Re: [Qemu-devel] installing a boot loader into the disk images

[Marcello 'R.D.O.' Magnifico]

> An alternative approach would be to get a working Linux install in
> QEmu, with two virtual hard drives - one containing the stock Linux  
> distro, one containing your own.  Then use the stock distro in QEmu  
> to prepare the other disk...

Floppydistros may fit. I personally partition my disk images via a  
bootable Linux floppy containing the GNU PartEd. Never tried LILO or  
GRUB stuff, because I usually let the real distro to do the right job.
If you just need a bootloader (ANY bootloader), I use GAG  
(http://gag.sourceforge.net/) for real machines, and find it to be very  
practical. Its approach implies that there's nothing else than GAG  
itself in the MBR; so you'll have to tell your OS'es of choice to place  
their LILO/GRUB/whatever in the boot sector of their own partition, and  
nowhere else, while installing. This might seem odd, but I never  
encountered yet an OS that GAG can't start; and it's quite easy and  
quick to get back if corrupted or overwritten, say, by a Windows  
reinstallation.


        yo,
        RDO