"Sorin Srbu" sorin.srbu@orgfarm.uu.se wrote:
Hi all,
I'd like to deploy a solution with dual-booting systems where CentOS 5.3 is already installed and WinXP will be installed to a separate disk.
I found http://apcmag.com/how_to_dual_boot_linux_and_windows_xp_linux_installed_firs... and it seems straight forward enough, although the description is for Ubuntu.
The problem as I see it, is that the how-to differs from how CentOS looks in /etc/grub.conf and the boot-loader in Ubuntu with respect to making grub work again after the Windows install.
I found Tldp.org mentioning dual-boot plenty, but most or all articles listed are using lilo as a boot-loader, which seems a bit obsolete and besides I can't quite translate the instructions from lilo to grub. 8-/
Basically, what would I need to change in the how-to from apcmag.com above?? Thanks for any pointers.
As noted in other replies, Windows not not play well with anything else. Your best bet would be to disable/remove/disconnect the drive with CentOS and then do the Windows install to the other drive. Once Windows is installed, you can reconnect the CentOS drive and then easily edit grub.conf to boot Windows using the "chainloader" directive. This approach will only work if there are no primary partitions on the CentOS drive that Windows recognizes. Windows (just like DOS) assigns drive letters to partitions in drive number order starting with the primary partitions and then moving on to the extended partitions. The bottom line is that you want the first Windows partition on the non-CentOS drive to get assigned drive letter C: when Windows boots. As long as Windows doesn't recognize the partition type (e.g., ext3), no drive letter gets assigned.
The problem with suggestions to just install Windows and then either use another boot loader or repair the grub installation is that you are stuck doing that work through Windows. My experience has been that Windows isn't as easy to work with for making changes to the boot loader and any approach that overwrites the Windows boot loader may leave you with Windows not being bootable. The approach I described above leaves the Windows boot loader in place although you may need to edit C:\boot.ini to make sure it can still find Windows when both disks are "present."
Here is the grub.conf that I use on my laptop. The internal drive boots to either CentOS or Windows while Fedora 10 and Ubuntu are on an external USB drive.
# grub.conf generated by anaconda # # Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file # NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that # all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg. # root (hd0,2) # kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/hda6 # initrd /initrd-version.img #boot=/dev/hda default=0 timeout=5 splashimage=(hd0,2)/grub/splash.xpm.gz hiddenmenu title CentOS (2.6.18-92.1.22.el5) root (hd0,2) kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-92.1.22.el5 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb initrd /initrd-2.6.18-92.1.22.el5.img title CentOS (2.6.18-92.1.18.el5) root (hd0,2) kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-92.1.18.el5 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb initrd /initrd-2.6.18-92.1.18.el5.img title Fedora (2.6.27.19-170.2.35.fc10.x86_64) root (hd1,0) kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.27.19-170.2.35.fc10.x86_64 ro root=UUID=232029fe-c524-47b4-a5d6-d45c0ce7e56b rhgb nomodeset initrd /initrd-2.6.27.19-170.2.35.fc10.x86_64.img title Ubuntu (2.6.27-7 x86_64) root (hd1,4) kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.27-7-generic ro root=LABEL=uSlash initrd /initrd-2.6.27-7-generic title Windoze rootnoverify (hd0,0) chainloader +1
My grub.conf points to Windows on a partition on the internal drive. Yours would point to Windows on the "second" drive (probably hd1). Likewise, your boot.ini will need to point to Windows with something like:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP"
changing to:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP"
Note the change -----^
I'm assuming your Windows disk would end up being /dev/hdb in a Linux world. If your system is using SATA drives or the Windows drive would be something other than /dev/hdb, you may need to make some adjustments to what I have suggested.
Cheers, Dave
David G. Miller wrote:
The problem with suggestions to just install Windows and then either use another boot loader or repair the grub installation is that you are stuck doing that work through Windows. My experience has been that Windows isn't as easy to work with for making changes to the boot loader and any approach that overwrites the Windows boot loader may leave you with Windows not being bootable.
You can always boot the centos install CD/DVD with "linux rescue" at the boot prompt - or use a knoppix or other live cd distribution. And it is a good idea to be prepared for this. I don't know if you want this, but it is also possible to set up VMware server with access to the raw device so besides dual booting you have the option of running the other OS as a VM guest. Most windows versions have to be re-licensed when they see different hardware even if it is virtual so you may have to use windows as the host for this if you do it often.
