Multiboot Fedora and Windows XP

LemBit · 08-07-2004, 12:04 PM

Hello
I'm a TOTAL new user on linux, so if you would like to answer please be very detailed.

I would like to use windows Boot-loader to boot Fedora. Right now I get the Fedora boot loader where I can choose to boot Fedroa right away or go on to my ordinary boot-meny whit windows boot-loader, and Yes it works.

But I would rather use the windows boot loader directly to boot Fedora, So how do I do this?

Please dont send any replayis about that I shud use the Fedora build in boot loader, if you are about to write an aswer to say this please read my message agin !

Have in mind that i'm 100 % new at Linux, I'm a complite idiot, answer detailed, please.

Demonbane · 08-07-2004, 12:17 PM

How are your bootloaders configured right now? GRUB in the mbr, Windows bootloader on another partition or on a different disk?
It'll also help if you can post the output of "/sbin/fdisk -l"

amfoster · 08-07-2004, 02:34 PM

If you have a floppy drive, you can forego the linux boot loader completely. Boot into Windoze by default, or put in a floppy to boot Linux. Keeps your windoze mbr from needing reinstalling if you take Linux off the box. (like that will ever happen huh?

masand · 08-07-2004, 05:07 PM

believe me
going the other way round ,with windows bootloader loading linux is much tough that using grub/lilo

but still if u want to boot linux using windows , i am not sure but u need to put some files in windows partition called 'loadlin' etc etc

refer this article

http://elserv.ffm.fgan.de/~lermen/manual.txt

regards
gaurav

LemBit · 08-07-2004, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Demonbane
How are your bootloaders configured right now? GRUB in the mbr, Windows bootloader on another partition or on a different disk?
It'll also help if you can post the output of "/sbin/fdisk -l"

Yes GRUB in the mbr, and windows is on the same disk but a diffrent portion.
Here are the result of fdisk -l : (translation from swedish)

Disk /dev/hda: 22,6 GB, 22605004800 byte
255 head, 63 sectors/lines, 2748 sylinders
device = sylinder of 16065 x 512 = 8225280 byte

Device..........avtive.....Begin.....End....Block.............Id.....System
/dev/hda1.......*................1.....574....4610623+.....7......HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda1.....................575.....1148..4610655.......83....LINUX
/dev/hda1....................1149....2748..12852000.....f.......Win98 extended (LBA)
/dev/hda1....................1149....2748..12851968+...b......Win95 FAT32

I have 1 Windows XP portion
I have 1 NTFS portion for programs
I have 1 LINUX portion

Don't now what you mean by " /sbin/fdisk -l " I only opend a terminal and typed in " fdisk -l", right ? (that was hard for me to figure out !)

masand · 08-08-2004, 12:22 AM

hii LemBit

have a look at the url i gave u in my lat post
this will help u in setting up ur system as u want it

http://elserv.ffm.fgan.de/~lermen/manual.txt

regards

Demonbane · 08-08-2004, 04:43 AM

ok what you need to do is first install GRUB into your Linux partition partition sector, in order to ahieve this here's the commands you can execute in Linux:

Code:

/sbin/grub
(grub prompt will appear)

grub> root (hd0,1)
grub> setup (hd0,1)

after thats done extract it by using

Code:

dd if=/dev/hda2 of=linux.bin bs=512 count=1

copy linux.bin into a floppy disk, or in your FAT partition where its accessible from Windows.
Now boot with the WinXP CD into the Recovery console, and do a "fixmbr".
Once thats done boot into Windows, copy linux.bin into C:\(or wherever boot.ini is) then add the following line to it:

Code:

c:\linux.bin="Linux"

Note that boot.ini is hidden by default
Also you do not need to use loadlin.