Installed Windows and Linux, but can't configure Dual Boot

albert106 · 07-29-2003, 11:43 PM

Hi,

I'm pretty new to this, so bear with me. I originally had only a windows based machine. I partitioned my hard drive into 3 parts using partition magic. The partitions come in the following order:

"Windows" "Linux swap" "Linux"

I then installed Linux into the Linux partition, creating no further partitions. I installed GRUB during the Linux installation. When I turn the machine on, GRUB loads and asks me what partition to load, however only one of the two OS partitions is able to load if selected, the other does nothing. I can manually set the partition that I want to load active by using the partition magic rescue disks, but then only that partition will be bootable from GRUB.

I have been doing a little reading, and I think my problem may have something to do with not having a boot partition.

I later installed boot magic, but it has the same problem as GRUB.

How can I make my system dual boot properly? (A detailed explanation for a newbie would be much appreciated

)

Thank you!

scott_R · 07-30-2003, 02:55 AM

I'm not sure if I understand you correctly, so bear with me if I'm wrong. Do you mean that your system won't dual boot, as in boot both systems at the same time? If so, then your system is fine. Dual boot means to be able to boot one system or another, on the same machine.

If I'm reading that wrong, and you mean you can only boot one operating system unless you reconfigure grub, then I'm sorry, I don't know what to do about that. However, I'm pretty sure that not having a /boot is not that problem.

A little more help on what version of windows, which linux distro, and the type of hardware you are using might help to fix your problem.

koyi · 07-30-2003, 03:48 AM

Which distribution are you using? I think GRUB should have no trouble booting windows and linux. Post your /boot/grub/grub.conf or /boot/grub/menu.lst here so that we can hav a better look on the problem.

Quote:

however only one of the two OS partitions is able to load if selected

Which is able to load and which is not?

n3w27inux · 07-30-2003, 09:10 AM

i run both rh9 and win 98 II on the same comp and grub v 0.93 and it works fine . do you have xp? ive heard that xp wont allow you to install another os.

n3w27inux · 07-30-2003, 09:15 AM

ps on my sys grub lives in dev/hda0 my windoze hard drive not my mbr(master boot record)

albert106 · 07-30-2003, 02:11 PM

# 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 (hd0,1)
# kernel /boot/vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/hda2
# initrd /boot/initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
default=1
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd0,1)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-8)
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.20-8 ro root=LABEL=LINUX hdc=ide-scsi
initrd /boot/initrd-2.4.20-8.img
title Windows
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

Any suggestions?

aaa · 07-30-2003, 02:22 PM

"root (hd0,1)"
Isn't this referring to your swap partition?

aaa · 07-30-2003, 02:26 PM

If your swap partition is sandwiched between your Windows and Linux partitions like you said, it would be (hd0,1). Your Linux partition should be (hd0,2)

albert106 · 07-30-2003, 02:31 PM

Sorry about being unclear. I now have Win 98 SE and Linux Red Hat 9 on my hard drive.

If I use partition magic to set my windows partition active, then reboot, GRUB comes up and asks me if i want to boot Linux or Windows. If I select windows, it boots fine. However if I instead try to boot Linux, Linux won't boot at all.( I am not trying to run the two OS at the same time).

The converse is also true. If I manually set the Linux partition active with partition magic, then it will be bootable from GRUB, but windows will not be.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

albert106 · 07-30-2003, 02:34 PM

Should I set the Linux partition to (hd0,2) in my grub.conf file?

aaa · 07-30-2003, 02:35 PM

Try switching all references to (hd0,1) in grub.conf to (hd0,2), and make your windows partition active. Why would your booting stuff be on your swap partition?

albert106 · 07-30-2003, 02:40 PM

Is the partition Numbering scheme based on location of the partition relative to the beginning of the drive, or the order in which the partitions were created?

If it's based on the order of partition creation, then Linux is (hd0,1) and the swap is (hd0,2). If it's based on the order of the partitions relative to the beginning of the drive then Linux is (hd0,2) and the swap is (hd0,1).

aaa · 07-30-2003, 02:46 PM

It's relative to the location of the partition. I'm assuming that they're all primary.

albert106 · 07-30-2003, 02:53 PM

Ah, ok then. I'll try changing it like you said then.

Thank you for your help aaa!

albert106 · 07-30-2003, 07:53 PM

Well, I tried your suggestion aaa, but now Linux isn't bootable at all, regardless of whether I set it's partition active manually or not.

In fact, when I turn the comp on a little line at the top of the page says "loading grub" but then grub doesn't load. I can still get into windows if I manually set the windows partition active, but there's no GRUB menu anymore.

Problem now is that, since I can't boot Linux, I can't change my grub.conf file back to the way it was.

What should I do?

Thanks