Problems when booting with other mass storage devices

[jcarter]

Hello Team

I have a laptop which the internal hard drive has only 1 partition and Windows XP installed alongside the PLOP Boot Manager. I have Ubuntu installed on an external usb drive with 2 partitions -  1 for OS and the other as SWAP. This drive is seen as a Floppy Drive in BIOS (don't ask why) but selecting USB from the PLOP Boot Manager is the option that gets this drive booted. This all works beautifully without any tension.

I also have another USB HDD, a 500 GB FreeAgent drive that contains all of my files. Now when I plug this in that's where all hells breaks loose. Sometimes I boot up with this drive already plugged in, sometimes I plug it in after, and sometimes I just don't have it with me to plug it in.

When I plug the FreeAgent drive in, it automatically takes the boot flag 80 and the internal drive becomes 81. This automatically gives plop issues - easily fixable though. Now if I choose the 2nd mass storage device in PLOPs Boot Manager I can get it to boot Ubuntu, but, if after I don't plug the FreeAgent or don't have it with me, I have to go through the hassle of going back into Boot Manager configuration and changing the mass storage number.

How can I make this more seamless? Is there anyway to get what I need done?

Thanks in advance

[Elmar]

hi,
press press ctrl-u in the main menu or press ctrl-enter at the usb boot option

regards
elmar