XOSL: A Test Project - Detailed Notes

Written:
01-Apr-2003

XOSL: A Test Project - Detailed Notes
By Thiravudh Khoman

1) Installation Floppies

Floppy #1:

You can get a head start on creating Floppy #1 by going to: Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs > Startup Disk tab > Create Disk button under a previously installed Windows 98. Then, delete the files you don't see above and copy or download MSCDEX.EXE from somewhere (all CD-ROM driver diskettes should have it). Also, edit CONFIG.SYS and create CDROM.BAT so that it matches mine (or something to that effect if you know what you're doing).

This is what my CONFIG.SYS file looks like:

DEVICE=HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF
DEVICE=OAKCDROM.SYS /D:MSCD001
DOS=HIGH,UMB
FILES=40
BUFFERS=40
STACKS=9,256
SHELL=COMMAND.COM /P /E:1024

and this is what my CDROM.BAT file looks like:

MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 /L:X

Why didn't I put this into AUTOEXEC.BAT? Simple, we will use it so rarely and it will save a few seconds on every reboot to keep to separate.

Next, create a 0 byte AUTOEXEC.BAT by doing this:

COPY CON: AUTOEXEC.BAT
^Z (i.e. press ctrl-Z)

Finally, download and extract PART240.ZIP to your hard disk and copy only PART.EXE and CWSDPMI.EXE to Floppy #1.

Floppy #2:

All of these files except for COMMAND.COM (which came from Floppy #1) came from the XOSL\ directory where XOSL was extracted:

COMMAND.COM - prevents "COMMAND.COM not found" type errors
INSTALL.EXE - Partman installation program
CURR_MBR.XCF - part of Partman
DEFAULT.MBR - part of Partman
DEFAULT.XFF - part of Partman
EXTRA.XFF - part of Partman
IPL06.BIN - part of Partman
IPL06LBA.BIN - part of Partman
IPL0B.BIN - part of Partman
IPL0BLBA.BIN - part of Partman
IPLS.BIN - part of Partman
IPLSLBA.BIN - part of Partman
SBMINST.EXE - part of Partman
SPLASHLG.XBF - part of Partman
XOSLIMG0.XXF - part of Partman
XOSLIMG1.XXF - part of Partman
XOSLIMG2.XXF - part of Partman
XOSLIMG3.XXF - part of Partman
XOSLIMG4.XXF - part of Partman
XOSLIMG5.XXF - part of Partman
XOSLLOAD.XCF - part of Partman
XOSLLOGO.XBF - part of Partman
XOSLWALL.XBF - part of Partman
XRPART00.XXF - part of Partman
XRPART01.XXF - part of Partman
NOTES.TXT - can be deleted
GPL.TXT - can be delete

