I downloaded a few VMware images for use in VMware player.
The mouse (a PS/2 type) did not work either in ReactOS or in Syllable,
but did work in PC-BSD (all in VMware Player). Later, I downloaded the install-cd iso of ReactOS and burned it to
a CD. The image is a tiny download (19MB uncompressed), so it didn't
take long. I intended to install ReactOS on a laptop and desktop.
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Member since:2006-01-16
>>Surely a bootloader that can boot OSes both
>>multiboot-compliant and not is better than one
>>that can boot almost nothing?
No, ignoring all the embedded systems out there most PCs are single os and the bootloader mater nothing as long as it boots the sole OS of the system. I named the reasons why I think GRUB is the wrong tool and you appear to ignore the significance of the second point. GRUB doesn't know how to boot ReactOS (or NT, XP etc.).
It doesn't mater what you think of GRUB and Freeloader but GRUB can't, I repeat CAN'T do the job.
When you load XP on an NTFS partition with GRUB what it dose is chainload XP, that means it lets XPs native bootloader do the job. Freeloader, the XP bootloader and GRUB have allot in common since the code in the MBR is only there to load the real bootloader that then continues to boot the OS. From what I understand GRUB was created for the HURD to not just load the microkernel but also the appropriate servers to get a usable system and similar things happen with Freeloader since ReactOS (and Windows NT, XP yada yada yada) is a hybrid (bastard if you will) kernel.
I don't know what extra work needs to be done with the HURD or with ReactOS (think this part this time, I'm getting tired writhing it) after the kernel is loaded but you can bet it is OS specific and the you will have to teach it to the bootloader.
Member since:2006-06-19
Member since:
2006-04-21
They have a boot loader, its called freeloader but they decided not to install it by default since they considered it rude to nuke your MBR when you are only installing an Alpha OS to test it.
That's a good point.
About GRUB, I don't think using it instead of freeloader is all that good of an idea. First you can forget about GRUB on an NTFS partition and NTFS support is a must.
ReactOS doesn't afaik currently support NTFS at all. And I have successfully installed Windows using GRUB instead of NTLDR.
Seriously would you try to use it as your main OS now?
No, which is why it would be nice if it played nicer with other OSes.
Second I don't think the ReactOS kernel is multiboot compliant (neither is NT, XP, 2003 Server or Vista as far as I know) so you would still have to chainload ReactOS. So you see GRUB is the wrong tool for this job.
Surely a bootloader that can boot OSes both multiboot-compliant and not is better than one that can boot almost nothing?
You shouldn't nitpick too much about the installer in an Alpha OS and there are some extra concerns about the installer that Windows has that Linux doesn't.
As I indicated, my concerns are not so much that ReactOS is not up to release-quality, but that as a Linux user, its approach to installation (namely sticking so closely to Windows) makes it a royal pain in the arse if for some reason (such as having over 150G of data already installed on the disk) it is not to have pride of first place on your hard drive.
Nevertheless, and I better state this point for a third if not a fourth time, I applaud the fact that ReactOS have come so far in duplicating their target.