i formated the partition in ext3
installed fedora
right before it started installing the packages it asked me where to install the bootloader
so i chose to install it on my master hd which has xp

after the install finishes i reboot
but i get windows xp directly without any grub screen or anything

i even made the hd that has fedora above the hd that has xp in boot sequence
but i still get xp

because the partition that has fedora is in ext3 format i cannot browse it using xp

looks like fedora didnt install correctly, but why???????????

I haven't used windows for years but, from reading here at LQ and other sites, it seems windows does not recognize any non-windows partitions and cannot read/write to them. I understand there is third party software available that you can install on windows to do this?? Don't know for sure.

In your post (#10) you indicate you don't get a ascreen to select xp or Fedora on boot. If you didn't make any entry for this in the windows bootloader, it won't be there. This has to be done manually. You will usually need to make an entry in the Fedora menu.lst file also, most other distributions recognize a windows partition and create an entry and from what I read, Fedora doesn't usually do this. Haven't installed Fedora since Core 6 so I'm not positive about this.

In your last post, you say you chose to install Grub bootloader files on the drive with xp which contradicts what you said in post #13 that you didn't touch the first hard drive (with xp). Which is it??

You should probably post your partition information. Load your Fedora install disk and open a terminal window, log in as root and run the command: fdisk -l, this will show partition information so post that here. Next step would be to mount your partition with Fedora if it installed to look at the menu.lst or grub.conf file. If you don't know how to do that, post back.

i installed it first
then i posted the thread
then i formatted it again and posted again

so every time i have a different problem
but the problem always there is that even when i boot from the drive that contains fedora as master, i get windows xp
as if fedora is not installed!

I assume "it" means Fedora?

Formatted the Fedora partitions?

If you formatted the Fedora partitions you have basically deleted what was on them so did you re-install Fedora to those partitions?

If you set the Fedora drive to first boot priority in your BIOS and still can't boot it but boot windows, you didn't install Grub bootloader file to the master boot record of the Fedora drive.

Post your partition information. Use the Fedora CD, open a terminal, log in as root, run the "fdisk -l" command (that is a lower case Letter L not a one). Without this info and suggestions will just be guesses.

using rescue mode



i noticed that there is a star under boot in the 500gb hard disk

where is your fedora partition??

That means it's active/bootable partition needed for windows.

You don't have a Fedora partition on either disk. Might try the install again and decide which disk/partition you want to put it on and install Grub to the master boot record - I'm assuming you plan to use the 80GB disk.

thx
i made a /boot directory
and got it to work

pull the windoze HDD out install linux on drive0 install the windoze HDD as drive1 (BIOS drive names)
remap the windoze HDD to drive0 in your boot loader configuration file

lilo
map-drive=<num>
Maps BIOS calls for the specified drive to the device code specified on the next line as
to=<num>. This mapping is useful for booting operating systems, such as DOS, from the second
hard drive. The following, swaps the C: and D: drives,

map-drive=0x80
to=0x81
map-drive=0x81
to=0x80

add the map options to the windoze section in lilo.conf

windoze will never know it's not on the first drive

when i get the grub screen i get 2 kernels and "other"

1-how can i change the default kernel?
2-when i select other the screen becomes black and i get no xp

*fedora is installed on master hd