Dual Boot, Win XP Pro Master, Fedora C6 slave, problems

one says to install to MBR, one says not to.
one says need to install grub32 into Windows C:, one says no
I have tried 4 ways from these differnet threads, the only way to run 1 or the other is to unplug the power from my main drive(win xp)then it will boot from Fedora. SHould I have both set the master or leave as master and slave? fedora is on hdb1, win hda1.
but I noticed that the grub.conf didn't mention Win Xp at all, but did mention Fedora C6 2933 and 2798, if I say boot from 2933, it says drive hd0,0 not found, and the unhide doesn't work in grub, but I did try from root terminal.
I am totally new to this but I do love the fedora, works well, really impressed. but my kids are not the same so I need the dual boot.
Any help would be apreciated

The procedure is pretty basic, for someone like me!. If Windows XP was installed on the first drive in the first partition, (hda,1) prior to installing Fedora, during the Fedora installation you would have been asked where to install Grub, or the boot loader. Normally, the installer would have already picked the right spot by default as this is not an out of the ordinary configuration. The boot loader would need to be installed in "/dev/hda" which is the first sector of the primary drive. Windows is installed on "/dev/hda1" which is the first partition on the first drive. The Windows drive should stay as primary, the Fedora drive should stay as slave. The boot order in the bios should not have been altered other than allowing the optical drive to boot before the primary drive to allow installing the Linux system.
To install the grub boot loader the proper way, you should not try altering the /boot/grub/menu.lst, what you should do is put the first Fedora CD/DVD in the optical drive and reboot, then have it take a look at the system and configure grub automatically. My Mandrake makes it very easy, below (code) is the steps required to re-install the boot loader in my Mandrake. You can try and see if Fedora's rescue mode gives you similar options. If not, try using the method I posted in this other thread (post #5), and make sure to replace /dev/sda with /dev/hda in the third command code if indeed you have IDE interfaced ATA drives.
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...d.php?t=544411

Restore grub boot loader Mandrake 10.2 2005 LE

1: Boot the computer with the first install CD or DVD in the drive.
2: When given the option to press enter to install or press a F(x)
combination where (x) represents a number for options, press the 
appropriate F(x) key to see the options. Most often you need to 
type: linux rescue    at the prompt if there is no rescue related
option.
3: The installer will load drivers into memory and should present 
a list of rescue operations. If a progress bar shows up and goes to 
the end and appears to hang there, hit the "Esc" key on the keyboard
to view the list of options.
4: If you see an entry like so: "Re-install Boot Loader", highlight
it if needed by using the arrow keys, then hit the "Tab" key on the 
keyboard to highlight the "OK" switch and hit enter.
5: Linux will mount the installation and ask to press Enter to 
continue, hit "Enter"
6: It will do it's thing and tell you to press Enter to return to
Rescue GUI, hit "Enter".
7: At the GUI with the list of options, use arrow keys to highlight
"Reboot", then hit "Tab" key till "OK" is highlighted and remove the
disc from the drive, hit "Enter" to reboot.

Allow me to add some info for others who view this thread.

Allot of Linux boot loader issues after installing Linux on a second drive are the result of putting grub in the wrong place.
Most computers that come with Windows XP or Vista pre-installed will have boot configuration files in the MBR of the primary drive where Windows is usually installed. You can shrink the Windows partition to make room for a Linux installation on the same drive. Or you can add a drive and install Linux there, there are endless combinations, but these two are most common for newbies.
The Windows installations have boot menus, but it does not appear when they are installed by them selves. You can add the Linux installation to the Windows boot menu and a list of the two will show up at boot-up. In this scenario, you would install grub/lilo (Linux boot loader), to the first sector of the /boot or / (root) partition during the Linux installation depending on whether or not you created a separate /boot partition for Linux. Usually the installer will suggest the right option if you choose not to install it in the MBR (/dev/hda for IDE or /dev/sda for SATA drive), to include Linux in the Windows boot menu. Then after the Linux installation you would boot up the computer with the Windows disc in the optical drive to configure the boot loader and add the Linux installation, or possibly just boot into Windows without the disc to make the necessary changes, a little research here may be in order.

