Hello,
I am planing to install fedora 13 on my dual boot (windows-7 + fedora) laptop. Previously some one helped me installing fedora on my laptop. Below let me mention the my file system architecture as the question is related to it. It's a 320 GB hard drive.
1. First 250 MB primary partition (used to be for /boot, which is currently unallocated, because in last installation I chose fedora to install automatically).
2. Next 120 GB windows primary partition.
3. Next 200 GB Logical partition
a. First 125 GB for windows backup
b. rest for Linux (500 MB + 60 GB).

As Linux was installed later thus it wrote the boot partition itself. I want the boot partition in the first 250 MB partition (reason, to be safe, I don't want to mess up with the master boot record while playing with Linux), also need to install fedora 13. The architecture I want is following:
1. first 250 MB: /boot
2. Next 120 GB: Windows
3. Logical:
a. First 125 GB: Windows backup.
b. Next 4 GB: /swap
c. Rest: /root -- I want to install Fedora here
(I will appreciate if you can give a better architecture suggestion)

So, what I plan to do is to whip out all the current Linux file systems and insert fedora dvd and install according to my criteria!

Now my questions are:
1. since currently Linux has the master boot record, will it cause any problem for the machine to boot up from installation dvd, if I whip off all the current Linux partitions? (Or in other words, does installation/ live-CD need a master boot record to boot? -- I am guessing once I reinstall Linux, booting is not a problem).
2. Once Linux is whipped off, can windows boot up automatically?
3. Is there any worry of messing up windows, specially its boot sector(off course I will take precaution not touching windows partitions!)?
Also, as you can imagine I have never done it before myself (I saw people doing it, and read some documentations over internet), I will really appreciate if anybody can give a step-by-step guideline, or some website which talks about it for a newbie.
Thanks,
Sourabh

On q 1, there will be no problem with the install dvd.. if your bios is set to boot from the dvd drive before the hd..

Watch your initial boot up screen verrrry carefully, and choose the correct F key to enter the bios if necessary.. to check it out. Be careful not to fool with anything else.

q2, During the installation process, Fedora SHOULD allow for the detection (if your windows is installed already..) of other OS's..

q3, Windows or other OS' s booting ability should not be affected, as long as they are listed properly in the boot loader program (Grub or Lilo usually for Linux).

If you have the choice, choose Grub (legacy-- NOT Grub2, or Lilo) for ease of configuration down the line.

There are volumes of information both here and in other forums on this common procedure.. but do come back if you run into any problems.

I am not tooo versed in Fedora, but there are others here who are.

Good luck.. lettuce know

1 members found this post helpful.

Halvy,
Thank you very much for your reply. I shall try it and get back if I run into any trouble (quite likely!!). Just to confirm your first answer, I believe pressing F12 key before booting, I can change the boot option dynamically. Right? Or do I have to go to bios set up and change it there?
Thanks,
Sourabh

Just try booting a live or install cd/dvd first..

If it works.. you don't need to alter your bios.

If you do need to change it.. just be careful of touching other settings.

Maybe take notes of everything (in the bios screen)... just in case you mess up something by accident.

What you are looking for, is for the computer to 'look' at the cd/dvd drive FIRST upon boot..

Or at least BEFORE the hard disks boots..

This way, you can boot from a cd/dvd when needed.

1 members found this post helpful.

Halvy,
Thanks, the second question I asked was academic, not really related to Linux installation. What I meant there, if I remove the existing Linux (i.e. boot partition is also gone) and suppose I try to reboot the laptop, will Windows boot up (as it is the only OS in the system)?
~Sourabh

If you leave the boot loader on the MBR, you will have to manually change the grub file (if grub is installed) to correctly boot the new Fed installation. This is unlikely, unless you tell the installation, to NOT overwrite (ie. not install a new boot loader (program)).

Windows should still boot then.. with no changes on your part to the boot files... as they stand now.

On the other hand, and which is much more likely, if you 'overwrite' the MBR, or move it to another partition with the new boot loader (installation), then Fed *should* recognize your Windoze partition, and set it up correctly, along with the new Fed install.

I detect you are worried that your current booting setup will somehow be lost or broken.. Well, I would not worry about it, if you follow the installation screen's instructions, and come back here to tell us how it is going