Dual Booting with XP and Linux
 

I've looked on google for this numerous times and a general consensus that I have come up with is you are supposed to install XP first, make 2 partitions, and install Linux on the second(without installing LILO on the MBR).

I am usinging rehat linux 9.0, so my question is, exactly where in the install can i make sure i am not installing LILO on the MBR? I can't find htis option anywhere. I've already installed XP first, and then Linux on separate partitions. The result is my computer automatically boots up in Linux, while XP is somewhere hidden within the other partition.

Actually this is really 2 questsions.

Any suggestions.

I always put Lilo/Grub on the MBR and have suffered no ill effects from doing this.

You install winXP first by creating the NTFS partition and leave the remaining disk space as un-partitioned.
Then you install Linux and put GRUB (or Lilo) in the MBR.

Both Lilo and GRUB are able to boot windows OSes (ALL of them).
There are many threads on LQ that can show you how to configure your bootloader (in this case: Lilo) to boot windowsXP.

Here's a howto about using the NTLDR to boot linux.
http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Linux+NT-Loader.html

well, it sounds like you've already installed lilo to the MBR, so you can either get rid of it or leave it. i've used lilo to dual boot for several years now and never had any problems, so I'd say just leave it. If it's not currently booting windows, then you need to edit the /etc/lilo.conf file and add something like this:

other = /dev/hda
label = windows
table = /dev/hda1


substitue the partition that windows is installed on for /dev/hda1. now at the command prompt, type lilo and press enter. from now on when you boot lilo should offer you a choice between linux and windows.


if you decide to get rid of lilo, search around on the forums, because there are lots of threads about restoring the MBR.

XavierP,

I took your advice and modified the LILO file.

Mine reads

prompt
timeout=50
default=linux
boot=dev/hda
map=/boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
message=/boot/message
lba32

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4. 20.8
label=linux
initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.20-8.img
append="root=LABEL=/"

other=/dev/hda
label=windows
table=dev/hda5



I added the lines you told me to add at the end, and my windows is store din hda5. This however still does not give me the option of Win XP. Any more suggestinos?

just keeping it up.

did you run lilo? if not then after you save changed to /etc/lilo.conf, go to command line and type the following:

su root
(enter your password)
lilo

if you have already done that, then i'm not sure what to suggest.

2 comments:

1. I realize you're anxious to get a response, but please do not bump your own posts unless at least 24 hours have passed without receiving a response, per the LQ rules.

2. mcd is correct - after you edit the lilo.conf file, you also need to run the lilo program in order for those changes to take effect. As root, run: /sbin/lilo

Reboot and you should be given the choice to select Linux or Windows. -- J.W.

how do i "run" the lilo inside sbin.

I also noticed that there is a lilo inside sbin, usr, and etc. are these all the same lilo's?

To run lilo, you will have to become root.
Open a Terminal (console) window and type:

I ran sbin/lilo and it told me....

Added linux *
Fatal: Partition entry not found.


Now my hardrive is partitioned like this....

/dev/hda
dev/hda1=linux

/dev/hda3
dev/hda5=windows

the indent means that the following item is within the unindented one.

So I went to my lilo.conf and changed

other=/dev/hda
label=windows
table=dev/hda5

to

other=/dev/hda3
label=windows
table=dev/hda5

It doesn't work for either one.

Any suggestions.

Don't mean to answer my own post, but can anyone give me a step by step clearly stated procedure as to how to dual boot XP and Rehat 9 on my computer?

try

other=/dev/hda5
label=windows
table=dev/hda

Again mcd's advice is accurate. Dual booting with XP and Linux is not difficult, and there are numerous threads here at LQ that deal with this topic. Sorry if my comment was not entirely clear but Mathieu's followup was exactly right. Good luck with the project. -- J.W.