Dualbooting Gentoo & XP

khorio · n00b Joined: 29 Oct 2003 Posts: 43

I would like to start dualbooting to xp (just for games & such)

Im using GRUB right now, which is installed in /dev/hda1
the partition i made ready for xp is /dev/sdb2 (unallocated space)
When trying to install XP the problem is that it wants to write to the mbr of /dev/hda1 , which partition scheme it cannot read and thus will not install.

What would be the best fix around this? I've looked around and googled but almost all of the guides are about installing linux after xp was installed.

MaximeG · l33t Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 722 Location: Belgium

Hi,

Installing XP after Linuw isn't a problem : XP will overwrite grub in the mbr, then you'll jsut have to reinstall grub in this MBR and you'll be fine.

But you're speaking of hda, sdb ... have you sata drives and other that are not sata ?
What's your disk configuration by the way ?

Thanks,
Maxime
_________________
Future is wide open.

khorio · n00b Joined: 29 Oct 2003 Posts: 43

hda = IDE drive 1
hda1 = /boot (ext2)
hda2 = swap
hda3 = root (/) (ext3)
hdb = IDE drive 2
hdb1 = data (reiserfs)
sda = SATA drive 1
sda1 = data (reiserfs)
sdb = SATA drive 2
sdb1 = data (reiserfs)
sdb2 = new partition for XP
sdc = SATA drive 3
sdc1 = data (reiserfs)

To let XP overwrite the mbr do i have to delete hda1 then? cause XP does not want to overwrite it cause it says it cant read that partition (or partition table)
Or should i just change the fs of hda1 to fat32

honp · Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 2:39 pm Post subject:

XP wants install their loader to first booting device, because when PC starts, BIOS tries to read first sector on boot disk and there is needed loader. If it is windows loader or grub or lilo is not important:)

khorio · n00b Joined: 29 Oct 2003 Posts: 43

khorio · n00b Joined: 29 Oct 2003 Posts: 43

anyone has got an idea how to do this? cause win install doesn't/can't write to that partition, do i have to change the boot partition to fat32 and then rewrite grub after the install?

dastergon · Developer Joined: 22 May 2009 Posts: 12

No I don't think you should change partition . Try Super Grub maybe it will help you.

honp · Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 9:15 pm Post subject:

Do whatever windows wants to install and then repair it with grub.

luqas · Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 9:23 pm Post subject:

khorio · n00b Joined: 29 Oct 2003 Posts: 43

Well, I'm stuck, XP wont let me install until i change my partitions at /dev/hda to something it understands.
It's not a problem about fixing grub afterwards, XP just does not want to install in the first place.

MaximeG · l33t Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 722 Location: Belgium

Hi,

I don't think it's because hda1 is a linux partition, Windows XP will not detect it and won't give a fuck anyway.

Windows XP easily complains on how your hardware stuff is arranged. I might even be because you have both IDE and SATA drives and you're trying to install it on the "3rd" drive. I had some and such strange behaviors.

Can't you install Windows Vista instead ? I know it's crap, but at least it's a bit more modern and detects way better the "fancy" hardware stuff.
Or at least, trying to install it, just to check whether your bios is configured properly for Microsoft.

Regards,
Maxime
_________________
Future is wide open.

khorio · n00b Joined: 29 Oct 2003 Posts: 43

thanks, will try that, but XP used to install fine before i had any linux partitions, but then again i always installed to the first hd.

sera · Retired Dev Joined: 29 Feb 2008 Posts: 1017 Location: CET

How about temporarily unplugging the other drives to install XP? So I don't know whether XP needs to be on (hd0,0) or if this is just a limitation of the installer.

hoacker · Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 11:14 am Post subject:

khorio · n00b Joined: 29 Oct 2003 Posts: 43

Well, apparently changing boot order to /dev/sdb firsy was enough to get vista to install, HOWEVER..

for reasons unknown to me, and without asking, vista hijacked /dev/hdb1 in the progress of installing to install just the bootloader, thus formatting the disk and installing vista to /dev/sdb2...

this was just a data disk, and the whole bunch is gone.
ofcourse i have a backup (not).

Now i remember why i always rejected dualbooting with windows...

Is there any way to recover the data?

khorio · n00b Joined: 29 Oct 2003 Posts: 43

OK, fixed this

xtz · Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 8:01 am Post subject:

I would definately not recommend changing the way that BIOS recognizes the hard drives. FreeBSD's way of recognizing hard drives may be a bit confusing at first time, but its a waaaaaay better, cause it does not care about how the BIOS recognized them.

Not sure about Vista/7, but u just cannot peacefully install XP on other than the first partition on the hard disk (well, of course you can select it to install on another partition, but it will anyway write data to the first partition of your hard-drive. IMO, the best practice is to physically unplug all your drives, except the one you want to install on, install Windows on it and then plug your other drives back and reinstall and reconfigure GRUB or LILO. I recommend you to install Windows on the first patition of the hard drive, cause it will write stuff to it anyway, even if you select another one.

khorio · n00b Joined: 29 Oct 2003 Posts: 43

Yeah thats how i did it now, after recovering everything from the overwritten partition, amazingly i lost nothing actually, even though it was reformatted and the pagefile and hiberfil was written over it.

And yes, since i installed i was welcomed with a BSOD i had to fix already:P

good old windows...