It is being a bit complicated to use multiple operating system on a system. It is very easy to use dual boot system. When you install a Linux Distro like Ubuntu over Windows, it automatically configure your dual boot system on grub. Also when you install multiple Windows, and Linux Distro then the grub manages Linux + Windows loading while when you choose Windows to boot you can see another bootloader inside which shows you different version of Windows operating system. To some extent it is a bit messy and complicated to handle. Everyone loves to install new type of operating system for testing or learning purpose. Here I can provide you some set of tips that can guide you to use a better Boot Manager software. This software will help you to install more than one type of operating system. You can install different version of Linux, Windows and also Mac. The important to thing to ensure that you get the right menu when you boot your system. So that you can choose your favorite operating system instantly. I had some tips and some of the best software that you can use to manage more than one operating system at a time. All you need do is create a separate partition for each operating system. I had two hard drive installed in my system. One is of 160GB which is used for operating system and the second one 500GB is dedicated for my data backup. So this makes my job a bit easier. If somehow any operating system failed I can re-install everything back again without data loss. So if you are planing to add multiple operating system in your system then better keep the data and boot drive seperate. The reason is that different type of OS like Linux and Mac understand different file system. You cannot use a common for all of them. Because of which you have to format the partition every now and then. That can cause severe issue if there is data stored inside the drive.
For a good bootloader you must check the following qualities :
- Easy additional and removal of boot entry.
- Auto detection of operating system installed in your pc.
- Good and easy to manage GUI interface to manage multiple boot.
- Multi-OS support and configuration utility.
- Simple restore facility in case you remove any operating system
List of Best Bootloaders -
rEFIt --
This one is my favorite. You can install any operating system and add a entry to this bootloader. You can see the operating system in gui based on boot screen. You can install Mac, Windows and Linux all three operating system on a single hard drive and use rEFIt to boot from that particular operating system. It is very easy to manage and provide you a simple boot screen. It gives you a easy representation on your screen showing different operating system. It is not complicated to use. But there are certain limitation related to EFI firmware system. You must read the system specs and installation methods properly before installing this operating system in your pc. Or else it would be quiet complicated for you to play with different operating system.
GAG
GAG is another cool bootloader that can help you to run multiple os in better way. The boot menu looks a bit outdated but it is fine to manage around 9 different operating system at a time. It helps you to manage your different os with simple navigation. The operating system can be on user's choice. The best part of using Gag is that it works with almost all kind of operating system. There is no issue related to EFI settings right now. GAG works on the beginning of a hard drive. It actually does not need any separate partition. So there are less chances of getting bootloader missing when you accidentally delete the system partition. For easy usage the tool work in gui mode which makes your job a bit more easier. Other than this GAG gives you option to block the partitoin with a password. This is something unique added here.
Easy BCD
This is another useful boot manager software that you can use most often for creating a multiboot system. Easy BCD gives you the most easiest menu to control different type of operating system. The best part of using this is that it offers you a simple and intuitive way to configure multiple boot partition. It is not all complicated to add or remove operating system from the same. I had checked Easy BCD and it is stable to great extent.
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