I want to dual-boot Windows XP and FC3 64-bit using the Windows boot loader. XP is on a 2-drive SATA RAID 0 configuration, Linux is on an IDE HD set as primary master.

The problem with installing GRUB on the MBR is that LInux does not recognize my RAID configuration; it sees two SCSI drives (no idea why) instead of the 2 SATA drives in RAID. I've already ruined one XP installation with GRUB on the MBR so I'd prefer not to do that again.

I currently have GRUB installed on the first block of the /boot partition. If I bring up the boot menu during BIOS startup and select the hard disk that Linux is installed on, it boots just fine. However, if I attempt to create a bootsect.lnx file and use the Windows bootloader, I get the following:

GRUB _ (underscore blinks)

It doesn't respond to anything except CTRL+ALT+DELETE, which reboots the system.

I used the following command to create bootsect.lnx:

dd if=/dev/hda1 of=/bootsect.lnx bs=512 count=1

This creates the file in the root partition; from there I copy it to a floppy disk, then move into the C:\ directory and modify the boot.ini file accordingly.

This is how I have the drive partitioned:

/boot = /dev/hda1
swap = /dev/hda2
/ = /dev/hda3

I've ran a couple other distros of Linux but mostly for experimentation so I don't know enough to tell whether there's something wrong with the installation or whether I goofed somewhere.

Any ideas?

have a look at this to see if you missed any steps eg admin role?
http://www.geocities.com/epark/linux...w2k-HOWTO.html

2) my grub howto when you are happy you understood above, I don't have xp so can't help
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=237511

3) comments on grub installed...I prefer you use my terminal way to check that the images are TRULY embedded?

4) sata is neither IDE or scsi but its more scsi like from a linux kernel point of view

5) ideally a raid should be seen as one drive as raid attempts to copy data in case of hardware failure. It is NOT a backup solution. If you are using raid because of XP once you are happy with linux use that spare drive for data or images like I use for www.partimage.org

happy hunting

aus9:
Grub works the same for XP and 2000 as it does for earlier versions. I will back that up, if you want to add that to your HOW TO post.

vectordrake

I am just a simple aussie, do you mean

w98 = xp = 2000 for all grub config issues

or do you mean something to do with backing up data?

Your tutorial proves you wrong! Yes, the configurations are the same. Windows reacts to the bootloader the same way, regardless of the version. Probably this is because the bootloader is actually on the first track of the partition, thus needing the chainloader (FreeBSD requires a chainload boot too).

vectordrake

You are now in my tut

Awww, shucks!

There's more: another tidbit you may wanna squeeze in there, which may appy to many folks and they don't know what's going on --> what happens if you're stuck at the GRUB commands when booting into Windows XP? Do you try to reinstall Windows' bootloader in the MBR with recovery console and then chroot into your Linux and replace with GRUB? Not likely, as you'll probably find the Win install cd doesn't want to work. If this is the case, use KohlyKohl's suggestion of making sure that the drive is in LBA mode in the BIOS. I've had this happen recently. I don't know what made the BIOS change, but it was set to "auto" which made it default to CHS instead of LBA, making the drive unreadable by the boot cd. Change it back and you might be good to go.

Tarkan2467, have you found a solution yet?

I'm having exactly the same problem as tarkan.

My situation is similar in that I am dual booting between an xp installation on two mirrored raid discs and a 64bit ubuntu installation on a good old IDE disc.

I have seen the problem with the 'GRUB _' (flashing underscore) in quite a few places around the net. I have still to find an explanation as to what is wrong and how to work around the problem. I was happy to see tarkan's post as it describes my situation so accurately.

If anybody has any ideas, I too would be grateful of any hints as I am not exactly a *nix wiz.

Maybe I should add that I copied the boot image off my boot floppy made during the ubuntu installation. Ubuntu boots just fine off the floppy, but stops dead when the same image is loaded from C:\bootsect.lnx (holding the same data). What I should probably do is to install 32 bit ubuntu and see if the problem persists, but by now I have fought this problem for so long that I don't really have the energy for yet another couple of re-installations.

/Lars Ole