iATKOS 5i has no integrated procedure for multibooting but preparing a multiboot GPT or MBR system with this release is easy.
Here is a ''How To'' for GPT and MBR triple boot including Mac-Win-Linux.
- MBR (Master Boot Record) triple boot -
- Change your partition table type to MBR (msdos type) and create 3 primary partitions by using Parted Magic Live CD or iATKOS Disk Utility. HFS+ format for OS X target, Fat32 for the others.
(Note: %99.99999 of the PC harddrives already have MBR partition map scheme (msdos type) which you can change it to GPT via Parted Magic CD or iATKOS Disk Utility if you like to.)
- Add boot flag to Vista or Linux target and install the OS' in any order you like. For linux, do not install bootloader to MBR, install it to linux root. If you want linux to take the boot control then you need to install its bootloader to MBR.
- Boot iATKOS 5i DVD and install OS X to its target as usual.
- You may need to repair Vista. Add boot flag to Vista partition, boot Vista DVD, select repair, add boot flag to OS X partition, thats all.
Now you have triple boot on MBR.
Note: Adding boot flag to MBR partitions: Boot Parted Magic Live CD, right click to partition, select flags and click to boot.
- GPT (Guid Partition Table) triple boot -
- Change your partition table type to GPT (Guid Partition Table) and create 3 partitions by using iATKOS Disk Utility. HFS+ format for OS X target, Fat32 (msdos) for the others.
- Boot Windows Media and install it to its Fat32 target partition.
(Note: Vista might not detect the hybrid partition table as XP does If so it will refuse to install the OS on the target. The trick is just try to format the other partition and then select your real target again for installation, you will see that it will success this time. No need to worry, it will not erase any data that time, because it cannot even detect the MBR part of the hybrid but this trick solves it.)
- Boot Linux media and install the OS. If you want OS X to take the control of booting then install Linux bootloader to Linux root. If you want Linux to take the control then install it to MBR (actually the MBR of msdos part of the hybrid partition table) and you will need to change the install order also. The one which will take the boot control should be the last one to be installed.
(Note: Some live linux cd stuff (knoppix, kanotix, parsix, etc.) has built-in installer applications and they use gparted for partitioning and formatting targets. At this point, formatting target to linux fs via Gparted is not a good choice because it may break the hybrid partition table, use unix fdisk just for changing the target partition type from ''c0'' to ''83'' which is linux partition type, then you can continue installation.)
- Boot iATKOS 5i DVD and install OS X as usual.
Now you have triple boot on GPT, thats all.
