Dual boot: do i need to shrink partition

DBabo · 03-24-2015, 12:01 AM

Gents,
last time i installed windows was some silly years ago. So i'm at loss now.

Trying to add XP on RH6.5 system to dual boot.

One of the immediate problems/concerns is that Windows Installer wants to write something at the beginning of the boot disk (/dev/sda), BUT :
a. /dev/sda is fully partitioned for Linux
b. /dev/sda is under lvm control.
I gave XP 72GB on /dev/sdd2 extended partition.

Question how to add windows without ruining normal OS?

Details:

Code:

[root@server ~]# pvs
  PV         VG         Fmt  Attr PSize   PFree
  /dev/sda1  VG_Storage lvm2 a--  465.67g    0 
  /dev/sda5  VG_Storage lvm2 a--  465.67g    0 
  /dev/sda6  VG_Storage lvm2 a--  465.93g    0 
  /dev/sdb2  vg_server  lvm2 a--  148.56g 1.00m
  /dev/sdc1  VG_Oracle  lvm2 a--   74.53g    0 
  /dev/sdc2  VG_backup  lvm2 a--   74.52g 1.48g
  /dev/sdd1  VG_Oracle  lvm2 a--   74.53g    0 
  /dev/sdd3  VG_backup  lvm2 a--   83.83g    0 
[root@server ~]# fdisk -l /dev/sda

Disk /dev/sda: 1500.3 GB, 1500301910016 bytes
<skip>
Disk identifier: 0x1af11af1

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1               1       60789   488287611   83  Linux
/dev/sda2           60790      182401   976848390    5  Extended
/dev/sda5           60790      121578   488287611   83  Linux
/dev/sda6          121579      182401   488560716   83  Linux



fdisk -l /dev/sdd

Disk /dev/sdd: 250.1 GB, 250059350016 bytes
<skip>
Disk identifier: 0x00073bcf

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdd1   *           1        9729    78148161   83  Linux
/dev/sdd2            9730       19457    78140160    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdd3           19458       30401    87907680   83  Linux

veerain · 03-24-2015, 12:15 AM

Windows XP needs a primary partition on a primary disk. So you can try disabling other disks and install Windows XP. After words you enable other disks and setup grub to map the disks.

Soadyheid · 03-24-2015, 04:17 AM

It's preferable to install Windows BEFORE installing a Linux distribution if that's possible, as it's likely to screw up the Linux install. It;'s also a whole lot easier doing it that way round.

Play Bonny!

DBabo · 03-24-2015, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by veerain

Windows XP needs a primary partition on a primary disk. So you can try disabling other disks and install Windows XP. After words you enable other disks and setup grub to map the disks.

Thats a good solution. I should have thought of it myself.will try tonight and report.

yancek · 03-24-2015, 08:17 AM

The "something" windows wants to write to the beginning of the drive would be the boot files. You could install xp on a logical partition IF you had a primary on which to put the boot files. I had a system years ago with W98 on a primary then installed W2K and found that it put its boot files on the W98 partition but the system files on a logical so this has been the way with microsoft for quite some time if not forever.

Also, emphasize the primary disk. I downloaded the windows 10 tech preview and tried to install and got the message "windows setup does
not support configuration or installation to a disk connected through usb or IEEE 1394 ports". That surprised me but, like yourself, it's been many years since I installed windows.