Creating a boot floppy

[Thomas Kaiser]

Just make sure you install grub (the boot loader) into the boot record 
of your linux (root) partition NOT in the MBR. Then, you could use 
http://btmgr.webframe.org/ to boot any disk/partition in your box.
btmgr can be installed to a floppy from windows or linux. this is really 
a nice tool. You are also able to boot from a cd even your BIOS does NOT 
have this option (old hardware).

Installing grub into the MBR should not harm your system. It just gives 
you more choise about booting.

The "normal" MBR boot code only looks for the active partition and hands 
over the booting process to the boot record (code) of this partition. 
With grub you can just boot every partition.

You can put grub on a floppy, too. And have the same options as you 
would have if it was in the MBR. (search the web, man pages).

I think you should be able to find a ready to use grub floppy image on 
the net. If you don't find one. I can send you one, but without boot 
menu. So, to boot windows on your first partition on your first drive, 
you have to enter some commands, like:

rootnoverify (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1
boot

It would also be possible to boot grub from grub!

floppy grub -> mbr grub -> partiton boot record grub -> OS

Thomas


piltdown wrote:
> I have 2 hard drives, one with Windows XP installed and the other is
> empty, ready to install Ubuntu. I don't want to alter the MBR on the drive
> that has Windows on it - I want to leave it untouched. I would like to
> create a boot floppy so that when I want to use Ubuntu I simply boot from
> the floppy disk. 
> 
> Is this possible? If so, can I create one during the install process?
> 
> Thanks.
> 
>