2) Partitioning/Formatting

Boot from Floppy #1
Run: fdisk /mbr to reinitialize the MBR
Run: part (i.e. Ranish Partition Manager)
If any partitions still exist, delete them by pointing to the partition entry and pressing the Del key. Don't worry, you can't delete the MBR.
When you're finished, only one entry should remain: 0 MBR Master Boot Record and the cursor should be on 1 Pri Unused
Press F2 to save your deletions
We'll now create the Windows 98 SE partition
Press Enter, choose FAT-32, back space and enter a value of 800000. We're creating an 800MB partition for Windows 98.
Select Save later
Press B to make this partition bootable/the active partition. We're only doing this to eliminate some of Partman's warnings - actually, XOSL will change this later so it's not really necessary. A > will appear.
Cursor to the right until you get to the Ending Head column. Change or make sure this number is 254. We're doing so that the partition boundaries are set correctly (a minor problem in Partman).
Move down and back to to 3 Pri Unused
We'll now create the Windows 2000 partition
Press Enter, choose FAT-32, back space and enter a value of 1000000. We're creating a 1GB partition for Windows 2000. Later, this FAT32 file system will be converted to NTFS when we perform the Windows 2000 install.
Select Save later
Change the Ending Head to 254 as was previously done
Move down and back to to 4 Pri Unused
We'll now create the Windows XP partition
Press Enter, choose FAT-32, back space and enter a value of 1500000. We're creating a 1.5GB partition for Windows XP. Later, this FAT32 file system will be converted to NTFS when we perform the Windows XP install.
Select Save later
Change the Ending Head to 254 as was previously done
Move down and back to to 5 Pri Unused
We'll now create an Extended partition
Press Enter, choose Extended, and accept all of the remaining space
Select Save later
Move down and back to to 6 Log Unused
We'll now create a dedicated partition for XOSL
Press Enter, choose FAT16, and back space and enter a value of 16000. We're creating a 16MB partition for XOSL.
Select Save later
Move down and back to to 7 Log Unused
We'll now create a data partition for all 3 Windows to share
Press Enter, choose FAT32, and back space and enter a value of 3000000. We're creating a 3GB shared data partition.
Select Save later
Move down and back to to 9 Log Unused (noticed that 8 was skipped)
We'll now create a Linux swap partition
Press Enter, choose Linux swap, and back space and enter a value of 256000. We're creating a 256MB swap partition for Linux (i.e. 2X of RAM = 2 x 128MB = 256MB).
Select Save later
Move down and back to to 11 Log Unused (again, 10 was skipped)
We'll now create a Linux root partition
Press Enter, choose Linux, and accept all of the remaining space
Select Save later
Now's a good time to save your work. Press F2. A message will appear informing you of this fact.
It's time to format the partitions. Partman has the ability to format certain types of partitions only, such as FAT16 and FAT32, but not NTFS. Also, it can format a Linux ext2 file system, but not the newer ext3.
Move the cursor up to the Windows 98 partition: 1 Pri Windows FAT-32
Press F and confirm to proceed with the formatting
Move the cursor down to the Windows 2000 partition: 2 Pri Windows FAT-32
Press F and confirm to proceed with the formatting
Move the cursor down to the Windows XP partition: 3 Pri Windows FAT-32
Press F and confirm to proceed with the formatting
Move the cursor down to XOSL partition: 6 Log DOS FAT-16
Press F and confirm to proceed with the formatting
Move the cursor down to the shared partition: 8 Log Windows FAT-32
Press F and confirm to proceed with the formatting
We'll leave the Linux partitions for Linux to format, since Partman can't format ext3 anyway.
Press F2 to save again for good measure
Then press Esc so that we can finally "escape" from Partman

3) Installing XOSL

Leave Floppy #1 in the drive and then reboot
After rebooting, remove Floppy #1 and insert Floppy #2
Type: install
Choose Install XOSL and then Install on a Dedicated Partition
Change the video mode if you wish (press + or -). I used 800x600.
Slowly cursor down until the cursor turns into a black bar
Press + until you see the entry HD0 log Microsoft FAT16 7. This is where we want to install XOSL - in the 16MB logical partition that we prepared for it.
Cursor down to Start Installation and then press Enter
In a few seconds, you will be prompted about the installation of Smart Boot Manager
Accept all the defaults and answer Y when prompted
In about a minute, the installation will be complete
Remove Floppy #2 and choose Reboot system

