Working on making a dual boot again, WinXP & Ubuntu

From what I've read, it seems easier to use BootMagic than the
bootloader that comes with Windows. But I might be wrong. I don't know
this subject.

This is where I'm at now:

As you can see by this screenshot of Computer Management:
http://home.kc.rr.com/plumb/comman.gif

I'm running on WinXP installed on C, Disk 1. That works fine right now.
My goal is to have WinXP and Ubuntu as a dual boot.

There are 3 physical hard disks and one CD ROM. The CD ROM 0 is
apparently just what Daemon tools makes, and there's nothing really
there. CD ROM 1 is the real DVD/CD read-write drive.

Disk 0, Lime (G 149.05 GB NTFS
Disk 1 First Concord (C 14.30 GB NTFS
Disk 2
BOOTMAGIC 47 MB FAT32
First Concord (F 19.49 GB NTFS
(Unknown Partition) 19.55 GB EXT3
DATAFAT32 (J 35.44 GB FAT32
CD ROM 0
CD ROM 1

I used PartitionMagic to make the 4 partitions on Disk 2. I thought
placing a FAT32 partition at the beginning was what was needed for
BootMagic, so that's what I made.

Using Ghost 2003, I cloned Disk 1 (C) to the second partition (F), but
other than that, there's nothing on the disk yet.

The unknown partition is formatted using EXT3. I plan to make the
machine a dual-boot and install Ubuntu there.

After I have Windows working on Disk 2, I plan to physically remove
Disk 1.

I plan to use Disk 0 for data. It's already almost full, but I could
rearrange things.

So what's my next step? Do I install BootMagic on the first partition
of Disk 2? Do I then physically remove Disk 1 and try to reboot? Is my
plan of disk usage reasonable?
--
(||) Nehmo (||)

"Nehmo" writes:

From what I've read, it seems easier to use BootMagic than the
bootloader that comes with Windows. But I might be wrong. I don't know
this subject.

Wrong.

The Linux installer will do a better job of creating partitions
and installing a boot loader.

Keep Boot Magic and Partition Magic out of the picture.
At least that's been my experience.

PS, I have no desire to post to a microsoft group so I removed it.
Can't see what it was doing there in the first place.

On Tue, 21 Feb 2006 16:17:53 -0800, Nehmo wrote:

From what I've read, it seems easier to use BootMagic than the
bootloader that comes with Windows. But I might be wrong. I don't know
this subject.

This is where I'm at now:

As you can see by this screenshot of Computer Management:
http://home.kc.rr.com/plumb/comman.gif

I'm running on WinXP installed on C, Disk 1. That works fine right now.
My goal is to have WinXP and Ubuntu as a dual boot.

There are 3 physical hard disks and one CD ROM. The CD ROM 0 is
apparently just what Daemon tools makes, and there's nothing really
there. CD ROM 1 is the real DVD/CD read-write drive.

Disk 0, Lime (G 149.05 GB NTFS
Disk 1 First Concord (C 14.30 GB NTFS
Disk 2
BOOTMAGIC 47 MB FAT32
First Concord (F 19.49 GB NTFS
(Unknown Partition) 19.55 GB EXT3
DATAFAT32 (J 35.44 GB FAT32
CD ROM 0
CD ROM 1

I used PartitionMagic to make the 4 partitions on Disk 2. I thought
placing a FAT32 partition at the beginning was what was needed for
BootMagic, so that's what I made.

Using Ghost 2003, I cloned Disk 1 (C) to the second partition (F), but
other than that, there's nothing on the disk yet.

The unknown partition is formatted using EXT3. I plan to make the
machine a dual-boot and install Ubuntu there.

After I have Windows working on Disk 2, I plan to physically remove
Disk 1.

I plan to use Disk 0 for data. It's already almost full, but I could
rearrange things.

So what's my next step? Do I install BootMagic on the first partition
of Disk 2? Do I then physically remove Disk 1 and try to reboot? Is my
plan of disk usage reasonable?

I would (in fact I have) install Ubuntu and let it install GRUB for boot
management. It will also set up the dual boot for you.

Okay, then in the arrangement I have, I install Ubuntu on the Disk 2
unknown partition. Then what? Where does Grub get installed? Do I
configure the BIOS to find the first boot device somewhere? Do I have
to rearrange the partitions on Disk 2?
I think I need to study some more.
--
(||) Nehmo (||)

In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage ray wrote:
On Tue, 21 Feb 2006 16:17:53 -0800, Nehmo wrote:

From what I've read, it seems easier to use BootMagic than the
bootloader that comes with Windows. But I might be wrong. I don't know
this subject.
[....]
So what's my next step? Do I install BootMagic on the first partition
of Disk 2? Do I then physically remove Disk 1 and try to reboot? Is my
plan of disk usage reasonable?

