partitions

Tech Support Forum Linux, BSD and Other OS's
1

Hey, just thought i would ask this as i am worried i may break the boot loader again.

I have windows XP installed the primary partition (C:), i also have a linux reiserFS partition as a primary partition, when i install linux, will i loose the xp bootloader again?

2

Any OS will install its own MBR.
Just configure the Linux bootloader to also boot XP.

3

not if you don’t install the boot loader from the linux your installing, i think you will have to reconfigure the existing boot loader (to allow you to boot your new linux)

4

But i remember once i installed linux, and it allready had the option to access windows :s.

Does that only happen if i have linux installed on a Logical partition?

5

You can’t make the XP bootloader boot into Linux, so just install the bootloader. If it breaks, then you can fix it.

6

I know i can make the XP bootloader boot into linux, i meant, will linux install over and not have an entry to boot xp, i mean last time i tried it did not have an entry, but i installed linux on the C: primary partition, i added the entry to boot windows xp, and a load of crap came up, some error and a load of wierd symbols. I wanted to know if installing linux on a primary partition next to the c: primary partition would mean i would not have an entry to access windows.

7

You can’t be sure unless you try it.

8

i will try it, but i got another problem first, i made another thread about it.
http://www.hardwareforums.com/kubuntu-6-10-edgy-15483/

There is always a damnd problem :\

9

Its dead simple.
If you have XP on your system Linux (Ubuntu for sure) will detect this and include it in its boot configuration. If it doesnt its a matter of adding…

title Windows
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

to menu.lst. At least thats what to do if you use Grub, which Ubuntu does.

If you have Linux and then install XP the XP bootloader will be installed and this cant boot linux, like Addis said. You will have to install Grub or Lilo or whatever. This is where its a bitch because you need to be in Linux to create a Grub bootable floppy. Or at least I think you do.

Whatever happens you can easily install a MBR and it wont touch your partitions… thats the whole point in the MBR. Your harddrive manufacturer probably has a tool for installing and also backing up MBRs. You can use the DOS MBR for any version of windows… just boot into DOS from either a DOS floppy made by right clicking your floppy drive or using a Win 98 startup disk etc and typing fdisk /mbr.
You can reinstall the XP bootloader by booting into the console on the XP install disk and typing repair MBR or something similar (Ive never reinstalled the XP bootloader so cant remember the command)

Or boot from the Grub floppy and type grub. Then root (hd0,0) or whichever partition menu.lst is on. Then setup (hd0) or whichever harddrive you want to install grub then quit.