Dual Boot for Windows XP/Fedora 8
 

Hello,

I'm very new to linux and I just installed Fedora onto my laptop. I partitioned my hard drive for the install, and it installed successfully. I get the dual boot screen for Fedora, and my allocated space for Windows XP, which is at the moment labled as "Other". When I chose the "Other" option, I am taken to a system recovery program, which I do not have a cd for instead of starting up XP. I definitely know that I didn't install over the Windows OS. Fedora doesn't even recognize the Windows partition.

From what I have gathered from the forums I've searched is that I need to do something in the grub directory, but I'm not getting a clear answer, or maybe I'm just not understanding correctly.

All I want is to be able to have the option to boot from either Linux or Windows XP. Could I please get step by step instructions on how to do this? Or am I not going to be able to access Windows anymore because I did something wrong in the Fedora installation?

I appreciate the help in advance.

You say you are taken to a system recovery program. Is this a windows recover program or a linux/fedora recovery program. Also list the output of
to make sure you ntfs partition is still there for windows
Also post the contents of your grub.conf file. Mine is at /boot/grub/grub.conf

I am hoping you resized partitions so pls expand on that point pls.

a live cd is excellent tool to look at your partitions, resize them and fix any issues

2) assuming you resized you can follow these points from the grub at mbr stage and see the theory in my signatures

bios boots to grub

press c for commands

(press enter at end of each line)

root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1
boot

-----
this assumes c is still there and was resized correctly.

if it was a ntfs (journalised system) hopefully fedora resized using ntfsresize tool

3) let us know if you have a live cd and if you have ample download bandwith or small

leaping ahead....80 megs will get you recoveryispossible cd 120 megs systemrescue 700megs knoppix cd 4.2G knoppix dvd

I defragmented my C drive, and used Acronis Disc Director in Windows to do the partition. I gave Fedora 8GB, because I'm not planning to do too much work in it. The rest of the C drive is Windows(ntfs), so should this solution work? I installed Fedora from a live CD.

Yes, this works and is how it is done (at least the beginning). The step by step instructions are simple:
1. Install Windows (already done)
2. Partition hard drive so there is room for Fedora (already done)
3. Install Fedora (already done, usually grub will be configured in this step as well).
4. Boot off of HD

Since you have already completed the stuff that needs to be done, we are past step by step instructions and need to troubleshoot. Please post the output from fdisk -l, the contents of your grub.conf, and exactly what recovery screen you are getting (windows recovery screen, oem hp/dell/gateway windows recovery screen, fedora screen).

[root@localhost ~]# sudo /sbin/fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x4b36bdea

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 894 8791 63440685 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 1 893 7172991 b W95 FAT32
/dev/sda3 * 8792 9729 7534485 83 Linux

Partition table entries are not in disk order
--------------------------------------------------------

[root@localhost ~]# cat /boot/grub/grub.conf
# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE: You do not have a /boot partition. This means that
# all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /, eg.
# root (hd0,2)
# kernel /boot/vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/sda3
# initrd /boot/initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/sda
default=0
timeout=5
splashimage=(hd0,2)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora (2.6.23.1-42.fc8)
root (hd0,2)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.23.1-42.fc8 ro root=LABEL=/1 rhgb quiet
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.23.1-42.fc8.img
title Other
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
chainloader +1

-----------------------------------------------------

For the recovery screen I get a system restore program from my laptops's manufacturer, Gateway. Not a trace of anything Windows is to be found.

Nomnom, you could try this:

When the grub menu appears, highlight the "other" entry and press "e", and "e" again. Backspace on the line "rootnoverify (hd0,1)" and change (hd0,1) to (hd0,0) and hit enter, then hit "b" and see if it boots into Windows. [None of this editing is permanent or changes anything - if it works, you'll have to edit a file, if it doesn't, you are exactly where you were.]

and if none of the above advice works....did you try to boot back into xp before installing linux?....if it failed that points to a bad partition table.

a live cd can use cfdisk and rescue your partition table.

Thanks, I did this and it worked! After changing the menu.lst in the grub folder, everything was pretty self explanatory.

Installing Fedora 8 on Windows XP
 

I have thought about installing Fedora for years and I have been put off by its complexity. Now I am going to try again, if I can get some help. I am very much of a newbie and I would really like to use Fedora. I am about to partition my hard drive in Windows XP Pro to a 50-50 GB split between Fedora and Windows. After I re-download Fedora 8 and partition my hard drive I will then see if there is help available before continuning.

it's really very simple. he only had a little truble because of the extra recovery partition, grub thought this was the OS, so instead of loading the first partition (hd0,0) it booted the second one (hd0,1). don't be put off by the complexity, yes it is more of a challenge at first, but you learn alot about your computer. any linux distro in invisible in that you can see everything being done.