How to install WINXP + Linux + Mac OS X

Install multiple operating systems, such as Windows XP, Mac OS X, and Fedora Linux, on one PC. My general idea is to use the WINXP start Manager (NT loader) as the default start manager, and install the start manager of other operating systems in the corresponding partitions of the operating system, NT loader calls these start managers so that they can start their respective operating systems.

The specific practice is quite extensive. Here, we will only talk about the general process.

1. Plan the hard disk and partition before installation.

Since you want to install multiple operating systems, you need to plan their respective hard disk partitions first. The general principle is:

1.1 configure the partition location and size for each operating system. The operating system is growing. WINXP, as the most commonly used system, needs to install a lot of software, so the partition cannot be small. My WINXP partition has 14 GB, and now I have used more than 10 Gb. In contrast, fedora and Mac OS X have to allocate about 6-10 Gb space.

1.2 partition formatting is not required immediately after the partition is planned. Instead, leave the space empty. When the corresponding operating system is installed, their respective partition formatting software completes partitioning and formatting. We are not in favor of using partition software such as partition magic, which is a major security risk resulting in partition damage and data loss.

2. Install Windows XP

Now, boot is the iconic flag of windows, and NT loader has no other options.

3. Install Fedora Linux

Note that:

3.1 Linux generally requires three partitions: boot/boot, memory swap, and root directory /. Except the root directory partition, the other two partitions are not required. However, it is recommended that you divide the three partitions. Dedicated boot partitions are easy to manage, while dedicated memory swap partitions can improve system running performance. The START partition does not need to be large, and about MB is enough. The memory swap partition can be MB or as large as the memory, and all the remaining is allocated to the root directory partition.

3.2 During the installation process, the start manager, such as grub, is required after the main installation steps are completed. In this case, install it in the startup partition just created. Do not install it in the boot partition of the primary hard disk. In this way, the NT loader of Windows XP is overwritten, and the subsequent steps cannot be continued. (Of course, if this is done, it can still be restored, that is, use the WINXP installation disk to re-fix the installation and restore the NT loader .)

3.3 After the installation is complete, restart the computer. You find that there is no change, and Linux does not appear at all. Because Linux Startup management has no chance to start.

The key step of 3.4 is to extract the Boot Sector of the Linux boot partition. Extract the content of the first sector of the partition and save it as a common file under the partition where the NT loader is located. There are a lot of software to help us complete this step. For example, in Windows, you can have software such as accessdisk, and in Fedora Linux, you can use the command line tool dd. In short, you only need to read 512 bytes of the slice and save it as a file. For example, save it as C:/Linux. BT.

3.5 modify the C:/boot. ini file and add the content starting to Linux. Bt in [operating systems], for example:

C:/Linux. bt = "Fedora Core 4"

3.6 now, If you restart your computer, you will see the choose to start winodws or fedora startup management interface. If you select windows, XP is started directly. If you select fedora, you actually call the startup manager in the Linux boot partition and the grub interface appears. Then you can choose to start fedora. Of course, you can also configure grub and add an option to switch back to NT loader. That's what I did.

4. Install Mac OS X

We have installed and configured the WINXP and Fedora dual operating systems. Now, we will install Mac OS X.

4.1 install Mac OS X as usual. Generally, I burn downloaded ISO image files into DVDs and then install them.

Note that during the installation process, we will choose which volume to install, but there is usually no volume to choose from. Many people on the Internet have no clue about this step. In fact, this is because there is no available volume for installation (that is, the partition we usually call ). In this case, select the menu at the top of the installation interface and select the partition and format functions. Unfortunately, I did not write down the exact menu position and name during installation.

After the partition is formatted, there is a large hard disk icon for us to choose from and install it all the way.

4.2 After installation, restart your computer. Obviously, we can only choose windows and fedora, without the Mac OS shadow.

Start Windows and copy the chain0 file on the Mac OS X installation disc to C :/.

Modify boot. ini and add the following content in [operating systems:

C:/chain0 = "Mac OS X loader"

4.3 restart your computer and you will have the Mac OS X loader startup option. After the startup manager of Mac OS x is started, it lists the identified partitions. In addition to the volume of the Mac OS, it can also identify the NT loader on the C drive. Select this option. Of course, the system will return to the Windows NT loader.

Well, we have finished talking about the coexistence of multiple operating systems. Although I am only talking about the general steps, I think it is too cumbersome. In fact, the key is to operate, understand, and ponder on your own, in order to experience the fun of DIY.