Dual boot with two hard drives

Katlyn · 03-16-2006, 07:40 PM

Okay. I have two hard drives, an IDE and a SATA. I already have Linux installed on the IDE drive. I would like to to install Windows XP on the SATA drive, and I was wondering if anyone had tips on how to go about it without horribly fouling everything up. How do I make it so that I can choose which I'd like to boot with at start up? You cannot detect SATA drives in my bios. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

tamoneya · 03-16-2006, 07:44 PM

when you install windows it will not recognize linux and will modify the MBR. Therefore you probably need to install windows and then reinstall linux again on the other drive. Linux will install a bootloader into the MBR which will let you dual boot.

Katlyn · 03-16-2006, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tamoneya

when you install windows it will not recognize linux and will modify the MBR. Therefore you probably need to install windows and then reinstall linux again on the other drive. Linux will install a bootloader into the MBR which will let you dual boot.

The thing is, I still haven't gotten Linux to recognize the SATA drive. So if I install Windows and then reinstall Linux, how will I get to recognize it?

tamoneya · 03-16-2006, 08:20 PM

what version of linux?
can windows see the sata

tamoneya · 03-16-2006, 08:24 PM

just a thought...
flashing your bios might help. Might let you detect when booting linux

Katlyn · 03-16-2006, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tamoneya

what version of linux?
can windows see the sata

I am using Suse 10.0. How would flashing the bios help Linux detect it? I have not yet installed Windows, for fear it will mess with Linux.

tamoneya · 03-16-2006, 08:51 PM

well if you flash your bios the new updated bios might be able to see your sata drive. Then this should allow slack to see it also. And anyways if xp is going on sata why does linux need to see it. You are going to have to install xp and then reinstall linux so go ahead with the xp and install it on the sata. Then move ahead with slack again

Katlyn · 03-18-2006, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tamoneya

well if you flash your bios the new updated bios might be able to see your sata drive. Then this should allow slack to see it also. And anyways if xp is going on sata why does linux need to see it. You are going to have to install xp and then reinstall linux so go ahead with the xp and install it on the sata. Then move ahead with slack again

If Linux can't see the SATA drive, how will grub know that it's there to boot from?

saikee · 03-18-2006, 04:44 PM

I have installed Suse 10 in a Sata disk before.

Grub can recognise a Sata and boot it even the Linux that hosts Grub doesn't. I have recently proved it with the oldest Grub I could lay my hand on, a Grub 0.91 in Damn Small Linux.

The easiest way to go about it in this case is

(1) Tell the Bios to boot Sata as the first bootable disk. Suse is then temporarily out of action.

(2) Install XP on the Sata and make sure it works satisfactorily.

(3) When ready tell the Bios that you change your mind and want the IDE boot up as the first bootable disk. Pretend to say sorry if you have to.

(4) Add the following lines to Suse's /boot/grub/menu.lst

Code:

title My XP in sata installed as first disk now as the second
root (hd1,0)
map (hd1) (hd0)
map (hd0) (hd1)
chainloader +1

I have assumed Xp being installed in the first partition of the Sata as XP always does that. When Sata becomes the second disk then XP partition is known as sda1 in Linux notation but (hd1,0) as Grub counts from 0 and so (hd1,0) means 2nd disk 1st partition.

Since XP has been installed as the first disk its hidden file boot.ini and some internal files will have recorded this fact and will not boot if ii found itself in the second disk. The two map statement "re-maps" the disk order "on-the-fly" and tricks XP in believing it is still in the first disk. The bugger will buy it every time and so the dual boot is accomplished with the minimum fuss.