David Robertson wrote:
Windows really does not like being anywhere other than on the first primary partition.
This is a myth I wish Linux people would stop perpetuating:
http://lists.suse.com/archive/suse-linux-e/2004-Jul/1642.html
Just my experience - I have, on a number of occasions, installed Windows on the second primary partition, with the first being a small (30-40MB) /boot partition. Without exception, I have subsequently had intermittent problems with Windows booting - which resolved after putting it on the first primary partition. I think another issue is that many people will be installing Linux on a machine with Windows pre-installed: to resize the FAT or NTFS partition is one thing, but to move it, to allow space for the /boot partition, is another thing entirely. Linux installations just won't do that at all, and using specific partitioning tools will often result in errors - the famous "NTLDR is missing" is a common consequence. Wiping the disk, creating your custom partitioning scheme, then installing Windows is often just not possible, as the disks provided by manufacturers these days often do not give you a choice of where you want Windows to go. David