Dual booting with WinXP and Linux (OS's on separate HDDs)
 

UPDATED SCENARIO

I've installed Red Hat Linux 8.0. It resides on my second hard disk (slave) - [/dev/hdb2]. On my first hard disk, I have WinXP running on it (master) - [/dev/hda]. I currently have Lilo installed on first sector boot partition [/dev/hdb2].

The only way in which I can boot to Linux is through floppy disk, which is quite tedious.

I've tried the "how to's" on getting your system do dual boot without any success...

Problems encountered:
- When I install Lilo/grub on my MBR [/dev/hda] my system stays idle when I boot it up either just saying "LI" or "GRUB". Therefore I cannot load any OS at all. To get around this I boot up through my windows boot disk and type "fdisk /mbr" restoring my MBR so then it boots into XP again.
- When I install lilo/grub on the first sector boot partition [/dev/hdb2] my system again also stays idle when I boot Linux by choosing the Linux option in the Windows boot loader

To try to get my system to dual boot, in Linux I've been to the terminal and done the following.

mount -t msdos /mnt/floppy

dd if=/dev/hdb2 of=/mnt/floppy/linux.bin bs=512 count=1

It then creates the file "linux.bin" on the floppy disk.
I then boot up WinXP, copy "linux.bin" from the disk to my C:\ (the partition on which XP resides). After that, I edit "boot.ini", adding the folowwing line to the bottom and then saving it.

C:\linux.bin="Red Hat Linux"

which gives [boot.ini]

[boot loader]
timeout=3
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
C:\linux.bin="Red Hat Linux"

I then reboot my computer, which then gives me a choice of either Windows or Linux. Booting up XP is no problem, however, when I choose Linux, it just simply does nothing (as described above in the 2nd point under problems encountered).

SUMMARY OF MY SYSTEM:

I have two hard disks on the one IDE channel (one as master and the other as slave)

- First Hard Disk: Windows XP (master) [/dev/hda]
- Second Hard Disk: Red Hat Linux 8.0 (slave) [/dev/hdb2]

Any ideas? If anyone could help it would be great....thanks in advance.

Where have you installed grub?
If linux is in the slave, you have to find which partition is the /boot ( it will be something like hdbx, where x is an integer). Just add them to grub.conf ( I am not sure on the sintax for this loader, as I dont use it) yet, by reading a manual online, manpages, or reading the file itself (and using logic to change it to your needs) should do it.
I usually put grub/lilo on the mbr of the master (hda).

im a complete newbie when it comes to linux. so editing the grub and the necessary things i cannot tell you how to do.

but im assuming you installed linux then xp and xp mustve over wrriten the boot. if linux was just installed and nothing important is on that partition it may be easier to to just re-install linux configuring the grub or lilo upon installation. XP is evil. yet i have to use it for gaming and other lame stuff. good luck. hope this helps

http://jetblackz.freeservers.com/Con...tiBooting.html

just try this out.
I used it to make the xp loader load my mdk91
it's just working fine for me

perhaps why don't you use both the drive as master, each on a different ide channel?
I don't get it.
I don't want to be indiscrete but what else have you got as secondary master?

on my second IDE channel, I have a DVD-rom and burner setup

BTW I'm still looking for a solution to this problem...still haven't been able to work it out...

If anybody would be kind enough to run me step by step through this? :)

have you tried a boot partition on /dev/hda with lilo or grub booting to / on /devhdb2? leave xp on the mbr as that is where it is determined to be-the lilo part. may have to be within the first 1024 cylinders of the first drive-just a guess,it may be b.s. or it may work. good luck

How can I tell if it is on the first 1024 cylinders of the first drive?

And I already have a boot partition on /dev/hdb1....hdb2 is where Linux is installed I believe.

Maybe this is not just the answer you are looking for.
But for what I know, it's quite better to have the hds, which are the faster units, as master.
One IDE channel could be used by an unit a time.
So if you have to move data from one disk to the other you're going to waste a lot of time if you have the hd both in the same channel.
Usually they say to put the hd as master if possible and choose where to put the other slower units keeping on count what I've said before.
For example, if you usually put your ISO images on the first hd (master on first ide channel), it's quite better to have the burner on the second channel.
If someone think that i'm only bullshit, please wake up me...

Sorry,
but I want to know one thing.
Have you tried to boot from hdb1 (where I guess you have your /boot ) changing the bios boot setup.
If hdb1 is a primary partition (as I guess is have to be), its letter name must be D.
Try to boot from D this way to see if grub is working.

Again, if I'm full of shit, please stop me...

see how many cylinders are on the entire hd(from bios or fdisk) and then calculate proportionately from that(if totalcyls=2234 then 1024 will be less than half your total capacity, or, if you have 30gb total, then 1024 cyls will be before the 15gb mark(leaving margin for comfort)-i would install xp to a minimal plus comfort expansion sized c drive, then a small primary linux boot sector with lilo or grub(grub seems to be more configurable) and then the rest of the first hd as my d drive in xp. this is just guessing, but from the way you have it set up,it's what i would try-i have my hd as master on ide1 and then my dvdrom as master on ide2 with a burner as slave to it like you and so far things are cool a second hd as hdb slave makes sense to me though i am by no means conversant in all the considerations or technique involved here-the big caveats i have found have been to install windows forst and let it have the first partition of the first drive w/mbr, then do linux(your /boot w/ lilo or grub),but i also know guys have done all kinds of things successfully. again, good luck

okay here's some more info that I thought could help....

/dev/hdb1 /boot ext3 102MB
/dev/hdb2 / ext3 13712MB
/dev/hdb3 swap 510MB

this is getting pretty frustrating considering i've tried installing and reinstalling linux which takes ages.......hmmm

Can someone like actually run me through the actual install like briefly then take me through the steps in which to get windows to dual boot with linux.

For example: should I install lilo/grub to my MBR (on /dev/hda) or install lilo/grub to the first sector boot partition [/dev/hdb2].....And the actual things i need to type in linux terminal to get the file that I copy in to my C:\

FYI: When i install lilo/grub to my MBR, I can't get it to load any OS....to rectify that problem, i've always had to reset the MBR by booting from the windows boot disk the using the "fdisk /mbr" command.

Thanks again....