ClickOtherOS - Click to boot Other Operating System V2.2.1 - Windows version

This software is an application that reboots into a different operating system.

It recognises that booting is typicaly controlled by simple text files. So the next boot is controlled by simply copying appropriate versions of these text file(s) over the real one(s). It then reboots the machine.

While ClickOtherOS could be used to reboot any operating system, this installation assumes that it is being used to boot into Puppy Linux v4.1.2 from Windows XP.
It is configured to work on a simple setup:
A typical Windows XP PC, with 1 hard disk, containing a single NTFS partition.
A frugal install of Puppy Linux 4.1.2, and dual booting using the default Windows XP boot loader and "grldr" from grub4dos.

This software is a VBScript that is installed into "C:\Program Files\Wrags\ClickOtherOS\" by clicking on "ClickOtherOS.exe". An icon to run the application, called "Linux", is placed on the desktop. The VBScript requires a single parameter on the command line, the filename of a config file. Each line of the config file defines a copy by providing a 'from' filename and a 'to' filename, seperated by a ','.

During installation, it makes three copies of "C:\boot.ini", one to "C:\CopyOf_boot.ini" as insurance, one to "C:\ClickOtherOS\Linuxboot.ini" for it's own use, and one to "C:\ClickOtherOS\WinXPboot.ini" for use by the corresponding Puppy Linux version. These will need to edited to setup your configuration to work with ClickOtherOS.

If you install this software on an XP machine that has been setup to dual boot Puppy Linux using the native XP bootloader, then immediately double-clicking the "Linux" desktop icon should result in a normal reboot. To get it to reboot directly to Puppy Linux "C:\ClickOtherOS\Linuxboot.ini" needs to be changed. Set the "timeout" to "0", and "default" to "C:\grldr". While here, change "C:\ClickOtherOS\WinXPboot.ini it a similar manner, but leave "default" as the Windows XP boot. Now, double-clicking the "Linux" desktop icon should reboot you directly into Puppy Linux. Once there you can install the Puppy Linux version of ClickOtherOS V2.2.

The "Puppy412" icon on the desktop, file "C:\ClickOtherOS\P412.cfg", and file "C:\ClickOtherOS\P412menu.lst" are provided as examples of how CliclOtherOS can be configured to work with "menu.lst" files containing multiple entries.

Extra desktop icons can be created by copying an existing ClickOtherOS desktop icon, renaming it, and editing it's "Target" property to use a different ".cfg" file.

After appropriate configuration, ClickOtherOS provides me with four icons on the XP desktop. One boots me into the last booted Linux, (it rewrites only "boot.ini"). Another boots to Puppy Linux 4.1.2, (rewrites "boot.ini" and "menu.lst"). Another boots to EzPuppy 4.1.2, (rewrites "boot.ini" and "menu.lst"). Another boots to Barebones 4.1.2, (rewrites "boot.ini" and "menu.lst").
On each Puppy Linux desktop there are three icons. One to boot into Windows XP, (rewrites only "boot.ini"). And two to boot the other Puppy Linux installations, (rewrite "boot.ini" and "menu.lst").

***** WARNING ***** WARNING ***** WARNING *****
If the file "C:\ClickOtherOS\Linuxboot.ini" does not contain a valid XP boot.ini, using this software will make your machine unbootable from "C:". To aid in recovery, the installation copied your existing "C:\boot.ini" to "C:\CopyOf_boot.ini". It is strongly recommended that you have some alternate boot media available when you first try this software, e.g. a Puppy 4.1.2 boot CD or a Windows XP install CD, so the useless "C:\boot.ini" can be deleted, and "C:\CopyOf_boot.ini" renamed to "C:\boot.ini", thus restoring bootability from "C:".

My .ini files are given here as examples only, please edit copies of your existing "C:\boot.ini"

WinXPboot.ini - *************************************
[boot loader]
timeout=0
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /FASTDETECT
C:\grldr="Start Puppy Linux"
**************************************************

Linuxboot.ini - **********************************
[boot loader]
timeout=0
default=c:\grldr
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /FASTDETECT
c:\grldr="Start Puppy Linux"
**************************************************

Two config files are installed into "C:\ClickOtherOs\" to support simply choosing between Windows and Linux.

WinXP.cfg - **************************************  
C:\ClickOtherOS\WinXPboot.ini, C:\boot.ini
**************************************************

Linux.cfg - **************************************  
C:\ClickOtherOS\Linuxboot.ini, C:\boot.ini
**************************************************

A third config file, "C:\ClickOtherOS\P412.cfg" is installed as an example of how ClickOtherOS might be configured to choose between multiple Linux installs. This is meant to boot Puppy Linux 4.1.2.

P412.cfg - **************************************  
C:\ClickOtherOS\Linuxboot.ini, C:\boot.ini
C:\ClickOtherOS\P412menu.lst, C:\menu.lst
**************************************************

Uninstalling ClickOtherOS

Either use "Control Panel" or "Start->Programs->Boot to Other OS->Uninstall Boot to Other OS".

Using some other version of Windows or bootloader?

As an example, dual booting Windows 98 with Puppy.

Booting is controlled by a different text file, in this example it is "C:\config.sys".
Create copies of "C:\config.sys" as "C:\ClickOtherOS\Linuxconfig.sys" and "C:\ClickOtherOS\W98config.sys". In both these, set the timeout parameter to zero. Set the default appropriately.
Edit the config file "C:\ClickOtherOS\Linux.cfg to contain:

C:\ClickOtherOS\Linuxconfig.sys, C:\config.sys

C:\ClickOtherOS\W98config.sys, C:\config.sys