BootIt Next Generation

Infobox_Software
name = BootIt Next Generation
developer = TeraByte Unlimited
latest_release_version = 1.85a
latest_release_date = June 30, 2008
operating_system = Operating System Independent
genre = Boot Manager
license = Shareware
website = [http://www.terabyteunlimited.com www.terabyteunlimited.com]

BootIt Next Generation is an advanced boot manager, partition manager, and disk imaging backup software program developed by TeraByte Unlimited, and was first released in 2000. BootIt Next Generation is the latest release in the BootIt line of products that started in 1994.

Overview

The original release of BootIt (version 1) in 1994 was created as a proof-of-concept solution to enable installation of more than four operating systems, each needing a primary partition, on the same computer. Since a standard IBM PC compatible hard drive only uses the first sector of the first track for the MBR and leaves the rest of the sector in the first track undefined, the second sector was chosen as the location of the alternate partition table and could hold up to 10 entries. On each boot, BootIt would list the partitions A through J with a text entry field that allowed grouping of other partitions to add to the MBR when the selection was chosen. For example, afcj, would group partitions listed as A, F, C, and J.

This proof-of-concept proved successful, but it was clear that the undefined and unused area within the first track needed to be standardized. This lead to the creation of the EMBR (Extended Master Boot Record) specification that standardized the usage of the first track. It defines an EMBRI (Extended Master Boot Record Initiator), EMBRL (Extended Master Boot Record Loader), and EMBRM (Extended Master Boot Record Manager). It also includes a MPT (Master Partition Table) that can hold 255 partitions, a MBFT (Master Boot File Table) for OS specific kernel loaders that could be used to load different OSes from a single partition using a boot record that was EMBR compatible, as well as a MDT (Master Driver Table) which defined the concept of having system level drivers to extended the capability of the system BIOS. This specification and concepts were used by Intel and Microsoft in the creation of the EFI and GPT.

BootIt Version 2 became the EMBRM for the new EMBR specification. BootIt 2 was designed with a common API, that morphed into a mini-OS, that was used by sub-applications to further extend the application. These sub-applications were listed as options from within the program and could do anything from provide a calculator to a memory testing application. BootIt 2 included sub-applications for partition management, boot management, and the like. It used the concept of "boot items" to configure the MBR on the fly when one of the boot items was booted from a boot menu it displayed. It was the first ever all-in-one boot and partition manager and became very popular among the tech industry. Sidenote: In it's original design phase, BootIt 2 was to include the capability of running multiple operating systems at the same time and the ability to switch between them using the (previously unused) sysreq key on the IBM PC keyboards. However, due to the amount of system RAM required and its high cost as well as the limited CPU speeds, TeraByte abandoned that capability.

BootIt Lite

After BootIt 2 came BootIt Lite, a standard boot manager with the ability to create boot items and boot multiple operating systems from within the same partition, and BootIt Direct, a very simple boot manager that displayed the standard MBR partitions and volumes from which could simply be booted.

BootIt Next Generation is the latest in the BootIt line of boot managers. It combines and extends the functionality found in BootIt 2, BootIt Direct, and BootIt Lite in a GUI interface. It was the first ever all-in-one boot manager, partition manager, and imaging tool.

ee also

* Booting

References