I am sure its not a common problem as I have experienced it for the first time.
I have openSUSE and windows 7 dual boot on my Dell Studio 14.
Within last 2 hours I have re-installed grub more than 5 times.
Every time I boot into windows 7 the grub is wiped off and I have to re-install it using the repair tool.

can anybody please tell me why this is happening as this is some thing that had never happened while I dual booted xp and linux ?

help me out

Hi -

Look here:

http://blog.lokonopa.com/grub-up-windows-7/

PROBLEM:
SOLUTION:
'Hope that helps .. PSM

I searched and found this site and you should search windows 7 forum too; http://www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123896 , and look here too;
http://apcmag.com/the_definitive_dua...stepbystep.htm

bhanuvrat-

I know that Vista "changed the rules" and made multi-boot more difficult than XP. It looks like Windows 7 might have changed the rules yet again (per the links james2b and I gave you).

I'm sure you have enough information to get it working. Please post back what you learned!

Thank you in advance .. PSM

I used a third party bootloader configuration software called EasyBCD. Now te windows bootloader allows me choose from windows and linux.

Step 1) Getting GRUB back

Get into your Linux system via CD-ROM. I used the rescue option in Open SooSie 11.4.

In bash type grub to load grub.... After a while (2 mins) grub will load.

You need to get grub back by writing to the MBR. My root partition was on the second partition so the first line tells grub where to find the grub configuration when it loads. The second line writes grub to the MBR.

root (hd0,1)
setup (hd0)

* Alternatively you can do a re-install if your not comfortable with grub or new to Linux.

Step 2) Preventing Windows from wiping it again.

Make sure you have grub working at this step!

There is a Windows command line utility called diskpart. You need to tell windows your C: drive is not active or bootable.

Open a windows command line and then type diskpart

Type LIST DISK
Type SELECT DISK n (where is the drive in which Windows 7 resides)
Type LIST PARTITION
Type SELECT PARTITION n (where n is the number of the active partition you wish to make inactive)
Type INACTIVE
Type EXIT to exit DISKPART

Thats it. Reboot and Windows will not overrite your SooSie grub.

This may also make your computer non bootable if you stuff it up. So be careful! Make sure grub is working when you make your C: drive's MBR inactive.

I am curious if this has been resolved, but I just installed openSUSE with Win 7 without the issue that you have described.
Though I am usingg a AMD A6-3400M powered NV55S07u Gateway laptop, which just received a 8G DDR3-1333/PC3 10600 upgrade.
I will be running virtual machines on this rig is why I performed the upgrade.

I learned a long time ago that life is , by far, better if i let windows have the MBR
the only way to win the WAR with Microsoft is " Not to play the game"

win7 and other windows applications can and apparently do write code to the mbr ( assuming that ms's bootloader is there ) and can overwrite GRUB in the process


let windows have it
install grub to the first Linux partition, set that as the bootable , and bootstrap to windows7

I disagree. I usually always use grub - including Win7.
This issue is probably not a Win7 issue, but a Dell issue. They ship some handy-dandy tools (active by default) that restore the MBR on the fly for you.
Cute.

I'll update this after I go boot my Dell laptop later.

I have an older Dell now and have none of the problems but it came with XP Pro on it. It is a D810 which I think gave you a choice of Vista or XP from the factory.

It would not surprise me though if Dell did something like that to keep it more automatic restore and a pain for those of us that like to dual boot.

Have a read of this for instance.
I disabled it ages ago.

Looks like you may have solved his problem