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EasyBoot
v5.02
Reviewed
by: Jim Huddle CNE MCNE MCSE CBS,
Sept 2004, send
e-mail
Published
by: EZB
Systems, Inc., go
to the web site
Requires: Windows
95 OSR2, 98, 98SE, ME, NT4 SP6a or higher, 2000 or XP;
Pentium 166MHz or faster, 64MB RAM, 10MB free hard disk
space
MSRP: $29.95
I like
utilities. I like them better than productivity software
because utilities let you do interesting things both for
and to operating systems. Some will automate tasks, others
fix problems and others let you probe into the operating
system to see what the heck it's doing. There's another
class of utilities that attempt to make operating system
installation simpler. Ghost is a good example. Another
is EasyBoot.
EasyBoot
allows you to create a bootable CD or DVD that will install
one or more operating systems selected from a menu. To
my way of thinking using the program is a bit quirky, but
once you fathom its slightly different approach, in about
an hour you can make a bootable CD with a couple of Windows
operating systems ready to install. You can also make Linux
installation CDs and mix a Linux distribution with a Windows
installer on the same CD. You won't see that in EZB System's
information on EasyBoot, but if you dig into their forums
you can find out how.
Installation
is simple and presents no problems. When you start EasyBoot
it presents you with two windows. The first is the EasyBoot
configuration window where you will define your menu and
the tasks that menu will perform. The second is the Menu
Preview which reflects the choices you make. The menu is
very configurable and you can customize it to fit your
particular needs. For example, you can insert a 640x480
background graphic of your choice (e.g., one showing your
company's logo).
The first
time I cranked up EasyBoot I was a bit irritated to discover
that nowhere in the EasyBoot window was there a way to
pull in the operating system installation files with which
to create the CD. I eventually opened the help file, which
is only available via the Windows program menu (go to Start> Programs> EasyBoot> EasyBoot
Help).
Fortunately the help file is pretty good, which is great
because it's the only EasyBoot documentation supplied with
the utility. The User Guide is in the help file itself
and it covers the basic operation of the program fairly
well. Just under the User Guide in the program submenu
is the important part called the Practical Guide. Here,
finally, is where you get detailed instructions on creating
operating system images. It only covers the Windows family
but it is clear and easy to follow.
Actually creating the bootable CD is a multi-step process
that while not difficult, is as mentioned before a bit
quirky. If you use the help file you can get it done fairly
simply, but be prepared to bounce around the sections a
bit. The utility will burn an ISO image for you. The image
will contain the operating system(s) you've set up, the
boot graphic and the menuing system. If you have Nero Burning
ROM installed you can burn directly from EasyBoot. Otherwise
you will need to load your CD burning software and create
the disc from there.
I'm of two minds about EasyBoot. On the one hand I like
what the utility can do. It does create bootable CDs and
DVDs with multiple operating systems ready to install.
On the other hand I'm annoyed with the utility's documentation
and the lack of any documentation about creating non-Windows
images. At a list price of $29.95 I really can't complain,
but to be honest I'd be willing to pay more for better
documentation in the form of start-to-finish procedures
and instructions about creating Linux images. Interesting
utility. Check it out.
Letters to the Editor are welcome and occasionally abused in public. Send e-mail to: whine@kickstartnews.com
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