Size of Linux Boot Partition
 

I am trying to setup xp and RHEL on the same box.

I have only only 1 NTFS partition used by xp currently and want to setup another VFAT partition for copying the linux boot sector there and then onto c:\boot.ini in xp and then use the xp boot.ini on a regular basis as my booting option source.

I want to keep the size of the shareable VFAT partition to a bare minimum only to copy the boot sector from linux to it and then onto C drive for xp.

What is the size of the linux boot sector so I can keep the vfat partition to something close to it?

Also, if as another option I install GRUB on the MBR during linux install and thus use GRUB as my booting preference, then if something happens later to my linux or xp OS do I get stuck can cannot reformat my drive if I want to and start all over again since the MBR is already written to by GRUB or can I reformat and start all over.

If I can then in that case I would prefer to install GRUB on MBR and boot from there rather than from xp.

I've heard about getting stuck with MBR issues and am wondering that if I write to MBR once I am stuck incase something happens to any of the OS and cannot even reformat and start over.

What is this issue with getting stuck with MBR anyway?

Thanks

Most of the time rewriting the bootloader to the MBR is a not a problem. Reinstalling XP will overwrite the MBR but it is easy to fix.

The boot sector is 512 bytes but you do not need to create a FAT32 partition for XP to boot linux. See the following link:
http://www.tprthai.net/bootmgr.htm

10MB should be more than enough for a /boot for linux but I don't know about installing it on a FAT32 partition. It should work I suppose.

The problems your thinking about with grub shouldn't be any problem at all. You can always reformat your drive since the mbr is not part of any partition; it's the first sector on the hard drive and won't be touched by a reformat. If you have to reinstall windows, it will overwrite grub with the windows boot loader and you won't be able to boot linux but most linux distros have a rescue mode from the install cds that will put grub back on the mbr. Likewise, if you want to ditch linux later, you can overwrite grub with the windows boot loader by going into rescue mode with the winxp install cd and doing "fixmbr". There are many posts here on how to do each of these repairs.

michaelk,

Thats for the very informative url on doing this. However my big problem is that my pc does not have a floppy disk. how can I copy the linux boot sector on a writable cd instead of a floppy diskette?

check this out

http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Bootdisk-HOWTO/cd-roms.html

you might also try with Xcdroast

Thanks for the document and url.

My big problem again is that when I am in the middle of installing RHEL with my CD in the CD drive how can I create a boot disk since I do not have a floppy drive? If there was a way to copy the boot disk onto a CD i.e. take out the linux installation CD when prompted and put in the blank writeable CD then I can accomplish this but not otherwise as far as I can think.

I only have one CDRW drive and no floppy drive or external floppy source.

Now since I cannot create a bootable floppy I canot boot from it and then create a boot image which I can then copy onto windows.

While I am in the installation process can I use an external floppy drive(I can get it temporarily) or a zip drive if it will be detected during the installation process and then create a boot disk first and then copy the boot partition to this disk.

Thanks

kmlinux12, you can use your installation cd whether it is xp or linux as your boot disk. You do not have to make a boot floppy.

ok so I can boot from the installation cd after installing linux. what is the command I should execute to boot from the installation cd? generally the installation cd when put in will start the installation process again and i want to boot from it not use it for reinstalling the os which will have been done already.

Secondly during the installation process i select 'install boot loader record on' FIRST SECTOR ON BOOT PARTITION' and do not create a boot disk.

when i reboot after the installation is complete(from installation cd) i want to copy the boot loader record from FIRST SECTOR ON BOOT PARTITION to my windows boot.ini so that i can boot from windows going forward. Now since I do not have a floppy drive can I copy the the boot sector to a blank writeable cd and if so how?

thanks

Checkout the following link. You can use the 1st install CD and boot up rescue mode. At the first prompt type in linux rescue and press the enter key. Having a FAT32 partition would be handy at this point so that window will have access to the file or you can burn the file to a CD.

http://www.geocities.com/epark/linux...w2k-HOWTO.html

keep boot partition large.

it gets problematic in time. I suggest at least 100MB.

30 MB was not enough for me nowadays.

Are you trying to ask a new question or are you trying to answer the obsolete and confused question of this thread from six years ago?

The subject line of this thread was based on a misunderstanding by the OP, so the actual question and the useful replies were not directly related to the subject line.

Your new reply does fit the subject line, but because it doesn't fit the original question and because the original question has much simpler solutions now, your post isn't useful as an answer to this thread. It also doesn't work well on the end of an old thread if your purpose is to ask a new question.

Just brilliant!
 

Wow, I had to register and make a zombie post just to congratulate you John!! 'cause every time I go on the net looking for answers and trying to learn I can't but just marvel myself at the amount of asses around the net trying to look smart, you are really something boy, congratulations ass!


I really hope that by this time you already had some sex ...Seriously! :D