bootable CD/DVD: is this possible?

[hudster]

Ok, I've been searching around the internet for info about multi-bootable CDs (yes, i've seen Bart's pages, and I've seen the BootScriptor and CDShell utilities). What I'm trying to figure out, without reading through endless little details, is:

Is there any way to make a multi-boot CD/DVD, from something other than just bootable floppy images?

Say, for instance, that I'd want a single DVD that boots up to a menu, that then let's me pick from the following items: (this is just a contrived theoretical example of what I might like to do)

1) install Windows XP (in other words, include a backup copy of my Windows XP CD on this multi-boot DVD)
1) install Windows 98SE (in other words, include a backup copy of my Windows 98SE CD on this multi-boot DVD)
2) run Knoppix (in other words, another boot image contained on the multi-boot DVD would be the bootable Knoppix CD image)
3) run Western Digital Drive Utilities (a bootable floppy image)
4) run Maxtor Drive Utilities (a bootable floppy image)
5) run Seagate Drive Utilities (a bootable floppy image)
6) run AIDA16 (a bootable floppy image)
7) run dban (a bootable floppy image)
8) etc, etc.

So, is something like this even remotely possible? Or am I just dreaming? Or am I limited to just a CD/DVD that only has multiple floppy boot images on it?

 

[Looney]

Of course that's possible.

 

[WobbleWobble]

It's possible, but I don't know how to do it

 

[Looney]

Pretty easy to do. Just make the CD/DVD bootable, and then just make a simple batch file with a menu option.

 

[hudster]

Originally posted by: Moralpanic
Pretty easy to do. Just make the CD/DVD bootable, and then just make a simple batch file with a menu option.

wait a minute, that sounds waaay oversimplified. Did you look at my example? Each of those things that I included in that example are self-booting themselves...The WinXP CD image boots itself, Knoppix boots itself, dban boots up itself...so how on earth would I call each of those things from a simple batch file?

i'm not trying to be smart in my reply here...I just honestly don't see how the example that I gave could be done in the manner that you suggested.

 

[Nothinman]

http://www.nu2.nu/bootablecd/

I believe his toold use syslinux to give you the bootmenus, but you should be able to do everything you want with a little work.

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: hudster

Originally posted by: Moralpanic
Pretty easy to do. Just make the CD/DVD bootable, and then just make a simple batch file with a menu option.

wait a minute, that sounds waaay oversimplified. Did you look at my example? Each of those things that I included in that example are self-booting themselves...The WinXP CD image boots itself, Knoppix boots itself, dban boots up itself...so how on earth would I call each of those things from a simple batch file?

i'm not trying to be smart in my reply here...I just honestly don't see how the example that I gave could be done in the manner that you suggested.

Um, i'm assuming even though they're images, that when you burn them to a DVD or CD they would be expanded? I think if anything, you're making this more complicated than it has to be.