Installing WinXP after Linux -> dual boot help

Naminator_X_ · 09-27-2007, 02:13 PM

Hi there guys.Before 2-3 weeks i formated my C:\ (windows partition) and installed openSuSE 10.2 (the D:\ partition is there NTFS) i configured it..i success at installing my ATI Radeon VGA card (3D Support) with the help of this forum and i maded my suse to be exactly what i want to be...this costs me almost a month...but the problem was..i couldn't play games like Lineage, SilkoRoad Online,Driver Parallel Lines and many other (wine didn't emulated them) so i decided to format my D:\ drive and install WinXP there...so today in the morning i get WinXP Pro SP2 from a friend and installed it...what is the problem now...well when i restart i cannot switch to Linux...windows run automatically (LOL!?!) and this is not i wanted...i searched in Google, LinuxQuestion...i founded simillar threads about how to do dualboot...yes it is discussed thousands of times and there are many tutorials out there...but they are ONLY if u have installed WinXP fist...not second as in my case...my don't have floppy instead it has 18in1 Card Reader...i don't wanna reinstall the both OS again cuz i have to configure SuSE again (which is quite hard for me though)...windows is not a problem...i have DVD-RW so if i need some bootable CD or something...let me know...10x for any help

Natilous · 09-27-2007, 03:32 PM

Hi , your bootloader is damaged!
you must reconfigure it !
Insert CD-1 (suse10.2) and run repair . then select boot loader and go on !
if you haven't SuSE-CD-1 boot your system with a Live-CD Linux and type these commands in a terminal :
(whit root authentication)

Code:

#grub
grub> root (hd0,4)           ****4 is your ROOT partition*****
grub> setup (hd0)
grub> quit

How-To Fixing Grub (SuSE Wiki)

good luck !

Naminator_X_ · 09-27-2007, 08:11 PM

Alright...i losed WinXP partition...i maded some googling and found this link:
Link @ linux.com
BUT...it is way different from my case and one more thing...i honestly didn't understand what this guy is trying to say...and what i have to add in my grub.conf file...i'm out of ideas...here is the output of fdisk -l

Code:

Disk /dev/hda: 82.3 GB, 82348277760 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 10011 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1               1        1276    10249438+  83  Linux
/dev/hda2            1277        1402     1012095   82  Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/hda3   *        1403       10010    69143760    7  HPFS/NTFS

Hope u will help with telling me what to add in /etc/grub.conf...btw my content by default is this:

grub.conf:

Code:

setup --stage2=/boot/grub/stage2 (hd0,0) (hd0,0)
quit

is this suposed to be right ?

sycamorex · 09-28-2007, 04:58 AM

I might be wrong (can anyone confirm it?) but isn't windows supposed to be on the first partition of a hard drive?

Naminator_X_ · 09-28-2007, 05:10 AM

Okay i done this u have to edit other file not grub.conf...

the file is /boot/grub/menu.lst
u have to add
title Windows
root (hdx,x) (the x is number...u have to know it..the number of partition)
makeactive
chainloader +1

this works for me just fine

michaelk · 09-28-2007, 06:26 AM

sycamorex,
Windows prefers to be installed on a primary partition but it does not have to be the first.
The only advantage to installing windows first is that you do not have to reinstall a bootloader because the Master Boot Record (MBR) was overwritten.

sycamorex · 09-28-2007, 06:38 AM

ok, I understand now, thanks michaelk