Hello :)

[Jeremy Fowler]

> If you're going to boot Win2k and RH Linux, you'll need to format your main
> Win partition in fat32 not NTFS or LILO can't read it.  There is a way to
> have the Win loader boot either OS, but I haven't been there or done that.

Nonsense, I have Win2k running on an NTFS partition and LILO can boot it just
fine (so can GRUB). All you have to tell LILO is what partition the other OS is
located on (/dev/hda4 for me). From there NTldr takes over. One problem you may
have is with Win2k's boot.ini file which tells NTldr what partition Win2k is
located. The problem here is if you create extra partitions before (or after)
your Win2k partition, the BIOS may report the partition's location differently
and you won't be able to boot Windows (It will give some error about unable to
find some file). Since you can have a total of 4 partitions (Primary, not
Logical) on a hard disk, I recommend you place four entries in your boot.ini for
each partition. That way after you install a new OS and the partitions change,
you can easily figure out which partition now holds Win2k by trying each one.
Here is what my boot.ini looks like:

[boot loader]
timeout=0
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(4)WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
(1)" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
(2)" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
(3)" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(4)WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
(4)" /fastdetect

Now when NTldr takes over, it will display four choices available. Just try each
one until Win2k loads, then change the default= entry to match the correct one.

> If you're going to have a triple boot, load your Win OS's first, and then
> Linux, then LILO will be present you a list to boot from.  Load LILO on the
> first partition past the boot sector, or you'll overwrite the Win boot
> loader(s).

Naw, you can install LILO to the MBR just as long as you know which partitions
hold your other Operating Systems. However, it is a good idea to load Windows
first since it has a nasty habit of writing over the MBR during install with
it's own loader and if you didn't make a boot disk, you'll have to boot off the
Linux CD and mount your partitions by hand and rerun LILO. If your going to run
Win9x and Win2k/XP, then install Win9x first and Win2k/XP last.

> If you do overwrite your W2k boot partition, boot to the Win2k installation
> CD, providing your BIOS is new enough, and choose the (R)epair option
> (Repair MBR).  hehe 8-) this I do know ;)

If he overwrites the W2k boot partition, repair isn't going to help him. (big
difference between an MBR and a boot partition) ;-)