Dual Boot option with Linux and Windows XP

kuyalfinator · 11-01-2003, 02:38 AM

I have a PC that is running on Windows XP. I would like to install other
operating systems on it. Will XP allow me do a dual boot? The way I
have the hard drives setup are the following:

http://kuyakuya.freeshell.org/acm/dual_boot.GIF

The operating systems I was thinking of install are the following:

Code:

Windows 98 2nd Edition
Windows 2000 Professional
Windows Me (if possible)
Linux Mandrake 9.1
Linux Redhat 8.0

The reason I am doing dual boots is I am exploring other operating systems besides Windows.

salparadise · 11-01-2003, 03:35 AM

er
well
xp sort of doesn't support dual booting (in as much that it doesn't recognise linux)
but
you can add further operating systems
and linux will install a bootloader that will let you choose between whatever OS's you have

kuyalfinator · 11-01-2003, 10:27 AM

I have hardware that has 3 OS on a 6 gig drive. I have some
idea what needs to be done. For example, the boot loader
for Linux Mandrake 9.1 saves the setup on the Master Boot
Record / Sector of the first or primary drive. I managed to backup
the boot.ini file which is hidden, read only, and system file (DOS attrib,
LINUX chmod to set file permissions). I need the boot.ini to restore
the Windows 2000 partition because Windows 98 partition had the
boot.ini file.

Here are the two links that descibe the laptop a little.

http://acm.calstatela.edu/forum/viewtopic.php?t=23

http://acm.calstatela.edu/forum/viewtopic.php?t=79

I was working on the XP machine and had problems installing
Linux Mandrake 9.1, but it had something to do with the RAM
modules. I will try to continue to us XP for now.

What I did was the grub boot loader was disabled by using
the Linux Rescue Disk. Probably is a seperate topic. If any
needs to know how to restore the 'Windows' boot loader, you
can use the Linux Rescue Disk to do so. The Rescue Disk is
usually the first disk of the Linux Distro you are using.

quietguy47 · 11-01-2003, 01:01 PM

This guide from tldp(the linux documentation project) should explain thing's a bit better.
http://www.tldp.org/LDP/Win+BSD+Linu...html/index.htm

bigjohn · 11-01-2003, 07:48 PM

As a quick note, you've obviously worked out that it's possible, though I don't know how it would react with that many versions of windows.

I would imagine that you'd have to work out dual boot of windows first (just like a selfish teenage boy, windows likes to come first

), but then you shouldn't have to much problems getting a linux dual boot running the bootloader thing shouldn't represent a problem - though when it comes to multi versions of linux, you may have to do some meddling with it to be able to see and boot more than one version (I had problems with this, but sorted it eventually).

regards

John

Robert0380 · 11-02-2003, 02:48 AM

ok, im all for doing what you want....but i just have to ask..

why the heck would u put win ME and win98 on the same box?? why would you even put win ME on it at all??

here is what i would do, put all windows OSes on 1 drive, and all Linux OSes on a seperate drive. Install LILO or GRUB to the MBR ( an option when installing Red Hat). RedHat - during install - will see the Windows Drive (DOS it might call it). When you install LILO or GRUB to the MBR, it will set up the dual booting for you.

Order of installs:

Drive 1: Windows Driver
Win 98
Win ME (Clean Install not upgrade)
Win 2k (clean install not upgrade)
Win XP (clean install not upgrade)

by doing all as clean isntalls, you will get to keep 98, me, 2k and xp all on 1 drive and in the end you will have a boot loadeer with 4 options. (the 98 then ME part im unsure about but i know wit will work with 98/2k/xp).

next, pop in you favorite linux CD and install that to drive 2 and install GRUB to the MBR.

when u finish installin linux and reboot, you will see a nice fancy shmancy screen (if u installed grub) and u can select between 2 options, Red Hat or Windows.

if you select windows, you will be kicked into Windows NTLDR (or sumthing) and you will get another screen where you get to pick which windows you want to boot into.

This is how i did it (i had 98/2k/redhat) but i nuked 98 for 2k only, then i nuked 2k and had an extra 40 gigs mounted in red hat, then i nuked redhat and installed Gentoo.

terry.trent · 11-02-2003, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by quietguy47
This guide from tldp(the linux documentation project) should explain thing's a bit better.
http://www.tldp.org/LDP/Win+BSD+Linu...html/index.htm

i have personally been trying to figure out how to dual boot for the past week and a half-this link will get me going on it. thanks!

bigjohn · 11-03-2003, 02:30 PM

If it's just a case of windows and deadrat 9 Terry, it's pretty straight forward.

i.e. install the windows, followed by the deadrat - I should point out, I'm not a deadrat fan, hence I don't know what you would need to do other than installing one after another, surf here for dualboot thread's.

Mandrake will resize a windows partition, even if it's formated NTFS (don't know about deadrat), which is a bonus.

Though the link that you posted mentions win+bsd+linux, so if that's what you're trying to do then "Whoosh" as it flies over my head, I had enough snags installing a second version of linux and getting it to boot from the hard disc with lilo. Windows with one linux, was a sinch, even for an idiot like me, but the second took a little working out.

regards

John

terry.trent · 11-03-2003, 02:52 PM

i'll actually be atempting this this evening. it seems simple enough-i'm not ready for more than two os's yet, tho.

i may go for bsd in the future, but for now i'm going to stick with loveryly linux and woesome windows.

bigjohn · 11-03-2003, 03:42 PM

Right ho,

As far as I can work out, you may have to get additional packages for redhat to re partition a windows install.

If you have something else software wise, that will handle the repartitioning, then I'd do that first (I'm lucky enough to have a copy of partition magic if you haven't got that , then from memory, there's a free (? maybe demo version) of something called "ranish partition manager", that SHOULD enable you to do a repartition of windows first. Personally I'd then just leave the new/extra partition as empty unformated space - I would have thought that redhat would prefer to do the formatting itself.

Again, that's another reason I prefer mandrake, cos if I f****d up, I just put the first mandrake disc in, hit f1, type rescue and then follow the instructions to re-install the windows boot loader, and I've got my windows system back to ask for help.

Up to you - worst case scenario is that if your windows bootloader got overwritten by redhat and you couldn't sus out the grub (which is redhat default, though I prefer lilo), then as long as you've got a windows disc handy, you should be able to rescue the system to get assistance further.

regards

John

kuyalfinator · 01-15-2004, 06:38 PM

I know the Windows to Linux dual boot is easy. I have never attempted a
Linux then Windows before.

In terms with Windows XP, it wants to be the first partition that is bootable.
But, what are the students to get the Windows Bootloader to work instead
of the lilo or grub bootloader? Install Linux first and then windows...

Again, is it possible to install linux first and then windows boot loader for
the dual boot option?

salparadise · 01-16-2004, 01:24 AM

from my own experience
windows will wreck the linux install
it will corrupt the linux partition table and the windows bootloader will not see Linux
install windows first, patch it from the MS update site
then install Linux
(i've had MS updates that wrote off the Linux partitions)
Linux is a happy child and will play with anyone
Windows is a spoilt child and wont easily play with anyone else