Hello all. First off i want to just say this and get it out of the way. I am very new to linux. Started using it for a class i am taking, (finals next week) and i am a semi converted from Windows. I have Xp on my Dell latitude D500 laptop, took it off and placed Mandriva on it, which i do like. And so tonight i had the great idea that i would removed mandriva setup the partition on my hard drive and place Mandriva and Ubuntu on my notebook in a sweet dual boot linux machine. Have KDE and Gnome. So fast forward a bit...all partitions done correctly. installed ubuntu then mandriva, and that is were all the confusing happens. now nothing workings. I think my mistake was that I installed Unbuntu first. Any thoughts...help...point and laugh lol. Anyone out there have a guide for dual booting two linux OS? I noticed that with the mandriva install i couldn't mount my "/" or home since i placed them under ubuntu. all right well that sums it up. Any help would be greatly welcomed.
Thank you Linux brothers and sisters!! Penguins UNITE!!

Welcome to Linux and freedom from Winblows.

If I understand correctly you installed Ubuntu then Mandriva. When you installed Mandriva did you install the bootloader Grub to the same partition mandriva is on? If yes then it's just a matter of editing the Grub.conf file.

In Ubuntu go to the Grub.conf and simply add

Title Other Operating System - Mandriva
rootnoverify (hd?,?)
chainloader +1

Really its as simple as that with Gurb. Just where it says hd?,? thats the partition that mandriva is on, keep in mind with grub your first hard drive is 0 and your first partition is also 0 then number 2 is a 1 and you'll be fine.

Good luck and have fun with Linux.

Thanks for the info. but i am still needing help...dont we all. lol
Ok so i repartationed my 250 GB HD. I placed Mandriva on first. Ubuntu has not been installed, yet. Here is how my hard drive is partationed

sda1 "/" mandriva
sda2 (i want to install ubuntu "/" here)
sda5 "/boot" mandriva
sda6 ( i want to install ubuntu /boot or /home here"
sda7 swap both

now when i install ubuntu it tells me " hey the "/" and "/boot" are used already, pick something else." when i pick something else ubuntu will not load. how do i get it to mount. and where do i place the grub for ubuntu. TOTAL i am.

Ok it's been a bit since I've installed Ubuntu but when you reach the partition stage you will probably have to choose custom partition (better to do this in advance) and then you should be able to assign / root to sda2 and /boot to sda 5 ......when it comes time to install grub you should choose sda5 as the place to install it. With both Ubuntu and Mandriva installs they should recognise each other as existing systems and set up the last grub install with both systems anyways but in that case you would need to install grub to the mbr.

Sorry i'm reading this minutes bfr i have to leave ........hope this helps i'll check back later.

Good luck.