I would (in fact I have) install Ubuntu and let it install GRUB for boot
management. It will also set up the dual boot for you.

Grub is fine for booting XP also. I habe been doing this without
issues for several years now. BootMagic is just some inferiour
commercial product for those that cannot read documentation.

Arno

In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage Nehmo wrote:
Okay, then in the arrangement I have, I install Ubuntu on the Disk 2
unknown partition. Then what? Where does Grub get installed?

In the MBR and traditionally in /boot.

Do I
configure the BIOS to find the first boot device somewhere?

Yes. You have to tell it what to boot off first. Typically that
is floppy-cdrom-first HDD, so it is fine. The BIOS does
not care about partitions, it just loads and starts the boot code
from the MBR.

Do I have to rearrange the partitions on Disk 2?

Not at all.

I think I need to study some more.

1. Make /boot/grub/menu.lst
Example:
default 0
timeout 60

# 0 (kernel on hd0/partition0, / on /dev/md1)
title Linux 2.6.15.4 /dev/md1
kernel (hd0,0)/2_6_15_4 root=/dev/md1

# 1 (XP on hd0/partition1)
title Trash-OS /dev/hda1
root (hd0,1)
makeactive
chainloader +1

The only thing you need to look up here is how Grub enumerates disks.

2. Call grub-install /dev/hda

That should do it. After installation of XP, you will likely have
to boot grub from floppy or CD (make one), since XP impolitely
installs its own boot-manager ond overwrites Grub without asking
(which IMO is software sabotage and criminal). Re-run grub-install
and you are fine again.

Arno

Nehmo -
Okay, then in the arrangement I have, I install Ubuntu on the Disk 2
unknown partition. Then what? Where does Grub get installed?

Arno Wagner -
In the MBR and traditionally in /boot.

Nehmo -
I know MBR is Master Boot Record. Apparently it's on C with Windows.
And since I cloned C to F (see http://home.kc.rr.com/plumb/comman.gif),
there's one there too. But I think I can't boot off that one because
it's on the second partition of the disk 2 and the BIOS looks for the
MBR on the first partition of the disk. Am I right?

But I made 50 MB FAT32 partition at the beginning of that disk. I
thought I was going to install BootMagic there. So I should install
Grub there instead? How do I go about doing that? When I run the Ubuntu
install program that's on the ISO, will it ask me where I want to
install Grub?

What I downloaded was
ubuntu-5.10-install-i386.iso

So what exactly do I do, do I mount that via Windows using Daemon
Tools, and then run an installation program that's on that iso?

Nehmo -
Do I
configure the BIOS to find the first boot device somewhere?

Arno Wagner -
Yes. You have to tell it what to boot off first. Typically that
is floppy-cdrom-first HDD, so it is fine. The BIOS does
not care about partitions, it just loads and starts the boot code
from the MBR.

Nehmo -
I Currently have the BIOS set for first boot device to be the little
hard disk that Windows in on, C. Do I keep it that way?

Nehmo -
Do I have to rearrange the partitions on Disk 2?

Arno Wagner -
Not at all.

Nehmo -
I think I need to study some more.

Arno Wagner -
1. Make /boot/grub/menu.lst
Example:
default 0
timeout 60

# 0 (kernel on hd0/partition0, / on /dev/md1)
title Linux 2.6.15.4 /dev/md1
kernel (hd0,0)/2_6_15_4 root=/dev/md1

# 1 (XP on hd0/partition1)
title Trash-OS /dev/hda1
root (hd0,1)
makeactive
chainloader +1

Nehmo -
I'm sure after I get going, what you just wrote will seem simple to me,
but at this point, I don't understand what it is. Are you saying I
should make a text file containing what you wrote and title it menu.lst
and put it in /boot/grub/?
When am I supposed to do this? After Ubuntu is successfully installed?
I can't see how I can do it now; I'm running Windows on NTFS.

--
(||) Nehmo (||)

Alright I'll abandon the BootMagic plan. But now I'm at a loss for my
next step.
--
(||) Nehmo (||)

By the way, I have the CD ROMs switched. CD ROM 0 is the real one; CD
ROM 1 is the virtual one created by Daemon Tools. I realize this isn't
important.
--
(||) Nehmo (||)

I just watched the video about installing Ubuntu and WinXP:
http://snipurl.com/mtrn or
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...898236&q=linux

So I shouldn't have bothered with PartitionMagic at all. Actually, even
though I cloned XP to partition F, I can't boot to it. Maybe I should
Copy my Ubuntu iso to a CD
Physically remove Disk 1, currently C
Fresh install XP on what is now Disk 2
(I only have an upgrade WinXP installation CD, so I need qualifying
media, which could be the clone image I have on F)
Delete (maybe this should come first) or Don't make the little
partition I made for BootMagic.
Use the Ubuntu CD to install Ubuntu and Grub as on the video.

--
(||) Nehmo (||)