Extended Operating System Loader (XOSL) is the world's only full-featured free boot manager with a real, easy-to-use and full-blown graphical user interface.

Extended Operating System Loader allows you to boot operating systems from single or from multiple disk partitions. For every bootable system, you can configure which other partitions should be hidden. For every bootable system, as well as for the configuration screens, you can also enables password protection.

XOSL can be installed on a running DOS, Win9x or WinME system or on a small dedicated partition. It also includes a free partition manager.

Here are some key features of "Extended Operating System Loader":

Look & Feel
· User-friendly Graphical User Interface
· Full windowing system with mouse and keyboard support
· Resolutions up to 1600x1200
· Configurable mouse speed
· A set of color schemes
· Several color adjustment options
· Password protected boot configuration and settings
· Restart/Reboot/Shutdown

Booting Features
· Up to 24 boot items
· Microsoft file system partition hiding support
· Storing additional keys before booting
· Activate partitions (one per system or one per HD)
· Automatic booting (with timeout)
· Auto boot last operating system
· Password protection per boot item
· Boot master boot record on any drive
· Boot DOS/Windows 9x on any drive
· Hotkey per boot item
· Support for hard disks larger than 8Gb
· [XOSL 1.1.1] Coexist with virtually any other boot manager (boot original master boot record)
· [XOSL 1.1.2] Run Ranish Partition Manager 2.38 beta 1.9 from XOSL, without first booting an OS
· [XOSL 1.1.2] Master boot record virus protection
· [XOSL 1.1.3] Swap drives
· [XOSL 1.1.5] IDE CD-ROM booting by including Smart Boot Manager

XOSL is known to support
· BeOS
· MS-DOS
· FreeDOS
· Linux (with Lilo)
· Solaris
· VxWorks 5.x
· Windows 95/98/Me
· Windows NT/2000


Requirements:

Minimal system requirements:
· 80386 or better with 4Mb of RAM (6Mb for 1280x1024/1600x1200)
· VESA VBE 1.2 compliant display controller
· 300kb of free disk space

Recommended:
· Pentium 100 or better
· VESA VBE 2.0 compliant display controller
· PS/2 or serial mouse

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

· Data saving problem solved. For some systems (with a ABIT BE6 motherboard) all saved changes would be lost again after reboot.
· Invalid boot items, which are valid again are now automatically enabled. A boot item is invalid when, for instance, its partition is on a detached removable disk.
· Because drive swapping won't work for Windows 9x/Me, it is not checked by default anymore for partitions on the second, third, etc. hard disk.
· Enhancement: Integrated Smart Boot Manager to support IDE CD-ROM booting.