David G. Miller wrote:
"Sorin Srbu" sorin.srbu@orgfarm.uu.se wrote:
. . .
As noted in other replies, Windows not not play well with anything else. Your best bet would be to disable/remove/disconnect the drive
I installed Win7 beta on the open partition at the end of my laptop disk and had to dd restore the mbr so I could boot to Centos again.
It's amazing that after all these years of multi-booting PCs, MS still arrogantly stomps all over your setup. Idiots.
On 4/16/09, Toby Bluhm tkb@alltechmedusa.com wrote:
David G. Miller wrote:
"Sorin Srbu" sorin.srbu@orgfarm.uu.se wrote: As noted in other replies, Windows not not play well with anything else. Your best bet would be to disable/remove/disconnect the drive
I installed Win7 beta on the open partition at the end of my laptop disk and had to dd restore the mbr so I could boot to Centos again.
It's amazing that after all these years of multi-booting PCs, MS still arrogantly stomps all over your setup. Idiots.
Toby: M$ is completely unaware that any other OS exists. Or, they will never admit to that. However, 1 or 2 days ago, I saw a listing for a temporary job assignment in Redmond, WA, with "The Software Giant", for someone to work with a team of people who are the only ones there who work with Linux. They are the "Linux experts" in that place. I assume it is for M$, but not positive about that. :-) There is a web page on the CentOS Wiki about how to reinstall GRUB, if it gets trashed or is overridden when installing another OS. Lanny
-----Original Message----- From: centos-bounces@centos.org [mailto:centos-bounces@centos.org] On
Behalf
Of Lanny Marcus Sent: Thursday, April 16, 2009 8:06 PM To: CentOS mailing list Subject: Re: [CentOS] Dual-boot with WinXP, CentOS already installed
There is a web page on the CentOS Wiki about how to reinstall GRUB, if it gets trashed or is overridden when installing another OS. Lanny
Didn't see the forest for all the trees... Will check the wiki too. Thanks.
Toby Bluhm wrote:
David G. Miller wrote:
I installed Win7 beta on the open partition at the end of my laptop disk and had to dd restore the mbr so I could boot to Centos again.
It's amazing that after all these years of multi-booting PCs, MS still arrogantly stomps all over your setup. Idiots.
Winblows tries to do its best not to ask anything to the user and decide by itself. No wonder why tons of worms are spreading under Winblows! One have to say that a large part of this is due to bad design but trying to do everything in place of average Joe is wrong.
And everybody know how arrogant M$ can be! I just hope they continue to produce ultra heavy crap like Vista! Majority of my clients refuse to go Vista, thanks Macro$haft!
Guy Boisvert, ing. IngTegration inc.
David G. Miller wrote:
"Sorin Srbu" sorin.srbu@orgfarm.uu.se wrote:
The problem with suggestions to just install Windows and then either use another boot loader or repair the grub installation is that you are stuck doing that work through Windows.
GAG is a standalone boot disquette / boot CD. It doesn't need Winblows or anything eles. It just installs itself on MBR and the boot media contain the config utility with the "write to MBR" function.
You just have to instruct Linux to put all its stuff to its partition. I'm not very familiar with all the Linux boot stuff, so i can't comment on how to do it for somebody that had Linux installed first. I'm sure somebody on the list can give us infos about it and using GAG on MBR afterward.
Guy Boisvert, ing. IngTegration inc.
could you please switch to a less broken client that supports threading? (I know that Thunderbord supports threading, but that version or client that you use does not.)
Kai
-----Original Message----- From: centos-bounces@centos.org [mailto:centos-bounces@centos.org] On
Behalf
Of David G. Miller Sent: Thursday, April 16, 2009 7:33 PM To: centos@centos.org Subject: Re: [CentOS] Dual-boot with WinXP, CentOS already installed
Windows (just like DOS) assigns drive letters to partitions in drive number order starting with the primary partitions and then moving on to the extended partitions. The bottom line is that you want the first Windows partition on the non-CentOS drive to get assigned drive letter C: when Windows boots. As long as Windows doesn't recognize the partition type (e.g., ext3), no drive letter gets assigned.
Nice, I think this made my day! 8-D Thanks.
Wasn't sure how the drive lettering happens with the Windows installer.
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David G. Miller -
Guy Boisvert -
Kai Schaetzl -
Lanny Marcus -
Les Mikesell -
Sorin Srbu -
Toby Bluhm