4) Configuring XOSL

After rebooting, XOSL's main screen will soon appear, albeit rather empty
We now will populate it with boot/menu entries
Click the Setup button
On the next screen, click the Add button
Choose HD0 Primary Microsoft FAT32 776 (776 = 800MB)
Change the Boot item name to Windows 98 SE
Then click the Apply button
Click the Add button again
Choose HD0 Primary Microsoft FAT32 972 (972 = 1GB)
Change the Boot item name to Windows 2000 Pro
Then click the Apply button
Click the Add button again
Choose HD0 Primary Microsoft FAT32 1459 (1459 = 1.5GB)
Change the Boot item name to Windows XP Pro
Then click the Apply button
Click the Add button again
Choose HD0 logical Linux Native 3380 (3380 = 3.4GB)
Change the Boot item name to RedHat Linux 9
Then click the Apply button
Click the Add button again
Choose FD0 floppy Boot Floppy 0
Change the Boot item name to Boot to Floppy
Then click the Apply button
Click the Add button again
Choose HD0 loader Smart Boot Manager 0
Change the Boot item name to Boot to CD
Then click the Apply button
Click the Move up and/or Move down buttons to re-arrange the order of the menu items as desired
Click the Save button and then respond OK
Next we have to instruct XOSL which partitions to hide when each partition is booted
Highlight Windows 98 SE and click the Hiding button
When booting Windows 98 SE, we want to hide both the Windows 2000 and Windows XP partitions
Highlight HD0 Primary Microsoft FAT32 972 and check the Hide box
Highlight HD0 Primary Microsoft FAT32 1459 and check the Hide box
Note that the hidden partitions have now been greyed out
Click the Apply button
Highlight Windows 2000 Pro and click the Hiding button
When booting Windows 2000 Pro, we want to hide both the Windows 98 and the Windows XP partitions
Highlight HD0 Primary Microsoft FAT32 776 and check the Hide box
Highlight HD0 Primary Microsoft FAT32 1459 and check the Hide box
Note that the hidden partitions have now been greyed out
Click the Apply button
Highlight Windows XP Pro and click the Hiding button
When booting Windows XP Pro, we want to hide both the Windows 98 and the Windows 2000 partitions
Highlight HD0 Primary Microsoft FAT32 776 and check the Hide box
Highlight HD0 Primary Microsoft FAT32 972 and check the Hide box
Note that the hidden partitions have now been greyed out
Click the Apply button
Highlight Boot to Floppy and click the Hiding button
We will be using this to install Windows 98, so we want to hide the Windows 2000 and Windows XP partitions when we use this
Highlight HD0 Primary Microsoft FAT32 972 and check the Hide box
Highlight HD0 Primary Microsoft FAT32 1459 and check the Hide box
Note that the hidden partitions have now been greyed out
Click the Apply button
Highlight Boot to CD and click the Hiding button
We will be using this to install Windows 2000 first (and Windows XP afterwards). For now, we want to hide the Windows 98 and Windows XP partitions when installing.
Highlight HD0 Primary Microsoft FAT32 776 and check the Hide box
Highlight HD0 Primary Microsoft FAT32 1459 and check the Hide box
Note that the hidden partitions have now been greyed out
Click the Apply button
Click the Save button and then respond OK
Click the Close button

5) Installing Windows 98 SE

Upon returning to the XOSL main screen, the menu items we created will now be displayed. Of course, many of these won't work because we haven't installed Windows or Linux yet.
Because our Windows 98 SE CD is unbootable, we need to boot to a floppy first
Insert the Windows 98 SE CD and Floppy #1 and wait 3-5 seconds before proceeding
Select the Boot to Floppy menu item and click the Boot button
After the floppy disk has booted, change drives/directories to where Windows 98's SETUP.EXE file is located
Remove Floppy #1
Run: setup
Proceed with the usual Windows 98 installation
After several reboots, a login window will appear. Login as anything you wish (it doesn't matter with Windows 98).
Once you're inside Windows and there's no more disk activity, remove the Windows 98 CD
Unfortunately, Windows 98 overwrote XOSL and we now have to restore it
Do a manual reboot into Floppy #1.
Replace Floppy #1 with Floppy #2.
Run: install
Select: Restore XOSL and then Restore on a dedicated partition
Press + until HD0 log XOSL FS 7 is highlighted
Cursor down to Start restore and press Enter. The restore occurs almost instantaneously.
Select: Reboot system
Before the reboot process starts, remove Floppy #2
XOSL is back!
Time to test if our Windows 98 installation is working properly
From the XOSL main page, select: Windows 98 SE and click the Boot button
Run Windows Explorer and confirm that Windows 98 can only see 3 drives: C:, D: (the shared partition), E: (the CD drive)
While you're there, right-click the C: drive, choose Properties, and give drive C: a name - e.g. Win98
Also, right-click the D: drive, choose Properties, and give D: a name as well - e.g. Shared
Press F5 to refresh the screen
Do a manual restart
We're all finished with Windows 98 SE. 1 down, 3 O/S'es to go.

