[CALUG] [CA LUG] Dual booting

[Russ]

Thanks again folks,

I appreciate all the options and advice.  I want to learn more about
Linux, but I'm hesitant to get rid of all Windoze programs so far.
I am also planning on building a DVR with Linux. Anyway, I'll post how my
dual boot adventures went once I finish.

Thanks Russ M

On Sat, 17 Sep 2005, Rajiv Gunja wrote:

> The biggest myth about Dual-booting is that when Linux fails, your windows 
> partition is also domed.
> Or something like that.
> 
> Yes partition magic is awesome to handle what Linux or Windows throws at it, 
> but if you want to get your legs wet with dual booting, you might as well 
> get down and get dirty and learn a few main things about it.
> 
> My mom always said, if you have the knowledge, you will not be afraid of it. 
> 
> Of course for her that was simple, as she had a Masters in Math and Physics.
> 
> Of course for us normal folks ( u guessed right, the apple fell far far away 
> from its tree), learning about LILO or Grub or Windows Boot code might not 
> be achievable.
> However, rescuing a system which has gone bad is.
> 
> In Linux, if our LILO goes bad, what do we do? Boot through the installation 
> CD and fix the MBR or if you were like me, you would have a copy of the MBR 
> itself and you can copy it back.
> 
> The same principle works with Windows too (2k and XP included).
> Boot your system of the installation media, go into Administrative option 
> and then to the command prompt and then Fix the MBR.
> If you do not know the command, type in "help" at the prompt and you will 
> get all the commands you need to know.
> 
> If you are wondering about taking a backup of your MBR, then you need to use 
> "dd".
> I am sure, all of you know how to use it. So just dump the first 512 bytes 
> of your disk to a file or a floppy and you are all set to go.
> 
> It has saved me numerous times with my fiddling hand with Hardware RAID.
> 
> Anyway, dont mean to take away what anyone else has already said, those are 
> all awesome, fool proof advise, But I had to give me 2 cents.
> 
> Have fun with Dual booting. I used to do that a long time ago and stopped it 
> around 2000 or 2001 when I got VMWare 2.0
> Now I run a Linux host (Xandros 3.0) and run Windows XP and Windows 2k as 
> guests on VMWare 5.0
> 
> Enjoy Life !! 
>  
> -GGR
> Rajiv G Gunja
> 
> 
> On 9/16/05, Russ <rmain at polaris.umuc.edu> wrote:
> > 
> > Thanks VERY much,
> > 
> > I do have another dual boot system that is entirely FAT32 (4 partitions)
> > using cfdisk. I thought I had heard,read or inferred from the immense
> > list of file systems that Slackware/cfdisk gave me to format the
> > partiton as, that the Linux partition could be NTFS as well.
> > I used LILO on my first Dual boot, and that was fairly easy to accomplish.
> > Not simple, but I made it happen.
> > 
> > I do plan to make Linux the primary boot sector on the new system, but I
> > wanted to install Windoze Server 2003 on another partition, since I am in
> > the certification class.
> > 
> > Thanks again
> > 
> > Russ Main
> > 
> > On Fri, 16 Sep 2005, James Ewing Cottrell 3rd wrote:
> > 
> > > Yes. You need NTFS for that. But if you want to transfer files between
> > > Windoze and Linux, you will probably want a FAT32 partition as well.
> > >
> > > The easiest way to do dual boot systems is to go buy Partition Magic,
> > > which also contains Boot Magic. You can use Windoze to dual boot, but
> > > you have to import the Linux boot block into Windoze, and edit the
> > > boot.ini file. I don't like doing this.
> > >
> > > You can also use Linux to boot Windoze via either LILO or GRUB. The
> > > problem here is that unless/until you become a LILO/GRUB expert, you
> > > risk being unable to boot anything.
> > >
> > > I use PM, which owns the MBR, and install the LILO/GRUB boot block in
> > > the target partitions. Rather foolproof.
> > >
> > > Ultimately, what you want is something like: P1=FAT32, P2=NTFS, P3=EXT,
> > > P4=UNUSED, L5=SWAP, L6=Linux
> > >
> > > You can use one of the following methods:
> > >
> > > [1] Install Windoze however it likes, perhaps even eating the whole
> > > disk. Install PM and use it to shrink and move it, creating space for
> > > the P1 and P3 partitions. Actually, P1 and P2 will be reversed and out
> > > of sequence if you do it this way, but that's OK. Now create the FAT32
> > > partition, either via Windoze itself or PM. Format and load Boot Magic.
> > >
> > > IMPORTANT: Make sure that you edit the "visible partitions" and check
> > > that the FAT32 partition is available to Windoze, or you can't boot!
> > >
> > > Now load Linux into the rest of the disk. You will have to go back into
> > > Windows and make an entry in Boot Magic for Windows too.
> > >
> > > [2] Use Linux to partition the disks the way you like, but don't load
> > > Linux just yet. Make the P2=NTFS partition active. Hopefully, Windoze
> > > will choose to load itself there. If you do this, you will be able to
> > > collapse a few of the steps listed above, and your partitions will be in
> > > order, and you will avoid the shrink/move step.
> > >
> > > [3] A third way to do it is to use a small "rescue linux" partition to
> > > boot and/or fix any problems you might have. The layout is thus:
> > >
> > > P1=Linux, P2=FAT32, P3=NTFS, P4=EXT, L5=SWAP, L6=L7=L8=L9=LINUX.
> > >
> > > You can load and play with many linux systems this way.
> > >
> > > The steps here are: partition via Linux, load Windoze into P3, load
> > > Rescue Linux into P1, make P1 active, add a Windoze entry to the rescue
> > > LILO/GRUB. Now install your other Linuxi, writing the "boot sector" into
> > > their own partition, and make an entry in the Rescue Linux LILO/GRUB.
> > >
> > > HAVE FUN!
> > >
> > > JIM
> > >
> > > > Hello,
> > > >
> > > > I'm realtively new to linux. I've been to some of your meetings and 
> > I'd
> > > > like to thank Dave Cafaro as well for his time and help.
> > > >
> > > > I have a question about dual booting. I dont really understand 
> > FAT/NTFS
> > > > systems other than the basics. However, I installed RH9 on a 333MHZ
> > > > machine with 256 MEG RAM. I set it to FAT32 because I was going to
> > > > reinstall W98. Well, I'm taking a Win 2003 Server class and I tried to
> > > > install that on a partition on the same machine. It went fine 
> > obviously
> > > > until I went to install Active Directory. You need NTFS. I was 
> > wondering
> > > > if you can set a machine from FAT32 to NTFS or is this only done when
> > > > formatted. I have not installed any files on the system other than the
> > > > two operating systems. I plan to reformat and install both again this
> > > > weekend unless someone has some acvice or suggestions.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Russ Main
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > Lug mailing list
> > > > Lug at calug.com
> > > > http://calug.com/mailman/listinfo/lug
> > > >
> > >
> > 
> > Sincerely,
> > 
> > Russ Main
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
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> 

Sincerely,

Russ Main