"Fail quickly.  Iterate your way to success."


I'm not sure the bootloader-mux idea will work 100%.  Since that's the biggest source of doubt,
we're going to test that ASAP.



At the end of Phase 0.1, I expect to have passed these tests:




Scratch the below.  We just have one test:



==== Test One ====

    1. install one of the following bootloaders   (and an associated OS):
        - GRUB2                 ?
        - GRUB Legacy           (TinyCore from virtualboxes.org)
        - NTFS                  (TinyXP vdi)
        - TrueCrypt             (TinyXP + TrueCrypt?)
        - BCD  (>= Vista)

    2. make a copy of sector 1 to somewhere else on the disk
    
    3. replace sector 1 with mbldr.sf.net
        - configure it to point to the moved MBR from step 2
        - (optional) configure the second option to point to memtest86+.bin

    4. confirm I can boot through mbldr.sf.net to the target bootloader + OS

                (basically, that I can accomplish what's described under the text
                 "Q13: How can I use chainload feature?" on mbldr's homepage)



==== Current status ====

    $  make mbldr.bin; echo;  cat mbldr.err
    mbldr.asm:272: error: TIMES value -2 is negative









==== Test One ====

    - install Grub Legacy
    - install GRUB2 in such a way that core.img gets moved elsewhere
                (the VBR of a separate "muxboot" partition, most likely)
    - zero out sectors 2 through 63
    - confirm GRUB2 can successfully load Stage2



==== Test Two ====

    - install one of the following bootloaders   (and an associated OS):
        - GRUB2
        - GRUB Legacy
        - NTFS
        - TrueCrypt
        - BCD  (>= Vista)
    - make a copy of sectors 1-63 to somewhere else on the disk
                (within the separate "muxboot" partition, again)
    - install GRUB2 as per Test One...   moved somewhere else than sectors 2 - 63
        - confirm that sectors 2 - 63 haven't been overwritten
    - confirm we can chainload from our own GRUB2 into the target bootloader

Do this for each of the bootloaders listed in 2.1.








Try this first:

    load the Grub2 ISO in some VM:
            http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/grub.html#Making-a-GRUB-bootable-CD_002dROM

    better yet, load the SuperGrub2 ISO in some VM:
            http://www.supergrubdisk.org/super-grub2-disk/

    at the Grub2 prompt, you should have the basic commands available in "Rescue Mode"
            https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2#Rescue_Mode_.28.27.27grub_rescue.3E.27.27.29_Booting

    use the 'chain' command to chainload the VBR of our muxboot partition