* *** BINGINSTALL TXT - 9 Nov 2012 13:10:43 - JKNAUTH BootIt Next Generation (BING) Installation and Configuration ====== ==== ========== ====== ============ === ============= The following is a highlevel description of how I install and configure Boot IT Next Generation (BING) on a Windows PC. I also describe the partitioning that I typically do for a new Dell PC. The following description applies primarily to Windows 7; the partitioning Dell has done over the years differs for Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7. >>> USB mouse warning: For some PCs, BING and its setup program do not support a USB mouse. In that case you will have to use the keyboard or touchpad to navigate in BING. Alternatively you could temporarily use a PS/2 mouse. <<< PREPARE THE BOOTIT NG INSTALLATION CD ======= === ====== == ============ == Download a BING zip file from terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html. You can install and test with this download as a trial copy. The trial copy is fully functional, but lasts only 30 days. Turn the trial copy into a registered copy by buying a key. Purchase a key (for about $35) from terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html. Receive e-mails containing the two-line key and instructions. Create a two-line REG.TXT text file with the key as the two lines. I found I could put a third (blank) line followed by a fourth line with comments, e.g., to name the PC on which this BING copy would be installed -- matches key to PC. This is a convenient way to record the key for future use. Create a BING CD. Unzip the downloaded zip file into a work directory. Execute MakeDisk.exe in the work directory and follow the prompts. Paste the two lines of license key information where required. The default options should work for most people. The "Installation and Getting Started Guide" has details if needed. (http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/downloads/bootitng.pdf) INSTALL BOOTIT NG IN ITS OWN PARTITION ======= ====== == == === === ========= >>> See the warning above about considerations for using a USB mouse with BING. Note that the following is an overview of the installation steps. The detailed BING installation dialog is in a subsequent section. <<< Boot from the BING CD created above. To do this when using a newer Dell PC: Insert the CD in the CD/DVD/CD-RW drive to be booted. Boot the PC. Press F12 when prompted at top right of the Dell black screen. Select "CD/DVD/CD-RW Drive" (or some equivalent designation). Alternatively (and less desirable), temporarily change the BIOS boot sequence to boot the CD drive before all other drives. Make space for BING to be installed on the hard drive. This requires 8 MB of contiguous free space. BING will use only 8 MB of the space and leave the rest free. BING is usually put at the beginning or end of the drive. One way is to select and Delete an existing partition. E.g., an unneeded Dell Utilities partition. This also makes a primary partiton slot available. Or Resize an existing partition to shrink it by at least 8 MB. Install BING in the free space. Let the install program find the empty space. BING will create an 8 MB primary partition there. The BING partition will use one of the four primary slots. If Limit Primaries is not used, more than four primaries can exist Register BING. This turns off the trial copy timer that would elapse in 30 days. BING uses the license key data put on the CD by MakeDisk.exe. BING then displays your name as the registered owner. CONFIGURE BOOTIT NG ========= ====== == Configure BING settings, e.g., the timeout value. The defaults should work for most people. See jgkhome.name/PC_Info/BINGprocs.txt for my settings. Rename partitions to something meaningful. Add boot menu items and configure them. Arrange the boot menu items in the desired order. DETAILED INSTALLATION DIALOGS ======== ============ ======= Boot the BING CD as described above and then follow these dialogs: Free Up Some Hard Drive Space for BING ---- -- ---- ---- ----- ----- --- ---- Setup ................................... Cancel Entering maintenance mode ............... OK Select "Partition Work" icon. Select the Dell Utility partition entry. Select "Delete". Confirm delete (leave defaults) ......... Yes Select "Close". Select "Resume". Install BING on the Hard Drive ------- ---- -- --- ---- ----- Setup ................................... OK Enable more than four primaries? ........ No Allow setup to choose partition? ........ Yes Dedicated partition? .................... Yes Click OK to begin? ...................... OK Can't create backup EMBR -- continue? ... Yes Setup completed successfully ............ OK Read the "News Contents" information. Select "Close". Remove diskette and restart ............. OK Register BING -------- ---- Select "Maintenance". Select "Register" icon. Register ................................ OK Input will be applied at next boot ...... OK Select "Reboot". Configure BING --------- ---- Select "Maintenance". Rename partitions to meaningful names, e.g., WIN7 and TEST. Select "Partition Work". Select partition to rename, e.g., "MBR Entry 1". Select "Properties". Enter the desired partition name. Select "OK". Repeat as needed to rename other partitions. Select "Close". Edit and reorder the boot menu items. Select "Boot Edit". Select "Edit" to edit an existing boot menu item. Fill in information (see examples below). Note that in the MBR Details area (right side of screen), it is very important to order the entries correctly with the "Move Up" and "Move Dn" buttons. See the examples in the next section. Select "OK". Repeat as needed to edit other boot menu items. Use "Move Up"/"Move Dn" to order boot menu entries as desired. Select "OK". Select "Resume" or "Reboot". Example of Boot Menu Items for the My Simplest Configuration ======= == ==== ==== ===== === === == ======== ============= Above I renamed the two Windows partitions as WIN7 and TEST. Each boot menu item will boot one Windows partition and make visible only that partition and the DATA (extended) partition to the booted partition. The other two primary partitions are unknown to the booted partition and cannot be accessed by it. Entry 1: ----- -- Identity: WIN7 Icon: (windows) 0: WIN7 HD: 0 1: DATA Boot: WIN7 2: 3: x Default nothing else checked Entry 2: ----- -- Identity: TEST Icon: (yellow) 0: TEST HD: 0 1: DATA Boot: TEST 2: 3: nothing checked HARD DRIVE PARTITIONING SCHEME ==== ===== ============ ====== For the simplest configuration, the BING Limit Primaries option is used (no more than four primary partitions). I divide my hard drive into four primary partitions: three bootable partitions and an extended partition which is further divided into logical partitions for data. The first bootable partition is where BING resides. The second bootable partition, labeled WIN7, is used for my production Windows. The third bootable partition, labeled TEST, is used for a test copy of Windows. The partitions do not have to be in this physical order on the hard drive. For more complicated configurations, Limit Primaries is not used and I set up multiple test partitions (TEST1, TEST2, etc.) instead of just one. I usually buy Dell PCs. Their partition configuration for Windows systems has changed over the years. Each configuration has some unique aspects that must be considered when building a multiboot system. Here is the order of the Dell-installed partitions for various Windows versions pre-installed by Dell. Windows XP system Dell Utilities partition (small -- about 40 MB) Dell hardware diagnostics Windows XP Took the rest of the disk not occupied by the other two partitions Dell Restore partition Factory image of Windows partition (compressed -- about 4 GB) Windows Vista system Dell Utilities partition (small -- about 40 MB) Dell hardware diagnostics Dell Recovery partition Factory image of Windows partition (compressed -- about 4 GB) Also contains the Vista 7 boot files (I'm not sure about this) Windows Vista Took the rest of the disk not occupied by the other two partitions Windows 7 system Dell Utilities partition (small -- about 40 MB) Dell hardware diagnostics Dell Recovery partition Factory image of Windows partition (compressed -- about 4 GB) Also contains the Windows 7 boot files Windows 7 Took the rest of the disk not occupied by the other two partitions If the Limit Primaries option is used, primary partition slots are very scarce; there are only four. To do even the simplest multiboot test configuration, described above, means that the two Dell partitions must be deleted to free the primary partition slots they use. Since the Dell Diagnostics can be run from a CD and since the factory image in Recovery isn't too useful if you have been modifying your system a lot and backing it up with BING, there isn't much loss of function by deleting those Dell partitions. When I get a new PC, the first thing I do is run BING from a CD and back up all the partitions (Windows, Dell Diagnostics, and Dell Recovery) to an external drive. Then I can reorganize the hard drive any way I want to. If something goes wrong, I can always run BING from the CD and restore the original drive completely. You do have to be careful with a Dell-supplied Windows 7 system because Dell and/or Microsoft has put the Windows boot files in the Recovery partition instead of in the Windows partition. Deleting Recovery, as is, would make the system unbootable. The placement of the boot files in Recovery is incompatible for a full BING multiboot system anyway. A procedure to copy the boot files back to the Windows partition is described in jgkhome.name/PC_Info/BING_WIN7_Dell.htm. Once this is done, the Recovery partition can be deleted. A similar situation may apply to Vista; I'm not sure about that. On the other hand, if Limit Primaries is not used (so the "only four primaries" constraint does not apply) and you have a big disk (so you don't care about 3 or 4 GB of "dead space"), you can just leave the two Dell partitions in place and have as many other primary partitions as you want for BING, multiple operating systems, and an extended partition. However, you still must copy the boot files from Recovery to WIN7 to ensure those files get copied to any test partitions and have them be bootable, e.g., if you copy WIN7 to TEST so you can then experiment with TEST. Putting the boot files in the operating system partition makes that partition self contained, i.e., not dependent on any other partition for booting.