Hi,

Now that AmigaOS 4.1 is completed, I'd like to know if there is a way to switch between 4.0 and 4.1 on the same computer? I mean boot on OS4.0 or OS 4.1. As a developer, I'd like to test my products on both versions.

If I install OS 4.1 on a new partition, can I switch easily between both versions?

Maybe betatesters did it?

Thanks in advance.

Glames

Last edited by Glames on 06-Aug-2008 at 04:26 PM.

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I guess you can do that with UBoot as usual.

BTW wasn't there a new UBoot version for the A1 in the pipeline somehow? Will it be on the OS4.1 CD?
IIRC someone said something about a new version after a screenshot of Sam440 came out.


edit: smilie

Last edited by Amigo1 on 06-Aug-2008 at 05:01 PM.

@Amigo1

Thanks for your answer.

Glames

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I'd like to know if you can, during AmigaOS 4.1 installation, choose dual boot?

Thanks.

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@Glames

You can have two partitions with 4.0 and 4.1, but of course, slb can only load kickstart modules from one disk.

However, you can basically set up like this:

- Have sys:kickstart/4.0 and sys:kickstart/4.1 contain the kickstart modules of the two systems
- A sys:kickstart/kicklayout that contains both kickstarts
- A module line in the 4.1 layout that contains a BootDevice module

As an example, consider this (simplified) kicklayout

LABEL 4.1
EXEC kickstart/4.1/loader
...
MODULE kickstart/4.1/BootDevice

LABEL 4.0
EXEC kickstart/4.0/loader
...

If 4.1 is on dh0: and 4.0 on dh1, the 4.1/BootDevice file would simply be a text file containing the word "dh0"

If you select the kickstart in slb's menu, it will boot from the disk indicated in bootdevice. Since the old bootmenu (4.0) can't handle this (I think), the 4.0 partition would need the higher boot priority...

Hope that wasn't too confusing, I'm not that good at explaining :|

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@EntilZha

Sounds pretty straightforward to me.

One thing that I do wonder about is how this would affect the boot-partitions listed in the early start-up menu. Does this simply change which partition has the highest priority? Or is the other partition (i.e., the one linked to the other kickstart config) removed from the list of bootable partitions?

Hans

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@Hans

No, the BootDevice module tells kickstart where to start loading files from. You can still select the "other" partition in EBS, but that is, of course, not advisable.

Simon

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@EntilZha

Quote:

If you select the kickstart in slb's menu, it will boot from the disk indicated in bootdevice. Since the old bootmenu (4.0) can't handle this (I think), the 4.0 partition would need the higher boot priority...

OS4.0 July update support this, and I think OS4.0 Final supports it.
OS4.0 update 4 does not support bootdevice file trick.

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@EntilZha

thats a mess. do whot i do on my new and old disk. have another and then hold both mouse key´s down (early startup) and then pick dh0: or dh3:
bot then as thomas says. you cant use both kickstarts then

@EntilZha,

Thanks for your answer.

It is very clear for me.

Have a nice day.

glames

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@retro

Quote:

have another and then hold both mouse key´s down (early startup) and then pick dh0: or dh3:

at this stage the OS4.x kickstart modules are already loaded on on a AmigaONE, you simply can't do it that way.

The lest technical way is use the mediatool box to swap boot priorities, then do a cold boot.

Last edited by NutsAboutAmiga on 08-Aug-2008 at 02:54 PM.

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@All,

Ok... So I received my OS4.1 box (very nice!): I installed OS 4.1 without any problem or troubles.
But I still can't have a real dual boot OS 4.0/OS 4.1.

Let me explain what's happening exactly. I have now choice between OS 4.0 et OS 4.1 at Uboot/SLB time. If I choose OS 4.0, everything is ok. Pwew If I choose OS 4.1, it loads 4.1 kickstart modules and I see this nice OS 4.1 splash screen but it seems that after it lastely boots on my os4 partition (every assign is to my OS 4.0 partition, OS 4.0 prefs, ...). Well, it seems that it doesn't care about BootDevice line

I'm using only one hardrive. My OS4.0 partition is DH0 and OS4.1 one is DH5.

This is how is my Kickstart directory:
os 4.0 (copy of my DH0 "kickstart" directory)
os 4.1 (copy of my DH5 "kickstart" directory
Kicklayout

In my kicklayout, I followed your advice: it is ok I think as I have two choices at UBoot/SLB time. I add "MODULE Kickstart/4.1/BootDevice" only for
OS 4.1. And I created a file containing string DH5.

