I am relatively new to Linux. I am currently running Zorin 5.2 Core, and have played with Xandros years ago, and PC Linux just before Zorin.

I have another computer I would like to install Linux on. I would like to dual boot Fuduntu and the Absolute Linux operating systems. I would like Fuduntu to boot up first, with the option of Absolute second. How do I know which OS to install first to make it the first boot? Any suggestions? I am thinking the main OS should be second, as the boot loader will push the first system to second. Is that correct?

Thanks ahead of time for any suggestions you can give me.

jymm56,

It really won't matter which one you install first because you can configure the boot loader to set whichever OS you want to be the default; however, you are correct in saying the second one loaded will be the default because the boot loader will push the first system to second....

1 members found this post helpful.

Hi jymm56

Welcome to LQ

Do what ever you want, it doesn't matter which comes first and which is second.

We can manually set it.

Thanks,

netnix99 Thanks, I wiped my hard drive, and that is what I needed to know. I am not sure I am ready to start playing with the boot loader as of yet, so installing them in the right order seems the way to go. Again, thanks.

Problem solved

jymm56,

Glad to help.... I am not familiar with the distros that you have chosen, but changing the order of the boot loader is not difficult... and you have a whole community here ready to help if you need it!

Order is terribly important only if one OS is ill-behaved (like MS Windows, for example.
As long as every OS you plan to load is well-behaved, the order should not matter.
The ones you mentioned should play very nicely together.

One complication is possible, the bootloader issue! Make sure all of your selections use GRUB: Just ONE using LILO can rather complicate things. Also, it is best if they all use the current versions of GRUB. If ONE of them uses a very OLD version, load it first so the NEWER versions of grub that will be installed later can properly detect and offer the older distribution. (The OLDER one may not properly detect newer filesystems, etc.)

Don't worry about that. It is literally as easy as changing "default=0" to "default=1" in the grub config file. It's about as easy as it can get.