In theory, the multi syntax can identify any drive that the standard INT 13 interface identifies. In reality, most system BIOS structures can identify only one disk controller through INT 13, so you can usually use the multi syntax to launch Win2K from one of only the first two drives attached to the primary disk controller. (If you have a cooperative BIOS, you can use the multi syntax for as many as four drives across two controllers.) A multi syntax line reads as follows:
multi(<A>)disk(<B>)rdisk(<C>)
partition(<D>)
A is the ordinal number for the boot adapter. The first adapter, which is usually the boot adapter, is 0. B provides disk-parameter information. In a multi syntax line, this variable is always 0 because the multi syntax uses the INT 13 call instead of a self-discovery method.
C is an ordinal number that specifies the disk attached to the adapter; the number can range from 0 to 3, depending on the number of drives on the adapter. D specifies the partition number; the first possible number is 1 (as opposed to adapters and drives, which begin numbering with 0).
SCSI syntax. Your computer probably uses the SCSI syntax if you boot Win2K from a SCSI device. The SCSI syntax tells Win2K to use a device driver for the controller, rather than depend on the system BIOS and INT 13 calls, to access the boot partition. The device driver is always named ntbootdd.sys and resides on the system partition's root. To create ntbootdd.sys, Win2K Setup copies the specific driver for the SCSI drive to the hard disk. Win2K then renames the file ntbootdd.sys. Usually, Win2K copies the driver from the Win2K CD-ROM (which contains drivers for the vast majority of SCSI adapters), but if you use a manufacturer-supplied driver, Win2K copies and renames that file. The SCSI syntax line is as follows:
scsi(<A>)disk(<B>)rdisk(<C>)
partition(<D>)
A is the ordinal number for the adapter linked to the ntbootdd.sys driver. B is the SCSI ID for the target disk on that adapter. C is the SCSI LUN that contains the boot partition. (Although this LUN could be a separate disk, most SCSI setups have only one LUN per SCSI ID.) D specifies the partition number.
If you have multiple SCSI controllers, each of which uses a different device driver, A specifies the controller linked to ntbootdd.sys. During setup, Win2K determines—usually as the result of your specification for the installation partition—which controller to use. Even if your SCSI drive can work with INT 13 calls, using the SCSI syntax is preferable (and usually less error-prone) because it forces the OS to use the ntbootdd.sys data during startup.
Signature syntax. The signature syntax is technically the same as the SCSI syntax, but the installation program uses the signature syntax to support Win2K's Plug and Play (PnP) architecture. The signature syntax line is as follows:
signature(<A>)disk(<B>) rdisk(<C>)partition(<D>)
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