[CentOS] Need Dual Boot Installation Help

[Lamar Owen]

On Friday 12 August 2005 09:16, duffmckagan wrote:
> On 8/12/05, David Evennou <de at data-masters.com> wrote:
> > I installed GRUB to the MBR on a previous installation, and that wiped
> > out the XP boot capability.
> > Yes, /dev/hda2 is the CentOS boot partition.

> If your Windows XP Partions are formatted as NTFS, then Cent OS can't
> detect it. (The Cent OS kernel lacks NTFS modules.)
> So, the final result is that you can't boot to windows XP, but cent OS
> works fine.
> (I can provide you some more information on this, if you are willing to do
> it.)

This is incorrect.  I am dual-booting my Dell Laptop right now; see:
[root at localhost lowen]# /sbin/fdisk -l

Disk /dev/hda: 60.0 GB, 60011642880 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7296 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1               1           5       40131   de  Dell Utility
/dev/hda2   *           6        1049     8385930    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda3            1050        1065      128520   83  Linux
/dev/hda4            1066        7296    50050507+   f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hda5            1066        2370    10482381   83  Linux
/dev/hda6            2371        3135     6144831   83  Linux
/dev/hda7            3136        3266     1052226   82  Linux swap
/dev/hda8            3267        5877    20972826    b  W95 FAT32
/dev/hda9            5878        7296    11398086   83  Linux
[root at localhost lowen]#

As you can see, WinXP on NTFS.  Now:
[root at localhost lowen]# cat /boot/grub/grub.conf
# 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 (2.6.9-11.106.unsupported)
        root (hd0,2)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-11.106.unsupported ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.9-11.106.unsupported.img
title CentOS (2.6.9-5.0.5.106.unsupported)
        root (hd0,2)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-5.0.5.106.unsupported ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.9-5.0.5.106.unsupported.img
title CentOS (2.6.9-5.0.5.EL)
        root (hd0,2)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-5.0.5.EL ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.9-5.0.5.EL.img
title CentOS 4.0 (2.6.9-5.0.3.EL)
        root (hd0,2)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-5.0.3.EL ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.9-5.0.3.EL.img
title Other
        rootnoverify (hd0,1)
        chainloader +1
[root at localhost lowen]# 

Boot target 'Other' is WinXP, and it Just Works and Just Worked after 
installation.

What one has to be careful about is incorrect BIOS disk geometry reporting and 
geometry differences between what BIOS, GRUB, and the Linux kernel believe.  
My Dell Inspiron 600m Just Works because it has a decent BIOS and I knew how 
to properly set up my partitions.  But other than that no NTFS modules are 
required.

I set up GRUB to be installed in the MBR, and it Just Worked.
-- 
Lamar Owen
Director of Information Technology
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute
1 PARI Drive
Rosman, NC  28772
(828)862-5554
www.pari.edu