Solved Multi-Boot with Windows 8 Boot Manager?

I've searched for this on the web and haven't found the answer:


1. What is the maximum number of Widows 8 OS's that Windows 8 Boot Manager can accommodate that aren't a VHD?

2. What is the maximum number of Widows 8 OS's that Windows 8 Boot Manager can accommodate that includes VHD's?


What I'm hoping for with planning a new system (once 8 is available) is a gaming system where each game has its own OS (or in other words about 100 OS's). The reason? A "clean" system for each game with it's own settings and controls that I don't have to alter.. but particularly each game running from System Memory via a software Ram Drive.

If the answers to either 1 or 2 above would not​ accommodate this goal, what is the nicest GUI/boot manager available that would work and that didn't conflict with Windows 8?


Thanks.

I don't know the maximum - I often have around 30 boot menu entries - I seem to recall having 36 at one stage.

Will that be enough for you?

SIW2 said:

I don't know the maximum - I often have around 30 boot menu entries - I seem to recall having 36 at one stage.

Will that be enough for you?

Click to expand...

Unfortunately no. I currently have 50 games on my system, and that doesn't include many more that I've removed. Ideally I'd like at least 100. (..sort of archival purpose.)

Still, over 30 is excellent - and I can certainly "make due" with that number, and actually far less than that number (..just not quite what I was after).

Thank you for the response.

Oh, also were they VHD or not in your 30+ config.?



Isn't it weird that the answer to these questions isn't readily available?

Without VHD, your system only take up to 22 OS (due to letter C: until Z
With VHD, there no limit for OS (assuming you're have enough HDD memory to do that)

papin97 said:

Without VHD, your system only take up to 22 OS (due to letter C: until Z
With VHD, there no limit for OS (assuming you're have enough HDD memory to do that)

Click to expand...

That's MBR partitioning, it can also be augmented with GPT/GUID partions that are even bootable provided the hardware is UEFI (..i.e. motherboards with a UEFI bios, raid card bios, discs, etc..). Each GPT can have up to 128 partitions.

Of course who knows if any of them show up in the Windows 8 Boot Manager.. (or if any do, how many).

Apparently Widows 8 (or at lest the 64 bit version of it) doesn't need MBR any longer, and is better of with all GPT/GUID config..

See "Enabling large disks and large sectors in Windows 8 - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

You could boot from each of all 26 if you wished - If you have no floppy drive, A and B can be assigned to Hard drives too. A DVD is optional too (but bootable). 3 primary partitions, and an extended partition containing up to 23 logical volumes. (or physical hard disks) It would be useful to forgo one of these volumes for removable storage though.

With operating systems that sensibly do not use letters, the limit is greater, 3904 in Linux, I've heard.

OK then,

Assuming either a GPT/GUID or an MBR with VHD's is "infinitely" scale-able, how does the interface for the Boot Manager handle that many?

Does the Boot Manager interface have multiple pages?

Does the Boot Manager interface just create smaller and smaller "tiles" to select?

Is it something-else altogether?

ScottG said:

OK then, Does the Boot Manager interface just create smaller and smaller "tiles" to select?

Click to expand...

No.

They will scroll to right, not bottom

If you are using the gui boot menu - there are arrows to get to the next page of entries.

If you use the text based boot menu ( preferred ) - just scroll down.

Thanks guys, I think this tells me it's viable - provided you either use VHD or a GUID partition.

Hi there
If you boot with GUID then the theoretical limitation is the GIUD number -- I think that the possible number of GUIDS is larger than the probable number of stars in the entire universe.

A Phsyics guy or mathematician should be able to confirm that.

In practice it would take longer than the expected lifetime of the universe to Load all the possibilities into the menu -- assuming your machine was big enough (or you had access to a "Quantum Computer" in which case you could boot an infinite number of OS's SIMULTANEOUSLY !!!).

HowStuffWorks "How Quantum Computers Work"

Cheers
jimbo