During any Linux installation, the installer will automatically assume you want to use the Linux boot loader by default and offer to install it over top of the Windows boot loader in the MBR of the primary drive set to boot in the bios. This is the proper place if you want to use the Linux boot loader.

Allot of mistakes are made when people don't want to over write the Windows MBR, and choose to put the Linux boot loader in the MBR of the slave/second drive. A boot loader's job is to boot the "bootable" operating systems, no matter how many, as long as they have been configured in the boot loader. The bios is not a "boot loader" (switching boot order). Switching drive positions on the channel as you are doing now is not convenient. If you have one boot loader that can boot them all, why do you need another?. Pick one and go with it, put it in the MBR of the primary drive and configure all systems to be booted from it, using a Linux boot loader, the installer will automatically configure it for you and you won't have to go through the pain of figuring out how to add Linux to a Windows menu. Save yourself from the stress, stress takes years off your life.

My question is I guess
How do I boot up? when booting up to the fedora cd,(if I have my XP master drive hooked up)will it mess up my XP drive or will it ask me if I want to install on the second drive.
I have been unplugging the master so it automatically goes to the slave and install happens and grub happens blah blah blah,
But can I have both hooked up, boot to FC6 cd, because the master with Windows Xp on it doesn't have the /dev or the /boot on that drive. Or is this where I am getting confused.
It asks me now Windoze or fedora, on the xp drive, on the fedora drive it asks Windoze XP, Fedora 2933 or Fedora 2798. If I say Fedora 2933, it give me an error message "can't find hd0,0" so I click on 2798 and away it goes.
I don't want to lose my XP, but I don't care about the fedora as I am still learning and it updates OK so no big deal.

Usually you leave the system the way it is, leave the boot order to boot the cd drive before the primary drive that Windows is installed on. When installing Linux, it is usually best to install it in free space (no partitions created yet). But if you created partitions for it with another partitioning tool, you would select "custom partitioning" or similar in the "create partitions" stage of the installation and highlight the one you want to use as / and select to format it with preferably ext3, and select "/" as the mount point. Then if you also created a separate /home partition you would highlight it and select to format it also and set the mount point accordingly. If you created a small partition for swap, same story.
But usually it is best to have a clean drive as slave in your situation, and during Fedora installation at the partitioning stage you select "Install in free space" or similar, Fedora will present you with the options it recommends, and if it looks right, you confirm. But it will not install Linux over Windows unless you specify as this is also an option in the partitioning stage. One thing for sure, during the partitioning stage of the install process, you can go back if you feel you made the wrong selection before confirming to select the proper option. When you have a clean drive and point the installer to install Linux there, you can usually also choose a default partition layout where the installer will set it up in the best way.
Then during the boot loader stage of the installation, usually Fedora will have a radio button on "install boot loader in /dev/hda" which would be the MBR of the Windows drive which is the right place to put it. Right now you have grub installed in the MBR of both drives which may cause problems. As I mentioned in the prior post, you will have problems with two boot loaders, possibly even if it's the same one.
Right now I think you should hook up both drives with jumpers set for Windows drive as Master and plugged at the end of the cable, hook up the Fedora drive with jumpers set to slave and attached to the mid connector of the same cable. Make sure the primary drive is set to boot in the bios, if you did not touch that part, then leave it as is, it should be set to boot the primary drive. Boot the computer and try booting into both systems from the boot menu "one at a time of course". I am assuming you re-installed grub with the method I described in the other thread. So it should be alright if you get a grub menu presenting you with both OS's when you boot the Windows drive. If there are any problems, it is because of the grub in the MBR of the Fedora drive, or you did not have one of the drives hooked up during the grub install process. In which case you would need to wipe the Fedora MBR out and re-install grub as described in the other thread, with both drives hooked up in the right positions.

When setting up a dual boot, the installer has to see the other installation otherwise you are only setting up a standalone system. Your mistake is not having both drives hooked up and visible by the installer.