Can I make my own boot loader? How?

[xheffalumpx]

I was wondering if it is possible to make my own boot loader like Acronis' True Image F11 gizmo? But instead of "Please press F11 to load Acronis" run something else? I believe it is a linux environment or something that Acronis loader starts up and runs the Acronis program in? I was just wondering if it might be possible to run, for example, Shadow Protect instead - which has no such option.

Are there some tools and guides on how to make something similar to the F11 thingie?

[Peter2150]

-{ Quote: "I was wondering if it is possible to make my own boot loader like Acronis' True Image F11 gizmo? But instead of "Please press F11 to load Acronis" run something else? I believe it is a linux environment or something that Acronis loader starts up and runs the Acronis program in? I was just wondering if it might be possible to run, for example, Shadow Protect instead - which has no such option.

Are there some tools and guides on how to make something similar to the F11 thingie?" }-

I doubt it's Linux. It's small code in either the MBR or boot sector of the partition table, and it's function is to redirect login to a different partition SP doesn't use a hidden partition.

Pete

[xheffalumpx]

Oh well I guess that idea is out the window then :) I was thinking since the SP recovery CD is bootable there might have been some way to extract that bit and place it on the hard disk somewhere and then have some sort of boot loader thingie to choose the recovery CD (now on hard disk) or normal Windows instead. Hope that makes sense!

Alternative would be to transplant the recovery CD somehow to a bootable USB stick also.

[Peter2150]

-{ Quote: "Oh well I guess that idea is out the window then :) I was thinking since the SP recovery CD is bootable there might have been some way to extract that bit and place it on the hard disk somewhere and then have some sort of boot loader thingie to choose the recovery CD (now on hard disk) or normal Windows instead. Hope that makes sense!

Alternative would be to transplant the recovery CD somehow to a bootable USB stick also." }-

There is a big difference between being bootable, and having code that allows choice of booting. Actually the SP CD does offer a boot choice. Only problem is extracting, plus, it surely would be a license terms violation.

Pete

[QQ2595]

there is a good sample in open source project - Grub.

[markymoo]

There is the MBR utility from TeraByte that can boot a partition from a Function key. It take abit work setting it up.

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/downloads/mbr.zip

[xheffalumpx]

Thanks I'll have a look! The Grub stuff looks kinda complicated so I left it lol