xp dual boot mandrake 10.1 [solved]

[Damnation]

ok, i have beentackling for this the past few days,

the best one i have found so far was to

 

install windows, switch linux to master install linux. then windows is in the boot menu but theres no boot record when i click it.

 

i read about 8gb~ problem. so i shrunk my windows to 7.9gb partiton.

and i re-instally windows then linux.

 

i installed the boot loader to /dev/hda

now this is the windows hd because it is the master this time.

and i get

L0707070707070707070707

 

so i switch to grub and get GRUB

 

let me explain my pc layout

 

hda (hd1) = windows, partitioned ((windows,7.9gb), (swap, 5.xgb),(4 other areas of about 25gb each))

 

hdb (hd2) = Linux, paritioned((root, 5gb), (swap, 4gb), (3 other areas usr,var,home, various sizes)

 

i want to be able to boot from whateva os i like instead of have to switch jumpers in my hd's just so i can boot into a diff os.

 

please help me setup dual booting with windows xp and mandrake 10.1

i can wipe linux and the windows partition as much as need but swap + 4 areas of the win hd i can't touch.

 

Thanx!

[ianw1974]

I've managed to install MDK 10.0 and 10.1 without any probs with partitioning. However, I am using LILO as the boot loader, and not GRUB.

 

My partitions for both machines are:

 

Windows XP:

 

Desktop C: = 30GB

Linux / = 9GB

Linux Swap = 1GB

 

Laptop C: = 15GB

Linux / = 4GB

Linux Swap = 1GB

 

I had Windows XP on first, and then loaded MDK 10.0 and 10.1 and had no problems with 8GB limit. As you look at the disks in the Linux GUI, the partitions come in the order of Windows/Linux/Linux Swap (left-to-right).

 

From what I know, the problems with 8GB were on systems that had old BIOS's or old Windows based systems (Windows NT can only have a 4GB partition and see no more than 8GB when it's at SP1 level).

 

How old is your system? Is your BIOS up-to-date? What are the orderings on your partitions?

[Damnation]

my bios ooo now dell 4550 2 years i should proberly update : oX i shall do that later now the partiton problem.

 

Windows C E F G H I

Linux (in windows terms) J K L M N

 

C = windows root

E = swap

 

J = linux root

K = swap

[Ixthusdan]

Windows needs to think it is always the master boot os, so do not change your jumpers. Linux will boot from anywhere; just do a normal install and be sure that lilo / grub is installed to the mbr.

[JonEberger]

i have an 80 GB drive. i have a 10 GB windows ntfs "c:/" partition and then a 30 GB ntfs "d:/" partition followed by all my linux partitions and then another 1 GB fat32 windows "e:/" partition.

 

i always install windows first. then make sure everything boots wonderfully. then i install linux from cd. i always choose LILO (text-mode, although graphical works great too) and install it to the MBR. always. i never have problems with it this way. the installation procedure always sees my windows installations and partitions easily. (since you're in mandrake, ntfs read is built-in too). during the installation you can then choose which os you want to be your default.

 

if you choose to get rid of mdk (gasp!) then you can (from windows), using the administrator tools, reformat all the drives to whatever you want. further you can insert your install cd (assuming you have one) and do the fix install and give the "fixmbr" in win2k, winxp.

 

good luck.

Edited March 22, 2005 by JonEberger

[Damnation]

ok i have updated my bios, was a lil scared just incase i flashed it and boom it messes up and i need a new comp a dell is a pita, only certain mobos work in it. ( building a new pc at end of year)

 

basically, why did i change jumpers?

Simple had windows xp pro installed working for months, had been removing services and optimizing it the best i could based on guides found on the internet,

finally get a copy of linux, i had been told mandrake was the best and most supported, and had most of the functionality of pritty much all the distros.

 

i installed linux to my second hd jumpers set to slave.

install went fine i am thinking yay, linux (after using it i fell in love (used Move i think in college)) install works. computer starts booting, dell screen shows, bar loads and bam, where i should see either windows Xp or the linux boot loader. i see L070707070707 all down the screen.

 

i couldn't fix it i did try rescue mode and restore windows mbr or whatever. but that didn't work. so i had to wipe C: and reinstall windows.

 

i am going to reinstall linux shortly as i have updated my bios that was 2 years old and perhaps that may have been the problem.

 

but i was getting frustrated at the fact so many people had got this working, and the fact i had been through so many tutorials for it and all failed. + my modem being a pita and not working on linux(i found some OLD source code for it released by dell for redhat it refused to install "storage size of modem unknown". i have now ordered this modem should be here in a day or so Modem

 

unfortunatly a cheaper one i had found the stock has been late comming in and i can't be waiting for a month, just to hear its now obsolete (i picked that modem because it stats in its specification that it works with linux)

 

now i am going to reinstall linux. if this fails, i will have to reinstall windows once more. but this time i have taken some browser precautions all bookmarks stored on a partition that won't be wiped, and this time my gfs stuff to (my god did i get an ear bashing, you lost my drawings i did in paint the look me ages (a stick figure saying xxx sucks xxxx) meh anyways wish me luck!

[Ixthusdan]

OK, some pointers.

 

Think of your partitions as seperate entities, beause they are. Windows fudging does not mean that linux fudges, and visa versa. The mbr has been your issue all along. If you need windows and lilo does not work, use the fiest cd to restore the boot record. Boot cd1, at the splash hit F1, type "rescue" and choose restore windows boot from the menu presented. You can also reinstall lilo/grub with the rescue mode. Reinstalling is the last reort in linux. But with windows, it is frequently the only fix. You only need to reformat partitions, not entire drives, remember that.

[Damnation]

just installed mandrake 10.1 again and it failed

L0707070707 all down the screen

did the repair thing in windows took ages because i hit the wrong repair. but when i got to the right i typed "fixmbr" and vola mbr fixed. i did that repair thing in mandrake cd 1 f1 blah blah, failed i did try that it just didn't sort the problem.

 

please help me resolve this issue i have no idea what the hell is up with this.

i want to use linux, but i need windows on my system because

 

A: i dont' know linux well enough yet

B: currently i have the internet thought windows

C: College requires i use windows, because of various microsoft features.

 

but please any help with this issue, just so i can get both working will be great.

 

thank you to all that have helped so far!

[Damnation]

o and i did just reformat my C partition the rest of my windows drive was never touched. just my gf saved all her files in my documents. wish i knew about fixmbr a few days ago : o(

[Damnation]

Solved: Boot problem solved

 

Thanx for all your help!