Alright. Here we go...I know this topic is covered extensively, but I have tried all that I can find, and can't seem to find a solution that works for me. So, please don't shoot me for asking again.
I'm a linux newbie and am not quite ready to make a full jump from Windows to Linux. So, what I am trying to accomplish is a dual boot with Windows XP and Mandrake 10.0.
However, I do not want LILO to control my boot...had some issues with that in the past screwing up my system...long story...sad ending...
Anyway, I have two hard drives...and 120 GB and a 40 GB. I have been running XP Pro on the 120 GB for a while now, and am trying to install Mandrake 10.0 on the 40 GB. The installation process is no problem (except that the setup wizard doesn't like my Microsoft Mouse...kind of funny if you ask me...but I can work around that issue). No more distractions...
Well, anyway, what I am trying to do is what many sites have said to do: have LILO or GRUB install on the drive that Mandrake is installed on...which is, in my case /dev/hdb5. After installation, I reboot, and, as I expected would happen, the computer started directly to Windows. So, I did a rescue boot from the install CD and went to the console, mounted the linux partitions, and then ran this command:
Code:
dd if=/dev/hdb5 of=/mnt/bootsect.lnx bs=512 count=1
I had to add the extra /mnt in there because of the way the rescue program mounts the partitions...
Well, anyway, I copied the bootsect.lnx into my C:\ drive back in Windows, and modified my boot.ini file with this line:
Code:
C:\bootsect.lnx="Mandrake Linux 10.0"
When I try to boot to that, at first I got the infamous "L 99 99 99 99 99 99...." and so on. So, since I couldn't get that to work, I tried some more, with a few different approaches, which I will now describe. In all cases, the first Hard drive (the 120 GB) was never touched
First Approach:
Partition Setup:
HDB:
[--PARTITION (mountpoint = /boot) = 8 MB--|--SWAP PARTITION = 1 GB--|--PARTITION (mountpoint = /) = rest of HD--]
Second Approach:
HDB:
[--SWAP PARTITION = 1 GB--|--PARTITION (mountpoint = /) = rest of HD--]
Third Approach:
Same as the second, just without a swap partition.
In all cases, I made an image of the boot sectors of each partition, and added all of them to the boot menu in windows. I also tried each separate setup with both LILO and GRUB. The closest I ever got to anything working was when the screen came up with something about GRUB and a HD error.
Most of the time, it either reboots right away, goes to a screen with just a blinking cursor, or does the "L 99 99 99 99..." thing, or, in some cases "L 01 01 01 01 01...". I couldn't find any information on the "L 01 01 01.." screen, but found a few resources on the other one, and the only solution I could find was exactly what I'm trying to avoid doing.
Once again, I am trying to not use LILO or GRUB to control my boot up. I would much rather use the Windows selection menu to choose what to boot, at least until I begin to use Linux more often, and am ready to begin moving away from Windows.
So, if someone is willing to help out, how would I accomplish this with 2 hard drives, XP already installed? I hope my description of my problem is enough...let me know if you need clarification...I imagine I will probably need to clarify a few things, considering the time...Anyway, i hope someone can help me out.
Thanks,
A Linux Newbie