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-   -   Partition problem from a noob =] (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-newbie-8/partition-problem-from-a-noob-%3D%5D-743718/)

LinuxAddicted 07-29-2009 11:37 AM

Partition problem from a noob =]
 
My friend has been tryin to get me to switch from windows to linux for the longest. And as of a few days ago i tried it out, and fell in love :o

But here is the problem. The first time i installed it next to windows xp partition so i could run a dual boot off one hard drive. My computer has 2 hard drives. After that, i installed it again to my second hard drive, and found a tutorial to remove it from my main hard drive so windows is on one and ubuntu on the other. But then my computer would only boot straight to windows. So i reinstalled it again next to windows. Now when my computer starts up, it shows 4 installations of ubuntu on the OS selection screen. Thinking about just wiping my secondary, uninstalling it from my main, and reinstalling it again to my secondary, would i still be able to boot it from my secondary hdd? just need a little guidance.


Thanks -David

pljvaldez 07-29-2009 11:46 AM

The issue seems to be that when you installed it to the second hard disk, you installed grub (the bootloader) to the second hard disk also. There's some semi-complicated ways to fix this without reinstalling, but for a newbie, if you're not objectionable, reinstall is the quickest (you don't have to wipe the secondary drive).

Here's what you can do. Delete Ubuntu from the first drive so that you have Windows on drive 1. Then when you install Ubuntu to drive 2, when it asks you where to install grub, select the first disk (hd0). That should put your bootloader on the first disk and Ubuntu on the second. Then it will boot to grub and let you select Windows or linux.

LinuxAddicted 07-29-2009 11:55 AM

ah ok, well shoot, i am wiping the second drive right now... im on me laptop, also on linux =] well, i will try that when it is done wiping. The cd i used doesnt have alot of things, like the partition manager and stuff. Do i click setup partition manually? hmph. I dont even know how to uninstall it with the linux cd, doesnt have an option for that.

pljvaldez 07-29-2009 12:30 PM

I haven't installed ubuntu in a while, but I think you can still use guided partitioning, select the second disk, and then select to install to whole disk (if you want, you can do separate /home partition). Then go through the rest of the install until it gets to the "Make your System Bootable" section. There it should ask you where to install grub and you'll want to enter hd0 (for the 1st hard disk), I believe.

On a side note, you can use the free space on the XP drive for a "shared" partition where you can put music, videos, and other documents you may want access from both XP and Ubuntu.

LinuxAddicted 07-29-2009 02:19 PM

Ok, i deleted both instalations and partitons of ubuntu, reinstalled on my secondary. Now, when i am on ubunntu, it only shows my main hard drive, and everything save to it, but the partition for ubuntu is on my secondary. This is strange.


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