Please help!!! I am trying to make my computer a dual boot computer with both Windows XP and SuSe Linux version 8.2. In all the different attempts to do this…I have been unsuccessful.

I have always installed Windows XP, first. The first attempt, after Win XP was installed I used Partition Magic 2002 to create a separate partition ( for both…the Linux Swap and Linux Ext2 ). I applied all the changes and all went fine. I went through the entire installation process for SuSe Linux. Linux installed and loaded fine. When I got out of Linux and tried to get back into Win XP I got an error ( Windows did not load ). It said that there was 1 file that could not be found ( I think the file was: NTLDR ). I used the Partition Magic Rescue Disks to look at the partition. It said that there was an error on the hard drive…something about crossing the boundary limit. It was un-repairable. When I tried to use the Windows installation disk and reload the Windows OS on the partition for Windows. This worked and Windows loaded fine, but now Linux would not load ( the boot loader-to select Windows or Linux----did not come up ).

I done this same process…except…when I loaded Windows I had to accept / resize the partition. I chose to let Windows create a second partition or Un-allocated Space. Every thing else that I done was exactly as before and the results were identical.

Then the last time, after I installed Win XP ( utilizing the whole hard drive – 1 partition ) I took the Linux installation CD and began to install SuSe. I let the Linux installation create a partition / resize the Windows partition. The Linux installation went fine and loaded. The method of dealing with the partition was the only thing that was changed…everything else was the same. The results were the same as before.

I do not know what I am doing wrong.

How do you do the partitions ( please be detailed )?

Which OS do you load first?

Please help me get this installed….and….working correctly!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for all the help...in advance!!

Bobby Howerton

This probably won't be helpful enough (sorry), but classically (and by that, I mean pre-XP), you would create multiple partitions (one for windows, one for linux, one for linux-swap, and if you're feeling clever, one generic public-type (think D:\ and/or /pub) directory for both), then load windows first, then load linux. The real trick is the boot-loader... that is, which boot-loader, where you let it install, etc. (plus configuring it to pick up the windows installation). Past this, I'm not really familiar with SuSe... what boot-loader (lilo or grub (or?)) does it install?

All this is really annoying. I 've seen articles at suse knowledge talking about issues dualbooting this machine (suse+xp). It seems like there's a difference between how each one sees the disk geometry, and hence the boundary thing.
What's certain: To make a dual boot machine you to do, in this order:

- Partition your disk to install xp. Since you didn't say how much space you have, I'll use percents (but this is up to you, really). Use 25% of the disk to build a first (hda1) fat32 partition. ntfs can be used, but linux will access it read-only.

- Install xp.

- Boot xp, go to this page and download, install and run smart boot manager. This will let you create a boot floppy that will boot any system and/ or device:
http://btmgr.sourceforge.net/3.7 (download the win installer).
If you don't want to do this, you can skip this step.

- Now, boot the suse install cd's. with space unpartitioned, suse will notice and ask you to install there. Now you can install suse in this space. If you know how to use the expert partitioner, go for it. Its very good, let you have total control over the disk layout.
When is comes to the grub setup part, you can tell it to skip if you have the smart boot manager disk. This way you prevent the system to go through all the boundary thing again. Drawback is, you always have to boot from floppy (but this can be solved afterwards, by installing to the hd...).

Ok, friend? Good luck, and post again if you get stuck!

So when I instal XP and I use the 25% of my harddrive space....do I set this partition up inside the Windows installer? I will be making it a Fat 32 partition.

In the Windows installer do I just the the other 75% of the hardrive as un-allocated space (no partitions or formatting)?

I would like to have it all setup to allow me to pick an OS from a menu when I boot/re-boot the computer. -------- I would prefer not to boot from a floppy disk.

******I am trying to save the partition where my Windows XP and all other installed files are to a CD / DVD using Power Quest's Drive Image, but I am having some problems getting it do do this.

I will be contacting you again if I need some help.

Thanks for all the information.

Bobby Howerton

So when I instal XP and I use the 25% of my harddrive space....do I set this partition up inside the Windows installer? I will be making it a Fat 32 partition.

Yes, you can do this through win installer. fat32 can be accessed by linux read-write.

*****

In the Windows installer do I just the the other 75% of the hardrive as un-allocated space (no partitions or formatting)?

Yes, exactly. After you set win, reboot to install suse. It will notice the unallocated space and ask you to install there.
*******

I would like to have it all setup to allow me to pick an OS from a menu when I boot/re-boot the computer. -------- I would prefer not to boot from a floppy disk.

Ok, no prob. Just install suse and let it install grub in the begining of the disk.

Bruno Buys,
Thank you for all the help and advice.

Tonight, I was able to complete my dream. I now have a dual Boot system with both
Windows XP and most importantly SuSe Linux.

It is all (meaning both OS's are) working fine.

What is a really good way to learn A LOT about Linux? What about a really good Linux magazine?

I have started a new post about a linux magazine....please respond.

Thanks

Bobby Howerton

Hi bob!
I guess I already did... but then I went back and i felt my reply to be a bit rude. I didn't mean, I'm sorry.
I was trying to say:

- Make a list of your computing needs and try to accomplish, one by one.

- Make sure your hardware is fully supported. If it isn't, setting hardware is a good way to learn.

- Browse forums like this, try to talk to people about linux.

- In no time, you'll see, you'll be answering people's questions.

Good luck with suse!

I am having a similar issue with XP Pro and SuSE 8.2. It seems to be in using GRUB for the bootloader. Also my Hardware layout is a bit diff. I am using a 40GB IDE for the Primary (hda) for Windows and a 20GB IDE for the Secondary (hdb) for SuSE. I previously have used SuSE for laptop configs because of the ease of which YAST configures the hardware. This is my first dual boot attempt with SuSE and with GRUB as the bootloader. When I initially had the OSes installed and did the first reboot, GRUB worked fine, but being the good Linux newb that I am, I decided I didn't like the graphical elements in grub, so I BASHed into /boot/grub/menu.lst and commented out the line that shows the graphical elements . . . 'shutdown -r -t 0 now' . . .

!BLACK SCREEN O DEATH! . . . actually it got so far as to print GRUB, part of the title in the menu.lst file on the screen before locking up.

Anyone know why this would occur? I heard that Xandros Linux has a similar issue in LILO, where if you are going to go for a non-graphical bootloader, you have to comment out the graphical one and then start a new line with an alternative layout config file in Xandros' lilo.conf (which aparently is just a blank 0 size file) just wondering if the same is true for GRUB.