Dual boot issue. Preparing to reinstall my windoze side.

Pcghost · 05-21-2003, 10:40 AM

Disclaimer: The only reason I keep a windows partition on my laptop is that it is required for my school work (VB6). My custom badass RedHat 9 side is the default.

Once again that rock of jellobralter known as Windoze XP has gone unstable on me. I need to reinstall it, but I REALLY don't want to harm my RedHat 9 side, which I have worked very hard to get set up perfectly. My question is...

What should I back-up or do to prepare to reinstall, so that I can restore the bootloader (grub) and get my dual boot set up again?

david_ross · 05-21-2003, 01:13 PM

Reinstalling windows should at worst only destroy the MBR providing you don't change/format any linux partitions. You can create a backup of the current mbr using dd thenwrite it back after the xp install. Or the method I would use is:
1) Create a boot floppy for RH9
2) Install XP
3) Boot using the boot floppy
4) Login as root
5) Run "grub-install /dev/hda" (assuming you want to put grub on the mbr of hda)

Pcghost · 05-21-2003, 03:04 PM

Thanks for the reply. My only problem now is that my laptop lacks a floppy drive. Will RH 9 let me make a boot cd? If so how?

david_ross · 05-21-2003, 03:07 PM

You could boot into linux rescue mode using CD1. Type "linux rescue" at the prompt.

Then you can run grub-install from there.

Pcghost · 05-21-2003, 04:05 PM

Thanks. That will do the trick. :-)

rch · 05-22-2003, 09:21 AM

Still stuck with VB6?.I stoped using the stupid darn thing long time ago.Anyway Pcghost and david yours is one of the coolest sigs I've seen in this forum.

Pcghost · 05-23-2003, 02:58 PM

Thanks. Yeah, I am finishing up a MIS degree at the local Uni. I dispise VB but as I am still taking classes using it, I am forced to keep windoze on my laptop. Alright you beat it out of me, I also play AVP2 from time to time..