How should I install Linux and Win2K (dual boot)
Brando
I have a 6 GB HD (Laptop) and I want to dual boot Linux and Win2K. I have a fresh disk to
install on so I don't have to save any data.
What's the best way to go about doing this? Which OS should I install first and how should
I set up the partitions. I want about 2.5 GB for Windoze and 3.5 for Linux. I do have
Partition Magic.
Thanx
Rod Smith
In article <plcg1tcjla1d6j39o...@4ax.com>,
I recommend the following:
1) Use PM to set up your partitions. Use ext2fs for Linux, Linux swap
for Linux swap, and NTFS or FAT for Win2K. You may also want a FAT
partition for data exchange. Win2K requires a primary partition, but
the rest can be logical. A LOT more can be written about partitioning
details.
2) Install Win2K.
3) Install Linux, and be sure to add the Win2K partition to the LILO
(Linux Loader) configuration.
Many people advise using Win2K's OS Loader to choose which OS to boot.
Personally, I dislike this solution, because it requires that you copy a
boot sector to a file accessible to Win2K whenever you change you
kernel, which I consider a pain. LILO can boot Win2K directly, obviating
the need for extra shenanigans. If LILO resides in the MBR, though, it's
at least potentially susceptible to being overwritten at Win2K's whim.
Lots more can be said about multi-booting (in fact, I wrote a book on
the subject; see http://www.rodsbooks.com/multiboot/ for details). Post
if you have more specific questions.
--
Rod Smith, rods...@rodsbooks.com
http://www.rodsbooks.com
Author of books on Linux & multi-OS configuration
jos...@lascaux.ca
make a 5, 10 or 20 mb partition at the beginging of the drive ( Primary) .
If you have PM 5.0 you can format it as an ext2 partition from it. If not,
let the linux installer format it, but make it ( unformatted perhaps? )
Now Make a 2 gig partition for win2000 ( primary, fat16/32 ) just after
it - win2k install takes off about 1 gig at home.
Now grab the remainder as an extended partition, and make linux partitions
if in PM 5.0, ( 2 gig root should be ok , 2x memory as swap etc).
Then set the win2000 partition as active , install win2k.
Get back into PM.
Set your *little primary* partition as active, boot linux install, and mount
the little partition on /boot . Proceed as usual, assigning disk space from
extended for root, and swap.
When it asks you where to put lilo tell it to put it into first sector of
/dev/hda1 ( the little ext2 partition. ) , and *not* into the MBR. More on
that soon. Complete the install and let it reboot.
When you boot, hit Tab, and you should see "Linux and "dos" or what ever you
called your win2k partition. I call mine NT5
Now once more, boot partition magic and "unhide" the win2000 partition.
Reboot, and this time, tell lilo to load NT or "dos" if you left it that
way..
It should be loading.
Why not install lilo into the MBR ?
It has to do with having independant OS'es running.
Your boot block boots any active partition that is marked as such.
Eg :
At home I have this config:
hda1 : /boot with lilo in first sector Active
hda2 : win2000 (NT5) on ntfs 5.0 Bootable
hda3 : Win98 fat32 Bootable
hda4 : Extended
lilo asks me:
LILO:
linux nt5 win98
Now for some reason,let's say I dd'ed 2 megs of 0's onto the hda1 partition
and destroyed lilo and the kernel file accidentally . I can't boot the
computer right ?
Wrong. get the partition magic disk, set win2000 as the active one, and
reboot.Win2000 comes up . I can boot 98 or win2000 from the NT loader,
download tom's root/boot disk and repair the damage.
Or say win2000 dies. I can still use lilo to boot win98.
Or say I remove Redhat from the hdd ( which if you put lilo into mbr would
require "fdisk /mbr" to remove ). I can still use the system.
hth.
Brando <bhop...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:plcg1tcjla1d6j39o...@4ax.com...
>
> I have a 6 GB HD (Laptop) and I want to dual boot Linux and Win2K. I have
a fresh disk to
> install on so I don't have to save any data.
>
> What's the best way to go about doing this? Which OS should I install
first and how should
> I set up the partitions. I want about 2.5 GB for Windoze and 3.5 for
Linux. I do have
> Partition Magic.
>
> Thanx
Christopher Booth
on NTFS, I also have a seperate ext2 partition.
Because it is my work Laptop, I didn't want to risk corrupting the NT
partition. So... I installed Mandrake 7.2 into a 1 gig partition
(after deselecting some unneeded packages), put the boot loader into
its partition /dev/hda6. I also told it to make a boot disk so it
would boot from floppy.
So to use Linux, I have to boot from floppy. or...
Run VMware, I have a demo, which is available from the web, and use the
existing partition as a virtual disk (requires some configuration,
particularly video and network).
Got that working fine.
Regards
Christopher Booth
PS I use Mandrake 7.0 at home with Lilo, which chooses between Linux and
Windows, when I choose windows, I then get the Win 2000 bootloader which
gives me the option to boot into Win 98 or Win 2000.
Leo Cambilargiu
<snip>
A very new and intersting approach. Thanks. I only have a *few
comments/questions. (I am not familiar with Win2k)
> Why not install lilo into the MBR ?
> It has to do with having independant OS'es running.
> Your boot block boots any active partition that is marked as such.
Can linux fdisk mark a partition active? Last I checked it did but...
> Eg :
> At home I have this config:
>
> hda1 : /boot with lilo in first sector Active
> hda2 : win2000 (NT5) on ntfs 5.0 Bootable
> hda3 : Win98 fat32 Bootable
> hda4 : Extended
>
> lilo asks me:
> LILO:
> linux nt5 win98
>
> Now for some reason,let's say I dd'ed 2 megs of 0's onto the hda1 partition
> and destroyed lilo and the kernel file accidentally . I can't boot the
> computer right ?
