dual-boot 2 installs of Mac OS x86 on one machine ?, let's say 10.4.3 and 10.4.7

[BugsBunny]

I tried all sorts of bootloading ways (chain0 via NTLDR, Acronis Bootloader, Grub), what it winds down to is: the darwin bootloader (which is eventually doing the booting into our hackint0shes) f**cks it up, no matter by which boting-way I got to it. Even if it detects the Mac OS install on my USB HD correctly (hd1,2) and even displays the name of that install correctly (Mac OS x86 on USB), the darwin BL will ALLWAYS load the install on the install in the built in HD (0,2). The only way I have been able to circumvent (well, rather 'hack' it) is: from within Windows via Mac Drive, rename the crucial files & folders in the Mac OS x86 install on my 1st HD to folder_ or mach_kernel_. Then the darwin bootloader gets the clue that it should better boot from the USB drive.

But darn, there gotta be a smoother way to go about this, right?

I know this is a limitation (well actually bug) of the old darwin bootloader we are using. Maybe hack the bootloader ?? Or is there a more current darwin bootloader we can use?

Please help - thanks.

[oldschool]

Hi!

Do you use serial-ata?
I never heard of probs this way...
Maybe your partitiontable is f*cked up...

Rgds.

[BugsBunny]

Yes, my Laptop's internal drive is SATA, the 2.5" HD inside the external USB case is SATA, too.

No, the PTs of both HDs are definitely not fucked up, all tools (Partition Magic DOS & Win, Disk Utility, Paragin Partition Manager, GParted Linux) say everything is 100% fine .. ;)

[BugsBunny]

If you wanna read the full story just go here (http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=28750&st=0&gopid=197681&#entry197681).

[semthex]

I also triple boot my box:
OSX /OSX (devinstall) / XP
all from one disk :D

.. i am insane ;-)

[BugsBunny]

Glad to hear you are insane, that calms me down ;) . Anyway, booting different OS X installs via the IDE/SATA bus is fine for Mac OS X - when booting from USB, as soon as there is another install on a HD/ partition on the IDE/SATA bus, Mac OS X stumbles ..

[diabolik]

when booting from USB, as soon as there is another install on a HD/ partition on the IDE/SATA bus, Mac OS X stumbles ..

really ive had no problems, i used to run 10.4.3 and 10.4.4 on the same hd but diff partitions both native & used darwin bootloader, gives a list of partitions and the name sof each select the according partion to version and it just works.

[BugsBunny]

really ive had no problems, i used to run 10.4.3 and 10.4.4 on the same hd but diff partitions both native & used darwin bootloader, gives a list of partitions and the name sof each select the according partion to version and it just works.Yes I know, I have done quite some experimenting with this - with USB it's a whole different ballgame. I was able to narrow down the problem, you can read it right here (http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=28750&st=0&p=199949&#entry199949).

I would like to see some people experiment with this (two installs, one on IDE or SATA, the other on USB) to see if this behaviour is chipset dependent.

Cheers,
Bugs.

[coolbits]

Works here... osx/osx(test) on ide disk two partitions selectable through darwin bootloader...
XP on sata disk with chain0
XP on sata is primary so first i see boot.ini and select osx or XP, if i select osx, then i get those two installs mentioned before...
AMD NF3 BTW :D

[BugsBunny]

well coolbits, very superficial comparison (esp. having definitely nothing to do with AMD or Intel as you are trying to indicate). And where, please, is the USB drive I was talking about in your setup? Also, as I said, the installs show up correctly in the Darwin BL, but even if selecting and starting to boot the USB install OS X ends up booting into the install on the internal HD.

So go for a setup again, but this time for grown ups, please .. :eek:

[donh]

I have been reading a lot of booting problems in the last week or so. So please forgive me if you already answered my question. Does the drive boot if you take it out of the case and install it in the machine by itself? If that is possable.
The reason I ask is I am also having boot isues and think it may be that partitions are not being setup properly. I think you may have the same issue here. If it can't boot from the partition by itself I think it would maybe fall back to your other partition. This is just a guess.

Thanks Don

[BugsBunny]

hey donh,

thanks for your input.

Yes, the Mac OS x86 boots fine if the drive is internal.

No, the partitions are set up just fine, no partition tool complains, no matter if Partition Magic DOS/ Win, Disk Utility Mac, GParted Linux, Windows XP Disk Manager, Paragon Partition Manager DOS, Acronis Disk Director DOS/ Win. Question answered .. ;-) ?

Also if the partition on the internal drive is hidden via Paragon Partition Manager Mac OS boots from USB just fine.

I will finally dare to do some experimenting with some new 10.4.8 kexts related to booting from USB tomorrow after I have made a complete system backup with Norton Ghost.

But the more I ponder about this the more I am getting the impression that this strange behaviour has something to do with the fact that we are using BIOS not EFI ..

Anyway, here's again what I have been able to find out:the IO Service AppleACPIPlatform.kext cannot get a boot device from the AppleACPIPCI.kext-PlugIn loaded inside of it, which is waiting for the ID of the device to load from the IOUSBMassStorage.kext. That's where the OS gets confused about where to continue booting.

[donh]

Thanks for the info. I am trying to come up with some answers to booting problems but not a lot of documentation out there. Maybe after other issues are fixed some of the real gurus will look into booting.

Good luck with 10.4.8

Don