Would there be any complications getting GRUB to boot from two HDs (IDE<->SATA)?

DrunkPikachu · 08-20-2007, 12:03 PM

I ask because later today I want to install Ubuntu on my desktop without touching my current Windows drive. Also, something important to note is that the Windows drive is IDE and the planned Linux partition is going to be sharing an SATA drive with another NTFS partition. I remember other people having trouble booting between the two, going so far as to disabling the IDE/SATA to get into the OS of choice. So really, I just want to know if the newer GRUB installers will properly detect the Windows boot sector on the other drive or if I will have to edit some configuration files to specifically point to Windows (which I hope to make Windows the default OS listed as well, so I'll have to edit it anyway).

jay73 · 08-20-2007, 12:06 PM

No problem, just make sure that the Linux disk is set to be the first one in BIOS. Most if not all modern distros should be able to detect windows although some may forget to map it but that can be done manually.

pixellany · 08-20-2007, 12:15 PM

The galloping nitpicker clarifies: Make sure that the disk with GRUB in the MBR is the first in BIOS. You can put Linux on the second disk, and GRUB in the MBR on the first disk.
Ubuntu does a good job of detecting Windows and configuring GRUB for dual-boot.

Off-topic:
I think a better way of using 2 drives is to put both OSes on one, and use the other for data + some config files/profiles, etc. Then, you just have to backup one disk.

DrunkPikachu · 08-20-2007, 02:05 PM

Off-topic continued:
The only problem I have with sharing windows with another OS on a relatively small drive is that if I cannot give Windows enough space on it's own, eventually there's going to be a program that forcefully extracts or fully installs multiple gigs of info onto the Windows partition. It happened to me before when Windows was already running out of space on its own partition. On top of that was the slap in the face that all the work I did trying to keep that partition clean was for nothing just because some developer didn't want to give me a simple destination file-browser.

Of course I could just buy a terrabyte drive and be done with that issue altogether.

EDIT: Oh yes, thank you guys for your quick, and informative replies.