Linux - NewbieThis Linux forum is for members that are new to Linux.
Just starting out and have a question?
If it is not in the man pages or the how-to's this is the place!
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
I have Win XP installed on my current machine, and on another machine I have Mandrake 10 installed. I would like to have both hard drives in one machine, with the ability to boot both at the same time and then swicth between them. Is this possible?
Ideally I'd like to be able to do my Win-specific work on XP, and use Mandrake as my web server and switch between them when needed. Can somebody perhaps explain how this could be done?
You'll find that many LQers dual boot and this is pretty common. A search on LQ for "Dual Boot" should pop up more threads than you'll be able to read in a week. But the simple rundown is this:[list=1][*]Install both drives in the computer setting up the Linux drive as the slave drive.[*]Install Windows to primary master (hda)[*]Insert Linux CD of choice and reboot[*]Install Linux on the Primary slave (hdb) ... this assumes that the drives are setup in this manner.[*]When it comes to installing a bootloader (either Lilo or Grub) choose to put it in the MBR of hda (the Windows Drive). It should pick up the Windows installation and add an option to the bootloader.[*]Reboot and enjoy your dual boot system.[/list=1]
That's pretty much it, unless you have some really funky hardware that Linux can't see without patching the kernel first.
I would also suggest putting the boot loader for MDK 10 on a floppy, not the hard drive.
I have installed Mandrake 10 C.E. twice along side WinXP, both times it nuked my ability to load XP. The only way I was able to get back into XP was by installing MDK 8.1 so it could reload a working boot config.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.