# Quadboot: DOS 6.2/Win 3.11/Windows 95/Windows 7/Linux Mint 8...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quadboot-dos-6-2-win-3-11-windows-95-windows-7-linux-mint-8/525130>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 15, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quadboot-dos-6-2-win-3-11-windows-95-windows-7-linux-mint-8/525130 "2010-01-15T22:20:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quadboot-dos-6-2-win-3-11-windows-95-windows-7-linux-mint-8/525130/21 "2010-01-18T05:22:26Z")

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> [@astro](#):
>
> Honestly this is kind of a stupid bet. Even if possible the cost of a case of beer does not begin to approach the amount of wasted time you will invest is this pointless exercise.

Are you sure you’re a Doper? I regularly invest large quantities of time in “pointless” exercises (that I refuse to call pointless), because I may learn something, or because there is an inherent challenge to be met.

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**Author:** ![Hallucinex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba9def/32.png) [@Hallucinex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hallucinex)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quadboot-dos-6-2-win-3-11-windows-95-windows-7-linux-mint-8/525130/22 "2010-01-18T14:28:36Z")

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> [@not\_alice](#):
>
> IIRC, the basic startegy is start with Linux, let it’s boot manager handle everything. During Linux installation, make a fresh partition for each OS, of the right type (FAT for Dos, etc.). Install Linux. Then, install each of the othrs one at a time.

I might be wrong, but I vaguely remember trying to dual-boot windows xp & linux and reading that it was better to go the other way around; installing windows first at the beginning of the disk, then linux was better able to install around an existing windows install than vice-versa (and could overwrite the boot manager with its own stuff). Not sure if with win7 etc things may be different though.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quadboot-dos-6-2-win-3-11-windows-95-windows-7-linux-mint-8/525130/23 "2010-01-18T15:14:05Z")

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> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#):
>
> Are you sure you’re a Doper? I regularly invest large quantities of time in “pointless” exercises (that I refuse to call pointless), because I may learn something, or because there is an inherent challenge to be met.

The pointlessness is sometimes part of the attraction, for me.

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