Optimal method involves preparing multiple boot partitions and selecting a suitable operating system for each.
Optimal method involves preparing multiple boot partitions and selecting a suitable operating system for each.
I'm assembling a top-tier PC nostalgia setup for me. I'll upgrade my old machine with modern parts from 2006, add current components like a PSU and SSD, and install multiple operating systems. My goal is to multiboot the following: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8.1, 10, 11, Linux Ubuntu 8.04, and 22.04. What's the optimal method? Should I isolate some OSes onto separate SSDs? How about bootloaders—can GRUB manage this? Or should I try rEFInd with DUET? Anyone has experience with such a complex multi-boot? I'm considering using a third SSD for the MBR to protect against accidental updates.
The best approach is using virtualization for everything and running Windows 10 (Windows 11 won’t work natively without a workaround, which is more practical to handle in a VM). The next best option is using separate SSDs and changing the boot sequence each time you need to change the operating system.
I recommend applying MBR to everything. In fact, if your PC is from 2006, your motherboard probably can't boot GPT at all unless you had a server or HEDT up in the past. I'm not sure how things worked back then regarding GRUB in MBR; I didn't have much chance to experiment. My first all-day machine was a Macbook that only ran on EFI. Still, MBR allows up to four active partitions per disk, which should cover two disks. Since Windows installs one to four partitions depending on the situation, you should fill the disk completely before installing, letting you install one OS per partition. Just keep in mind the limitations when booting from recovery (I don't remember the details, but it wasn't a priority). You won't need any third-party utilities—DiskPart works fine. I'm uncertain whether boot entries are added to the existing bootloader during installation, especially if you install on disk B while the bootloader is already there on disk A. Based on one previous experience, I think it's possible, though I was using UEFI-CSM and a sketchy Windows version for B560 (unsupported). Edit: I didn't notice Ubuntu was listed either, so you might want to try booting a single partition Ubuntu with GRUB first. The only time I've had to use MBR for Ubuntu + Windows was always starting with Windows first. You could probably test everything in a VM using older Ubuntu and Windows for space efficiency. By the way, do you need clean Windows ISO images? Edited June 13, 2023 by cautiouslyoptimistic
You can set up a tiny section at the beginning of a GPT table and add GRUB, so it can start using the old BIOS. I’ve done this on a similar machine. Refer to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUID_Parti...~:text=For limited backward compatibility%2C the,to as a protective MBR.