A boot loader is a small program that reads and launches the operating system. Fedora Core uses the GRUB boot loader by default. If you have multiple operating systems, the boot loader determines which one to boot, usually by offering a menu.

You may have a boot loader installed on your system already. An operating system may install its own preferred boot loader, or you may have installed a third-party boot loader.If your boot loader does not recognize Linux partitions, you may not be able to boot Fedora Core. Use GRUB as your boot loader to boot Linux and most other operating systems. Follow the directions in this chapter to install GRUB.

	Installing GRUB
	If you install GRUB, it may overwrite your existing boot loader.

The following screen displays boot loader configuration options.

Figure 6.1. Boot Loader Configuration Screen

6.1. Keeping Your Existing Boot Loader Settings

By default, the installation program installs GRUB in the master boot record, or MBR, of the device for the root file system. To change or decline installation of a new boot loader, select the Change boot loader button. The dialog shown in Figure 6.2, “Change Boot Loader” allows you to avoid installing or changing your existing boot loader settings.

Figure 6.2. Change Boot Loader

	Boot Loader Required
	Your computer must have GRUB or another boot loader installed in order to start, unless you create a separate startup disk to boot from.

You may need to customize the GRUB installation to correctly support some hardware or system configurations. To specify compatibility settings, select Configure advanced boot loader options. This causes a second screen of options to appear when you choose Next. Section 6.4, “Advanced Boot loader Options” explains the features of the additional screen.