Fedora 11 Install

This by all means may not work for everybody.

I run an Intel DP35DP Motherboard with 3.0 gig Intel processor with 4 gig of ram. Two 500 gig Sata hard drives. The first hard drive is for Windows XP. The second hard drive is four 6 different flavors of Linux and Data backups.
Drive 2 the first 120 gigs is split into six 20 gig partitions with a 2 gig swap file. The second 370 gig is for file backups and Norton Ghost 2009 images.

Install Fedora 11 on the second hard drive and use the automatic partitioning tool but don't put grub on your Master MBR put it on the root partition on your second drive. When you get to the Boot Loader Configuration screen make sure you check the Configure advanced boot loader options. The next screen will give the option where to put Grub Boot Loader. It should say like sda or sdb. Sda is usually your XP Drive. From their finish loading. Put Grub on Sdb?.

Duel booting using Windows XP boot manager.

Go to www.winimage.com/bootpart.htm and download Bootpa26.zip (It's freeware)
Unzip the file and it will make a directory called Bootpart. From the Windows command line change directories to C:\bootpart\bootpa26. Run the command bootpart. This is what you should see.

C:\BootPart\bootpa26>bootpart
Boot Partition 2.60 for WinNT/2K/XP (c)1995-2005 G. Vollant (info@winimage.com)
WEB : http://www.winimage.com and http://www.winimage.com/bootpart.htm
Add partition in the Windows NT/2000/XP Multi-boot loader
Run "bootpart /?" for more information

Physical number of disk 0 : c5e4c5e4
0 : C:* type=7 (HPFS/NTFS), size= 488375968 KB, Lba Pos=63
Physical number of disk 1 : 13b19
1 : D:* type=83 (Linux native), size= 21502971 KB, Lba Pos=63
2 : D: type=f (Win95 XInt 13 extended), size= 466881030 KB, Lba Pos=43006005
3 : D: type=7 (HPFS/NTFS), size= 356972301 KB, Lba Pos=43006068
4 : D: type=5 (Extended), size= 21511035 KB, Lba Pos=756950670
5 : D: type=83 (Linux native), size= 21511003 KB, Lba Pos=756950733
6 : D: type=5 (Extended), size= 2048287 KB, Lba Pos=799972740
7 : D: type=82 (Linux swap), size= 2048256 KB, Lba Pos=799972803
8 : D: type=5 (Extended), size= 21511035 KB, Lba Pos=804069315
9 : D: type=83 (Linux native), size= 21511003 KB, Lba Pos=804069378
10 : D: type=5 (Extended), size= 21511035 KB, Lba Pos=847091385
11 : D: type=83 (Linux native), size= 21511003 KB, Lba Pos=847091448
12 : D: type=5 (Extended), size= 21511035 KB, Lba Pos=890113455
13 : D: type=83 (Linux native), size= 21511003 KB, Lba Pos=890113518
14 : D: type=5 (Extended), size= 21816270 KB, Lba Pos=933135525
15 : D: type=83 (Linux native), size= 21816238 KB, Lba Pos=933135588

If you’ll notice 1: D:* Type=83 is you’re first Linux root partition

Run the command Bootpart 1 fedora11.lnx Fedora 11 Leonidas

This will add a boot line to the Boot.INI file.

Then reboot.

My file looks like this

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /detective
C:\BootPart\bootpa26\pclinuxos20091.lnx="PCLinuxOS 2009.1"
C:\BootPart\bootpa26\mandriva091.lnx="Mandriva 2009.1 KDE"
C:\BootPart\bootpa26\fedora11.lnx="Fedora 11 Leonidas"
C:\BootPart\bootpa26\linuxmint70.lnx="LinuxMint 7.0 Gloria"
C:\BootPart\bootpa26\ubuntu904.lnx="Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty"
C:\BootPart\bootpa26\opensusie111.lnx="OpenSusie 11.1"

Not to rain on the parade but

(1) Dual as in two, not Duel as in flamewar with pistols at dawn

(2) What is the advantage of what you describe over multibooting with grub?

I'm bad for misspelling. Further more it's just a matter of preference.

Oh, well then thanks for sharing. You might want to write it up more formally as a HOWTO; might be a good addition to the Linux Wiki or the Linux Tutorials.

Using the method described above does have certain advantages.

The first being that it never interferes with Windows NTLDR. Some people have claimed certain software/manufacturer configurations don't like to see anything NON windows on the MBR. Virus scanner checking MBR? Apparently this is more the case if you bought a preconfigured machine with some special hidden manufacturer restore partitions?

Another advantage is that this is ONLY done once. And *never* is the MBR touched again. With so many Linux flavors installed, each one has to re-write to the MBR during installation. I have seen grub install fail *many* times. Leaving a possible unbootable system or a need for a rescue disk + 'grub-install'.

Another issue is that some distributions upon install of grub may not detect other Linux installed (I think Suse and Ubuntu do) but not sure of others. When a new installation is added to the system you may lose the entry to boot another Linux. So which system should hold the "main grub"? I find it easier to leave Windows as the main bootloader and grub is always chain loaded.

I have been using this method for almost 10 yrs now (back with NT4), and I don't remember if it ever failed. While on the other hand, installing/upgrading 3-4 linux flavours every year, I do recall many times grub has failed.

So, for me, it is more than just a preference. I also boot 6 Linux + XP + 2000 + Vista. Vista, I should add, detects change in the 'boot.ini' which is very nice.

I chainload also, the only problem I run into is not updating my menu lst when updating or installing a different distro. It aggrevates my wife but I can remember most of the changes. But the beauty is the distro will load no matter what the menu list indicates.