[Bug 849760] Re: alternate installer does not allow multiple partitions to have bootable flag "on"

[Colin Watson]

In fact, I've already found multiple references to this as an error
condition.  The SYSLINUX MBR refuses to boot such a system, saying
"Multiple active partitions".  And "Upgrading and repairing PCs", p.
419, by Scott Mueller [1] says:

  "If more than one of these bytes is 80h (indicating multiple active
partitions), or any of the byte values is anything other than 80h or
00h, you see the following error message: Invalid partition table"

Therefore I maintain that this is far too dangerous to allow, since it
will cause some machines to entirely fail to boot with a message that
most users would justifiably regard as inscrutable.  Sorry.  Please find
another way to do this!

[1]
http://books.google.com/books?id=E1p2FDL7P5QC&pg=PA419&lpg=PA419&dq=mbr+%22multiple+active+partitions%22&source=bl&ots=M2llGf34iz&sig=SGh3FhFs1sOODMgX0dalfVYUqdc&hl=en&ei
=xnRwTvX-AZCf-
Qbqz7moCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEUQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=mbr%20%22multiple%20active%20partitions%22&f=false

** Changed in: debian-installer (Ubuntu)
       Status: Incomplete => Won't Fix

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/849760

Title:
  alternate installer does not allow multiple partitions to have
  bootable flag "on"

Status in “debian-installer” package in Ubuntu:
  Won't Fix

Bug description:
  When doing a manual partitioning it's sometimes necessary to have
  multiple partitions with boot flag set "on". Currently (tested with
  oneiric) there can be only one partition set as bootable. This breaks
  truecrypt loader (sigh..) as it requires that the windows partition is
  set as bootable and also the linux /boot has to be bootable for
  truecrypt loader to correctly chainl oad grub.

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