* Al Boldi a1426z@gawab.com [060924 21:14]:
why would you want to "load an mbr" if you can easily read files from all kinds of existing filesystems as well?
Modularization.
With parsing filesystems you can load any modules directly from a partition.
So maybe leave the bootloader chainloaded as a separate module from the block-driver.
In theory possible but fragile. Of course you can load any number of intermediary loaders from disk.
No, "a simple MBR chainloader" is not all that is needed. The code that you will find in an MBR will do bios callbacks, and you need to answer those, or you will jump to nirvana.
Ok, that's why we need a block-driver to chainload the MBR.
No, the block driver is there. It is Grub/LILO itself that calls 16bit bios code. And LinuxBIOS doesnt have 16bit bios code. This has nothing to do with a block driver.
What is your requirement? Loading Windows?
Loading Linux, on an i440bx with a brain-dead AwardBIOS that can't boot USB, nor can it boot disks >32GB.
Filo does the trick, but has its issues wrt APM and its inability to remember boot commands like LiLo can.
How does APM come into play here?!?
So one requirement is: - remembering boot commands. So you want to choose which OS to boot on the next reset?
This is a 3 liner patch to FILO..
Would chainloading LiLo be possible?
No, as I mentioned. Its a 16bit bootloader that requires a 16bit bios. (Or ADLO.)