Dual boot advice?

[Jeff316]

Hi All:

I'm reformatting my XP Pro system and want to dual boot with Linux.

What is the best way to to have the two play nicely together on boot up. I was planning on installing both on a single disk and the default OS will be XP since this is my home PC and my wife isn't a Linux person. Specially I would like to know which one should be installed first and any "gotchas" I need to be aware of. I use slackware at work so I was planning on using the newest version (10.0).

Many thanks...

[NooNoo]

Create a 10 gig partition as c: for xp, then leave the rest. Install xp as usual.

Install linux and use the partitioning tools to define the swap drive size and the os partition... this will depend on which version of linux you have.

Linux will then control the boot and provide the boot menu to allow you to choose.

[Jeff316]

Create a 10 gig partition as c: for xp, then leave the rest. Install xp as usual.

Install linux and use the partitioning tools to define the swap drive size and the os partition... this will depend on which version of linux you have.

Linux will then control the boot and provide the boot menu to allow you to choose.

Thanks Noo!

So it is OK to have XP installed first, I was thinking maybe linux had to be installed first since MS recommends installing 9x prior to installing NT.

So boot will be controlled by LILO and there's no way to use the standard NT bootloader right? I'll just need to change the boot order in LILO for XP to be the default.

[NooNoo]

That's how I understand it, but I don't do linux much, so wait for others to reply.

[+Daemon+]

yes install windows first then linux and use the linux boot loader

[Jeff316]

yes install windows first then linux and use the linux boot loader

When I install linux do I overwrite the MBR?

Sorry for the questions, I've used/installed/supported AIX, Solaris, Linux, etc but never in a dual boot configuration and I'm a bit rusty as well....

[noone]

If you want linux to control the boot process with LILO or GRUB, then put one of those in the MBR. I have linux dual booting with win2k, LILO doesn't mind at all. I used a linux boot disk to partition, reboot and install windows, reboot and installed linux and just added

other=/dev/hda2
label=windows

to the lilo.conf after all the menu and kernel info, and viola.

Good luck

[loki]

you can install windows or linux on any disk any partition, windows no longer has to be on the first partition of the first disk,(XP or 2k that is). Mandrake's install will set up lilo so you can choose win or linux to boot. If you're using one disk then yes let lilo write to the MBR, unless you want to use the windows boot loader, if so use dd in linux to write it's boot sector info to a file in C:/ and edit boot.ini to point to it. But lilo will probably be easier for you.

[flackt]

I've aways used a third party boot manager when dual booting windows and linux.

I use XOSL its free of course.

http://www.onlythebestfreeware.com/p...?program_id=76