I've tried slack 3 or 4 times over the years but am still very much a newbee to all of this. Thx for all the help that I have got here.
My simple solution to dual boot winxp and slack if you have two hds to work with.
My set up
hda slack (80 gig 7200 rpm, 40 gig for slack)
hdc winxp (40 gig 5400 rpm, 20 gig for winxp fat 32)
Shutdown computer and disconnect ide cable hda.
Install winxp, it will install to hdc as it is the only hard drive it sees.
Shutdown computer and reconnect ide cable to hda
Install slack to hda
To change between winxp and slack when I boot up I go into the mb bios and pick the hd I want to boot.
Not elegant but it is simple and allowed me to put a leash on the winxp install process.

I hate to say this, but if you're using NTLdr (i.e., WinXP's bootloader) it is actually quite flexible and easily configurable. I've got XP, 98, Slack9.0, Debian and Slack9.1 booting using the XP bootloader (Ntldr).

I don't have to go into the BIOS, I just get a multiple-guess menu of OSs. Granted I do have to dd the bootsector of each Linux OS, but I still actually like the NTldr interface.

Not that anything I'm talking about couldn't be done with lilo or grub, but, if Windows wants to dominate the MBR..why not let it? (If you HAVE to run it that is)

well, i struggled with the NTLdr and one day installing redhat a couple years ago accidently installed LILO to the bootsector.

it recognized windows and worked, when selecting the Windows option, it kicked me ot the NT boot ldr and i could select the winows i wanted, i had a quad-boot system

RH 7.something
Win XP, 2K, 98


if you do it this way, install Windows 1st to the primary drive and let it take over the bootloader, then install Linux with Lilo or Grub on the bootloader and then add the options for Windows in Lilo or Grub.

if you do it the other way around, you'll have to re-run lilo or grub after windows takes over the bootsector and put in the section for booting windows.

i'd give u an example of a lilo or grub conf file but i dont dual boot anymore....Linux only now. believe or not, windows didnt like my hardware (xp would give me the bsod after like 5 minutes of activity, something about the driver it used for my ati card made it panic out)