multi boot advice please

[sentofuno]

i've tried in the past without success to install and boot to multiple installs of different linux distros. with each attempt i was only ever able to boot to the most recently installed os. what i would like is this partition setup:

swap
distro1
distro2
~
distro9
shared storage volume

i would like to try a few distros to get used to the various differences, ie SuSe for KDE, Ubuntu for Gnome, and other different interfaces like DamnSmall, on a laptop. some things may need to know are:

amd64
512mb
60gb IDE
GbLAN + WLAN (both broadcom)
15.4" 1400x1080
GB/UK

i'd appreciate any help with the bootloader side, thanks in advance

[budman7]

When you install the 2nd distro, look for the option to install to the root partition.
You may have to look for an "Advanced" button, or the installer might just give you the option to put the bootloader where you like.
I have never familiarized myself with lilo, but this solution will work great with grub.
After installing the 2nd distro, put an entry like this into distro 1's /boot/grub/menu.lst file

title linux
root (hd0,1) or whatever is correct.
chainloader +1


Note if the 2nd distro is on /dev/sda2 or /dev/hda2, (hd0,1) is what will be in the menu.lst file.