So, what I'm doing wrong? Any idea would be welcomed

BTW, I tried to boot from a USB key (with os 4.1 installed on it) but it doesn't work even if I put USB disk as first loading device in amiga multiboot.

Thanks in advance.

Glames

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@retro

Quote:

retro wrote: @EntilZha thats a mess. do whot i do on my new and old disk. have another and then hold both mouse key´s down (early startup) and then pick dh0: or dh3: bot then as thomas says. you cant use both kickstarts then

Only that your trick doesn't work, because at the moment that you can hold down both mousebuttons, Kickstart has already loaded.

Edit: NutsAboutAmiga beat me to it... close call, though, it was just over a month...

Last edited by Rogue on 15-Sep-2008 at 09:03 PM.

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@Glames

is DH5 bootable?

kgrach

@Glames

look at boot priority, and bootable tag in Media-Toolbox

Quote:

BTW, I tried to boot from a USB key (with os 4.1 installed on it) but it doesn't work even if I put USB disk as first loading device in amiga multiboot.

Mass-storage usb class (plugin) is not a kickstart module and its not loaded, so you can boot from memory stick.

Last edited by NutsAboutAmiga on 15-Sep-2008 at 09:36 PM.

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@Glames

Quote:

Glames wrote: This is how is my Kickstart directory: os 4.0 (copy of my DH0 "kickstart" directory) os 4.1 (copy of my DH5 "kickstart" directory Kicklayout In my kicklayout, I followed your advice: it is ok I think as I have two choices at UBoot/SLB time. I add "MODULE Kickstart/4.1/BootDevice" only for OS 4.1. And I created a file containing string DH5. So, what I'm doing wrong? Any idea would be welcomed

Some possibilities:

You need to have two complete Kickstart configurations in your Kicklayout file. In one, the paths in all the MODULE lines should point to the files in your 4.0 subdirectory, and in the other, all of them should have paths pointing to the 4.1 dir. It sounds a little like you only did that for the BootDevice line, which is not enough.

And don't try to "get smart" (like I did back when I tried it the first time) and point over to the other volume's Kickstart directory from the Kicklayout on you first volume. It won't work. Slb will not see other volumes than the one on which it found the first valid Kicklayout. So your Kicklayout on the volume with the highest boot priority must contain both configs, and the files they point to must be in separate directories on that same volume. And then you add the BootDevice line to the second config, and the corresponding BootDevice file in that config's directory, containing the name of the other partition.

Oh, and you need to have exactly one (1) empty line between the two configurations in the Kicklayout file.

Best regards,

Niels

@nbache

You can use MediaToolBox to set your OS4 partition to a higher priority, save and hit the reset button. Doing that a lot probably not a good idea.

I have a removeable hard-disk tray that I use for backing up my system. The first partition on that drive is set to a higher priority than my OS 4.1 partition on my main drive. If I want to boot OS4, I just insert the removeable drive before turning on the computer. Media ToolBox complains that a drive has been removed when I use it without the hard-disk tray inserted, but I just select "NO" for changing the setup.

A similar approach would be to create an OS4 boot CD that transfers control to your OS4 partition in the startup-sequence (i.e. assign all system directories to your OS4 partition). Then you can insert the CD (which should have higher priority than hard-disk) and hit the reset button. When you want to switch back to OS 4.1 just remove the CD and hit reset again. I like that approach because it doesn't involve messing with UBoot or changing partition priorities.

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@Xenic

I am curious as to why yo say "You can use MediaToolBox to set your OS4 partition to a higher priority, save and hit the reset button. Doing that a lot probably not a good idea." Can you explain why this is not a good idea?

@Ned
Quote:

Can you explain why this is not a good idea?

Because the smallest accidental change you make in Media Toolbox will be saved to your RDB and can have disasterous consequences. I just think that the more often you save the RDB the greater the odds that you will make a mistake. I don't think Media Toobox will do anything bad if you change priorities a lot but it increases the odds of "human error". I try not to make changes to UBoot or my hard-disk RDB unless absolutely necessary. Maybe I'm just more error prone than most and compensate by making as few "low-level" changes as possible. I don't want my µA1 to end up unbootable like I have seen in some threads here on AW.net.

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Would I be correct in saying that another way to do the same thing would be to have OS4.0 on one partition and OS4.1 on a different partition and then switch between the two by using media toolbox to mark one as bootable and the other as non-bootable, save the changes, and reboot? Then when you wanted the other OS, simply go into media toolbox and reverse the bootable check marks.