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 want to install SUSE 10.1 but I don't want to lose the capability of booting into Windows. I once before had a dual booting system with FC 5, then I installed SUSE thinking I would just wipe out FC 5 but then I could only get into SUSE. I could no longer get into Windows. Is there anything I should be aware of or do first.
SuSE is well behaved, and should correctly write a /boot/grub/menu.lst to display both windows and SuSE in the grub menu on startup (assuming windows is already installed when you install SuSE).
If not, it quite easy to write the necessary entry for windows into menu.lst. The Grub manual includes examples of the kind of entries to make.
In any event, search these forums for dual boot issues. There are probably hundreds of posts to read through, many with the same examples from the Grub manual.
When you install most Linux distros, the installer will give you options for where to put the boot loader. The default is typically to put it on the mbr of the first drive. If window is on the first drive, then the windows boot code will be overwritten. Not a problem, as long as the new Linux install works correctly---including the configuration file for the boot loader.
One variant is to tell the installer to put the bootloader on a floppy. This way the Windows installation is untouched. You can always install the bootloader to the hard drive later.
To put back the Windows loader, boot from the Windows install disk--resuce mode--and run "fixmbr".
CAUTION: For systems sold without an install disk, recovery could be much more difficult. I would always put the linux boot loader on a floppy.
Better Caution: Don't buy a system that has no means of re-installing the OS. I am appalled at the stories posted here where users had a Windows issue and could not re-install.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.