6) Installing Windows 2000 Pro

If necessary, reboot to the XOSL main screen, making sure that there are no floppies or CD's in the drives.
Unlike our Windows 98 SE CD, our Windows 2000 Pro CD IS bootable
Insert the Windows 2000 CD and wait 3-5 seconds before proceeding
Select the Boot to CD menu item and click the Boot button
Because XOSL is incapable of directly booting CD's, it will take you to something called the Smart Boot Manager which CAN
Displayed will be a text based boot screen
Cursor down to the last item on the page, which is D CD 0 NONE CD-ROM and then press Enter
If you get prompted to save the changes, answer Y and press Enter. You will only be asked this the first time you use Smart Boot Manager (SBM) as confirmation that you accept the devices found when SBM scanned the system.
Proceed with the usual Windows 2000 installation
When you reach the screen where you are asked where to install Windows 2000, note that the Windows 98 and Windows XP partitions are marked as Inactive. Meanwhile, the intended partition for your Windows 2000 should be designated as C:. If not, then there was probably an error in your hiding schema, in which case you should abort the installation and return to XOSL to check that the Boot to CD hiding settings are correct.
Once everything is correct, choose to install in drive C:.
Choose to format the partition as NTFS. Windows 2000 will convert the existing FAT32 file system to NTFS for you.
At the end of the installation, a Completing the Windows 2000 Setup Wizard screen appears. Remove the Windows 2000 CD and click Finish to reboot.
After rebooting, a Network Identification Wizard will appear, followed by a login window
Once you're inside, do a manual restart
Again, Windows has managed to trash XOSL and we now have to restore it
Do a manual reboot into Floppy #1.
Replace Floppy #1 with Floppy #2.
Run: install
Select: Restore XOSL and then Restore on a dedicated partition
Press + until HD0 log XOSL FS 7 is highlighted
Cursor down to Start restore and press Enter. The restore occurs almost instantaneously.
Select: Reboot system
Before the reboot process starts, remove Floppy #2
XOSL is back!
Time to test if our Windows 2000 installation is working properly
From the XOSL main page, select: Windows 2000 Pro and click the Boot button
Run Windows Explorer and confirm that Windows 2000 can only see 3 drives: C:, D: (the shared partition), E: (the CD drive)
While you're there, right-click the C: drive, choose Properties, and give drive C: a name - e.g. Win2K
Press F5 to refresh the screen
Do a manual restart
We're all finished with Windows 2000 Pro. 2 down, 2 O/S'es to go.

7) Installing Windows XP Pro

If necessary, reboot to the XOSL main screen, making sure that there are no floppies or CD's in the drives
Before proceeding further, the Boot to CD menu item needs to be modified so that the Windows 98 and 2000 partitions are hidden
Click the Setup button
Highlight Boot to CD and click the Hiding button
Highlight HD0 Primary Microsoft FAT32 776 and confirm that the Hide box is checked
Highlight HD0 Primary Microsoft FAT32 972 and check the Hide box
Highlight HD0 Primary Microsoft FAT32 1459 and uncheck the Hide box
Note that the hidden partitions have now been greyed out
Click the Apply button
Click the Save button and then respond OK
Click the Close button
Unlike our Windows 98 SE CD, our Windows XP Pro CD IS bootable
Insert the Windows XP CD and wait 3-5 seconds before proceeding
Select the Boot to CD menu item and click the Boot button
XOSL will take you to the Smart Boot Manager screen we saw during the Windows 2000 installation
Cursor down to the last item on the page, which is D CD 0 NONE CD-ROM and then press Enter
Proceed with the usual Windows XP installation
When you reach the screen where you are asked where to install Windows XP, note that the Windows 98 and Windows 2000 partitions are marked as Inactive. Meanwhile, the intended partition for your Windows XP should be designated as C:. If not, then there was probably an error in your hiding schema, in which case you should abort the installation and return to XOSL to check that the Boot to CD hiding settings are correct.
Once everything is correct, choose to install in drive C:.
Choose to format the partition as NTFS. Windows XP will convert the existing FAT32 file system to NTFS for you.
Several reboots will follow. Once Windows XP has finished installing itself, do a manual restart.
Once again, Windows has managed to trash XOSL and we now have to restore it
Do a manual reboot into Floppy #1.
Replace Floppy #1 with Floppy #2.
Run: install
Select: Restore XOSL and then Restore on a dedicated partition
Press + until HD0 log XOSL FS 7 is highlighted
Cursor down to Start restore and press Enter. The restore occurs almost instantaneously.
Select: Reboot system
Before the reboot process starts, remove Floppy #2
XOSL is back!
Time to test if our Windows XP installation is working properly
From the XOSL main page, select: Windows XP Pro and click the Boot button
Run Windows Explorer and confirm that Windows XP can only see 3 drives: C:, D: (the shared partition), E: (the CD drive)
While you're there, right-click the C: drive, choose Properties, and give drive C: a name - e.g. WinXP
Press F5 to refresh the screen
Do a manual restart
We're all finished with Windows XP Pro. 3 down, 1 O/S to go.

