3. Installation

At the time, two different downloads are available at the download area of the XOSL web site. Depending on what platform you have available, you have to decide which one suits you best. The install utility is currently implemented for the following platforms:

MS-DOS/Windows 9x
Other

If you want to have XOSL installed on a FAT16/FAT32 partition, you have to download the MS-DOS / Windows 9x version.

3.1 System Requirements

Minimal system requirements:

80386 or better with 4Mb of RAM (6Mb for 1280x1024/1600x1200)
VESA VBE 1.2 compliant display controller
300kb of free disk space

Recommended:

Pentium 100 or better
VESA VBE 2.0 compliant display controller
PS/2 or serial mouse

3.2 Before installing XOSL

Installing a boot manager, in general, is a dangerous operation. If -for whatever reason- the installation of the boot manager fails, there is a chance your system will not boot at all anymore. So before you install a boot manager, backup all important files on your hard disk, and make sure you have a boot floppy. If you do not have the experience to recover your system after a severe system crash, it is advisable to let someone else who does know install XOSL for you.

NOTE: Before you install XOSL 1.1.2, it is recommended to first uninstall any previous version of XOSL. To perform a quick uninstall, execute 'fdisk /mbr'.

3.3 Installation for MS-DOS / Windows 9x users

Download the xosldos.zip file at the download area of the XOSL web site, and unzip it in a separate directory. From plain MS-DOS, run INSTALL.EXE and follow the displayed instructions. Do not install XOSL from an MS-DOS box in Windows. Although XOSL should install fine, the install utility might not detect your hardware correctly (namely display adapter and mouse).

It is recommended to install XOSL from a floppy (preferable a boot disk). If install fails, or XOSL won't run after reboot, you can still uninstall it. This is especially the case when you install XOSL on a dedicated partition. Installing XOSL on a dedicated partition will destroy all existing data of the selected partition. If you have installed XOSL from a floppy on a dedicated partition, you can still fully uninstall it with the install utility, including a full restore of the partition data.

3.4 Installation for users of other operating systems

Make sure you have a separate partition, which is at least 400k in size. The location of this partition and the file system type is irrelevant. The installation program will automatically change the file system type to 0x78. If this is not wanted, you are free to change it to whatever number you like after install has finished.

WARNING: ALL DATA ON THE SELECTED PARTITION WILL BE DESTROYED!

Download the xoslothr.zip file at the download area of the XOSL web site and unzip it in a separate directory. Insert a formatted floppy in your floppy drive, and æraw-write' xoslimg.bin onto the floppy. All data on this floppy will be erased.
To write the image to the floppy, execute:

DOS: rawrite xoslimg.bin a:
Linux/Unix: dd if=xoslimg.bin of=/dev/fd0

Reboot from the floppy disk and follow the displayed instructions.

NOTE: rawrite.exe is included in the xoslothr.zip file.

NOTE: the created floppy will contain an installation of FreeDOS. This version of FreeDOS is extremely slow with floppy disk access, so do not interrupt install if it takes longer than it is to expect.

3.5 XOSL after installing an operating system

If you install an operating system while you have XOSL installed, it may happen that XOSL is not started anymore. Instead, the new operating system is booted directly. This typically happens after installing a Microsoft operating system. To get XOSL running again, use the Restore feature of the XOSL Install Utility.