> Wrong.
You can get the linux boot disk (rescue disk set) you made earlier on and
use it to bring up the linux system. You can then rewrite the boot sector
using lilo and a modified version of /etc/lilo.conf.
It does take a little hacking and a little time... depending on the damage
done.
One last note. I am not sure if WIN2k requires special boot sector
privilages which Win9x does not have.
> get the partition magic disk, set win2000 as the active one, and
> reboot.Win2000 comes up . I can boot 98 or win2000 from the NT loader,
> download tom's root/boot disk and repair the damage.
>
> Or say win2000 dies. I can still use lilo to boot win98.
> Or say I remove Redhat from the hdd ( which if you put lilo into mbr would
> require "fdisk /mbr" to remove ). I can still use the system.
you can use lilo to write a boot sector which load only nt5 or win98 before
you kill Redhat thus allowing a multiple OS's system if you do not like
Win2k's boot loader.
alternatively
lilo -U (ininstall lilo and the original boot sector is replaced)
> hth.
>
> Brando <bhop...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:plcg1tcjla1d6j39o...@4ax.com...
> >
> > I have a 6 GB HD (Laptop) and I want to dual boot Linux and Win2K. I have
> a fresh disk to
> > install on so I don't have to save any data.
> >
> > What's the best way to go about doing this? Which OS should I install
> first and how should
My recomendation:
Bear in mind the limited knowledge I have about Win2k. Perhaps joseph can
correct any mistake I may make in it's regards if it is significantly
different from Win9x.
1. Make sure you are using Large Disk Mode/Access (bios setting I can't
remember) so you HD does not pass the 1024 number lilo requires.
2. Using windows fdisk. Allocate the first partition for Win2k
3. Install Win2k
4. Install Redhat
4.1 During partitioning of HD set up at least 2 partitions: linux root type
(83), 2xRAM linux swap (type 82). Optionally you can set up extra
partitions for mail directory, source code, /usr/local, /root, /home etc.
I use /root, /usr, and /home. The more partitions you have, the safer
those parts of data are from corrupting if something happens. However you
pay the price with space because each partition requires a residual amount
available.
4.2 When configuring lilo
At this point you can take a "risk" and write the MBR, or you can play it
"safer" and follow josephs ideas (which are good and seem to be easier).
If you choose to take a risk and write the MBR you should be
prepared/willing to hack the system using Linux rescue if something
destroys the MBR. (virus perhaps) The rescue environment is rather
unfriendly.
Otherwise you need to reinstall linux (a major bummer) just to write a new
MBR.
Anyways, Thanks for listening. I hope some of this was helpful. I still
think I am kind of a newbie but this is a topic I (think I) know about.
REGARDS
Jeremy S. Dillon
I am attempting to use VMware from both WIN2K and LINUX (Mandrake). Both
are installed and working fine on my system (different physical drives) and
I want VMware to run Outlook and maybe a few other win applications.
MY PROBLEM: When I go to run VMware (from windows or linux) it wants to
"install" the guest OS....I don't want to install, I want it to see that I
have the os installed and run it as is.
Is this possible?
Dave Addison
You can configure VMware to use existing disk partitions instead of the
virtual disks but you
have to bypass the configuration wizard and do a manual setup. I've used
this before to boot
a cloned disk from a linux box in a virtual machine for updates offline.
However doing this without some configuration tweaking will confuse both
operating systems
due to the different "hardware" environment of the virtual machine.
Dave
Jeremy S. Dillon <bsustu...@REMOVEhome.com> wrote in message
news:3edV5.33459$iy3.7...@news1.rdc1.tn.home.com...
HOMZ
disk that came with my package, but it's only purpose is to send you to the
CD-rom drive incase it is not bootable. I tried to use it without a CD and
it just freezes indefinately, and with the CD, it only wants to "install".
Is there another, better "boot disk" I can use when I want to boot into my
LINUX partition? Is there a way I can make one in Windows when I can't
access LINUX at all? Or maybe I can download somewhere?
I'm currently downloading explore2fs from
http://uranus.it.swin.edu.au/~jn/linux/explore2fs.htm to see if it helps me
at all.
Thank you,
Kim
"Leo Cambilargiu" <ld...@gci.net> wrote in message
news:3A2117B8...@gci.net...
Dances With Crows
>I'm having problems getting back into my LINUX partition. I do have a boot
>disk that came with my package, but it's only purpose is to send you to the
>CD-rom drive incase it is not bootable. I tried to use it without a CD and
>it just freezes indefinately, and with the CD, it only wants to "install".
>Is there another, better "boot disk" I can use when I want to boot into my
>LINUX partition? Is there a way I can make one in Windows when I can't
>access LINUX at all? Or maybe I can download somewhere?
>I'm currently downloading explore2fs from
>http://uranus.it.swin.edu.au/~jn/linux/explore2fs.htm to see if it helps me
>at all.
RedHat systems have a script called "mkbootdisk" that should work for
what you want, but it requires you to be in the system. As a stopgap,
you can use Tom's RootBoot, http://www.toms.net/rb/ , and from there,
you can make a bootdisk like so:
0. Mount your /boot partition under /mnt
1. Insert a known good floppy disk
2. dd if=/mnt/vmlinuz of=/dev/fd0
3. rdev /dev/fd0 /dev/XXX
(replace XXX with "hdb1" or wherever your / partition lives)
There's a guide to everything bootdisk-oriented at
http://linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Bootdisk-HOWTO.html
--
Matt G|There is no Darkness in Eternity/But only Light too dim for us to see
Brainbench MVP for Linux Admin / Workin' in a code mine, hittin' Ctrl-Alt
http://www.brainbench.com / Workin' in a code mine, whoops!
-----------------------------/ I hit a seg fault....