8) Installing RedHat Linux 9

If necessary, reboot to the XOSL main screen, making sure that there are no floppies or CD's in the drives
Insert the Linux #1 CD and wait 3-5 seconds before proceeding
Select the Boot to CD menu item and click the Boot button
XOSL will take you to the Smart Boot Manager screen we saw during the Windows 2000 and XP installations
Cursor down to the last item on the page, which is D CD 0 NONE CD-ROM and then press Enter
Proceed with the usual Linux installation
When you reach the partitioning screens, tell Linux that you want it to perform automatic partitioning and that it's free to remove any existing Linux partitions that it wishes (bye-bye to the two Linux partitions that we created with Partman)
On the next screen, check the box next to Configure advanced boot loader options. This is VERY IMPORTANT. DON'T miss it!
On the next screen, you will be asked where you want to put the boot loader (GRUB). Choose to save it to the First sector of the boot partition, NOT in the Master Boot Record (MBR). This too is VERY IMPORTANT and must not be missed!
Continue with the Linux installation
After a CD swap or two, Linux will eject the CD and inform you that it has finished the installation and is ready to do a reboot
Remove the CD
Rejoice dear friends, because unlike Windows, Linux doesn't overwrite XOSL! Thus, no restore is necessary.
However, because we allowed RedHat Linux to create its own new Linux partitions, we're going to have to go into XOSL setup again and match up the Linux menu item with the new/correct partition.
From the XOSL main screen, click the Setup button
Highlight the RedHat Linux 9 menu item and click the Edit button
Peruse the logical partitions and look for a Linux native type partition. Look for the one with the smallest size. This will be Linux's /boot partition.
Choose this as the partition to boot when the RedHat Linux 9 menu item is selectd.
With RedHat Linux 9 still highlighted, also make sure the check box near Disabled is unchecked
While we're here, we should set the "hiding" parameters
Click the Hiding button
Next, make sure that the Windows 98, 2000 and XP partitions are the only ones hidden. This will insure that Linux too can access the shared data drive.
Click the Save button and then respond OK
Click the Close button
Time to test if our RedHat Linux installation is working properly
From the XOSL main page, select: RedHat Linux 9 and click the Boot button
You'll soon be presented with the GRUB boot loader screen
Press Enter or let it timeout and load Linux
Once you're inside Linux, you might want to edit /etc/grub.conf so that the delay time isn't so long.
We're all finished with RedHat Linux 9. 4 down and we're all done!

9) Further XOSL Customizing

Preference

Graphics > Use wallpaper - this uses a dark background which helps the XOSL main screen stand out. Unfortunately, there's only one wallpaper.
Color - teal is my preferred color scheme, but I'm visually conservative
Password - password-protects access to Setup, Preference, and the built-in Ranish Partman.
From the XOSL main screen, click the Setup button:
Default boot item, timeout - automatically runs a given menu selection after a timeout period, without showing the main XOSL screen
Password - password-protects the menu items, on an item by item basis.
Keys - allows you to pass keystrokes to the selected menu item. This is most useful when combined with the Boot to CD option. For example, you can pass 6 down arrows and an Enter keypress to Smart Boot Manager, which will then automatically select the boot CD-ROM entry without any user intervention.