. This document shows how to keep FreeLoader from doing much but acting as a bootloader for ReactOS.

== Method ==

FreeLoader can be loaded as a "multiboot kernel" by multiboot compliant bootstrap loaders like GRUB. To load FreeLoader from GRUB, put something like this in the GRUB's '''menu.lst''' configuration file:

<pre>

title ReactOS

root (hd0,0)

kernel /freeldr.sys

</pre>

Note:

* (hd0,0) refers to the first partition on the first disk.

* (hd1,0) refers to the first partition on the second disk.

* (hd0,1) refers to the second partition on the first disk.

You should make sure that the path referred to by "kernel" and '''freeldr.sys''' is on a FAT16/32 partition.

You can also override settings in the [FREELOADER] section of FreeLoader's '''freeldr.ini''' configuration file by passing them on the command like, like this:

<pre>

title ReactOS

root (hd0,0)

kernel /freeldr.sys DefaultOS=ReactOS TimeOut=0

title ReactOS (Debug)

root (hd0,0)

kernel /freeldr.sys DefaultOS=ReactOS_Debug TimeOut=0

</pre>

After selecting "ReactOS" from the GRUB menu you won't have to make another selection on the freeloader menu because of the "TimeOut=0".

== GRUB 2 ==

The next generation of GRUB, GRUB 2 uses other language in its configuration file '''grub.cfg'''. Here is an example how to add a menu entry for ReactOS:

<pre>

menuentry "ReactOS" {

set root=(hd0,1)

multiboot /freeldr.sys

}

</pre>

Note that partition numbering has been changed, and (hd0,1) refers to the first partition on the first disk.

== Links ==

http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/util/boot/grub013.zip

== External links ==

* [http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/html_node/ GRUB Manual]

* [http://www.gnu.org/software/grub GRUB homepage]

* [http://grub.enbug.org/ Grub wiki]

* [http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Linux+Win9x+Grub-HOWTO/index.html Linux+Win+Grub HowTo]

* [http://www.skyjammer.com/files/knoppix/ Win32 Grub]

* [http://www.ameritech.net/users/gholmer/booting.html Booting with GRUB]

* [http://grub4dos.sourceforge.net/ WinGRUB]

* [http://www.geocities.com/lode_leroy/grubinstall/ GRUB Installer for Windows]

* [http://grub.linuxeden.com/ GRUB for DOS] - Bridging DOS/Windows to Unix/Linux ( Chinese site )

[[Category:Tutorial]]