On Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 5:45 PM, Felix Miata wrote:
Anyway, you've got the steps backwards. If you need to install a dual boot system with Windows and any Linux distro, always install Windows first (if possible).
The problem is that only works once. So, better to forget that myth and allow for what happens when it's not first installed. Meanwhile, completely partition before doing anything else, so that you fully control what goes where and how much space anything gets.
That's why I said "If possible". Windows is annoying in that it overwrites the MBR and fixing it for a new-to-Linux user can be a bit.. daunting. I've never tried the dual-boot thing with Vista. On my current system, I've got 2 separate physical drives, one with Linux, one with Windows. Even in that config (with the most control possible over what goes where), a Windows re-install will break GRUB, or at least send it off to a corner to ponder its role in the universe. Windows installs will write to the primary drive even when you tell it not to (Linux is on sda, and Windows on sdb)... at least I've never found a way to stop it unless I disconnect sda, install, reconnect sda (I'm not a Windows knowledgeable person... so it could be PEBKAC).
Windows does NOT play well with other OSes - it assumes that it's the only OS on the planet, and behaves that way during install.
Not exactly. When you pre-partition, it gives a list of partitions found, and you get to pick where it will live.
So.. that leads back to my previous point... 2 physically separate HDs and Windows installs will still write to places I didn't tell it to.
Least pain is ensuring Linux's bootloader goes on a primary partition instead of MBR. That way, when Windows needs to be reinstalled, it's a simple matter taking only seconds to use any Windows, DOS or Linux tool, including FDISK from decades ago, to restore active status to the Grub primary, if indeed you wish Grub to be the master bootloader. Window's bootloader is perfectly capable of "chainloading" to Grub.
It's capable, but.. again, how do you explain that process to a new-to-linux user?
Repair of MBR is not necessary when it is not broken in the first place by putting Grub there. It's only necessary to flip 2 bits in the partition table to move bootable status back from Windows native to Linux native, if that's what's desired.
All the foregoing is applicable to MBR systems. If a newer EIF/GPT system, booting is simplified by shared use of a global boot partition.
I've tried to get a EIF/GPT thing going, and it worked all of once... then subsequent installs... nothing. The UEFI doesn't pick up the reinstalled OSes... except Windows. I'll be venturing into this realm again soon... are you leaving that info up on the links you shared? I would like to refer back to it at some point (it's rather useful). C. -- openSUSE 12.3 x86_64, KDE 4.10 -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org