Trying to dual-boot Windows on a raid0 stripe with Grub

tvetter05 · 01-08-2009, 03:44 PM

I am trying to figure out how I can dual boot windows and Ubuntu 8.10 when the Windows install is located on a sata Nvraid 0 array (two 250gb western digital), and Ubuntu is on a separate IDE drive (160gb). I have spent countless hours searching for answers. People seem to just ignore questions about this common problem.
I have successfully mounted the array with dmraid by reading this tutorial.
Also I came across this tutorial about mkinitrd but it seems to confusing and is meant for slackware.

Here is my fdisk -l output:

Code:

Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x13720258

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1       18701   150215751   83  Linux
/dev/sda2           18702       19457     6072570    5  Extended
/dev/sda5           18702       19457     6072538+  82  Linux swap / Solaris
Warning: ignoring extra data in partition table 5
Warning: ignoring extra data in partition table 5
Warning: ignoring extra data in partition table 5
Warning: invalid flag 0x0000 of partition table 5 will be corrected by w(rite)

Disk /dev/sdb: 250.0 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xffffffff

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1               2       29321   235512900    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sdb2   *       29322       60802   252871132+   7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb5   ?      257968      408989  1213075689+  8b  Unknown

Disk /dev/sdc: 250.0 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000201

Disk /dev/sdc doesn't contain a valid partition table

And here is sudo dmraid -r
tristan@tristan-desktop:~$ sudo dmraid -r

Code:

/dev/sdc: nvidia, "nvidia_cdcjbaef", stripe, ok, 488397166 sectors, data@ 0
/dev/sdb: nvidia, "nvidia_cdcjbaef", stripe, ok, 488397166 sectors, data@ 0

and ls /dev/mapper

Code:

tristan@tristan-desktop:~$ ls /dev/mapper
control  nvidia_cdcjbaef  nvidia_cdcjbaef2  nvidia_cdcjbaef5

*I should note that the raid stripe is partitioned in half.*

Thanks.

monsm · 01-09-2009, 10:04 AM

Hi,
Don't see why you should have to do anything special other then add the windows entry to the grub config:

Code:

title Windows XP
rootnoverify (hd1,1)
makeactive
chainloader +1

I have a raid0 dual booting with windows xp. I have all the partitions on the raid array though (2 for windows + boot, root, home and swap for Linux).

Have you already installed windows on the partition you want it? If so, what does it say when you add the above to the grub.conf file?
If you haven't already installed Windows, you might have to make the correct raid0 partition bootable. Then put in the windows install cd/dvd and install to it. Then set the original grub boot partion bootable again. You probably have to re-install grub to the MBR (Windows will most likely replace the Grub MBR with its own os loader). And be very careful so that you select the correct partition for windows. Maybe take a backup of you Linux files first.

Mons

tvetter05 · 01-09-2009, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monsm

Hi,
Don't see why you should have to do anything special other then add the windows entry to the grub config:

Code:

title Windows XP
rootnoverify (hd1,1)
makeactive
chainloader +1

Mons

I tried the above and I get this after selecting winxp on boot.

Code:

Starting up...

A disk read error occurred 
Press Ctrl+alt+del to restart

What happened was I already had Xp installed on the stripe and Ubuntu 7.04 installed on the other drive, they only way I could use either system was to change the drive order in the bios. But then I did a clean install to 8.10 and like a idiot I selected the wrong partition to install the MBR onto, thus rendering XP un-bootable.

When I make the nvstripe the first bootable drive I get:

Code:

GRUB Loading stage1.5.

Grub loading, please wait...
Error 21

So doses it appear that Grub overwrote XP's MBR??

monsm · 01-09-2009, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvetter05

When I make the nvstripe the first bootable drive I get:

Code:

GRUB Loading stage1.5.

Grub loading, please wait...
Error 21

So doses it appear that Grub overwrote XP's MBR??

Yes, looks like it. If you boot from the XP dvd and go to repair console, there is a repair boot command there. I don't remember what its called, but you should have help there and it is listed there (actually it might be "fixboot"). That command will put the windows MBR back again.

Mons

tvetter05 · 01-09-2009, 10:57 AM

I was afraid of that...
I have to load the nvraid drivers from a floppy when the recovery disk starts which is a very bugged process and a pain in the ass.

tvetter05 · 01-09-2009, 11:58 AM

would partition 1 or 2 contain the boot sector and mbr? Partition 2 contains the systems files.

tvetter05 · 01-09-2009, 12:11 PM

wow. I just screwed everything up.
First I ran fixmbr. But i didnt specify the device. So grub is no more and I cant boot into Ubuntu.
then I think I specified the wrong partition to fix the mbr and my windows install went bye-bye.

Luckily the partition with all my goods on it is still there so I may try to repair grub, then mount the drive and back up the data.
Then I say F'it to raid and reinstall windows normally.

thanks for the help any ways.

pbaldera · 01-09-2009, 12:44 PM

I found this to be useful to me since I had a similar setup. You can repair your windows and leave ubuntu alone on the second drive, then install wingrub on your windows and modify you boot.ini. Here is a tutorial.
http://users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/p9.html

monsm · 01-09-2009, 01:39 PM

You probably haven't messed up too badly. All your data and partitions are there, you just can't boot anything. You'll probably have to boot from a Linux CD/DVD to repair the Grub one.
Wingrub might be a good idea, didn't know that existed. I did manage to boot Ubuntu from the windows bootloader ones though. It involves creating a file from the grub MBR using the dd command. The file is then copied to the windows partition and referenced in the boot.ini file. You'll probably find the details with a google search if you want to go that way.

Mons

tvetter05 · 01-09-2009, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monsm

You probably haven't messed up too badly. All your data and partitions are there, you just can't boot anything. You'll probably have to boot from a Linux CD/DVD to repair the Grub one.
Wingrub might be a good idea, didn't know that existed. I did manage to boot Ubuntu from the windows bootloader ones though. It involves creating a file from the grub MBR using the dd command. The file is then copied to the windows partition and referenced in the boot.ini file. You'll probably find the details with a google search if you want to go that way.

Mons

Damage Report:
O.k, the partition with the Windows install is gone. I was able to salvage the other partition through a Ubuntu live cd and dmraid. Then I ran the Super Grub Disk and fixed Ubuntu.
Im going to have to reinstall Windows, only this time im not wasting my time with little performance gains fakeraid gives you, and I will be able to use Ubuntu more often. Thanks for the advice on wingrub, ill give it a try if I need too.