Installing Windows 7 (Gentoo already installed)

[RedSpade08]

First off, hi folks!

My laptop is a bit old (3 or 4 years), and I've been running gentoo on it for months. I recently started school online and found out today that I can get a copy of Windows 7 dirt cheap. Normally I wouldn't bother with it but students are encouraged to use certain software that, while not required, would make certain things much more convenient. As is to be expected, this software only runs on Windows and Mac.

I've already checked the system requirements, but my main concern is whether I will have to do anything post-install (other than edit my grub.conf and re-run grub-install)

Thanks in advance

[keet]

I've been in similar situations, and with few exceptions, installing Windows after installing Gentoo is fine; you must simply use a GRUB boot disc or some Linux boot disc to chroot into your Gentoo installation and reinstall GRUB after.

The only time that sort of thing has gone with is with my wife's laptop, and that's because it has some weird problem with boot flags, I think.

Another couple ideas that might help you avoid installing Windows all out are WINE and VirtualBox. You can check the compatibility of your programs at the WINE application database, or install Windows in a virtual machine using VirtualBox (or VMWare or Qemu or possibly something else), though having at least 2GB RAM would probably help that be fast enough.

[0ddbio]

I don't know how the windows installer is with resizing partitions.. particularly linux partitions..

So you should probably make the space you want to use for windows on your hard drive before you install it.

But after that, I think it's just as keet said, installing grub again (via a booting from a linux CD and doing chroot). Should be all there is to it.

One problem you may or may not have though is requiring an extended partition because windows 7 requires 2 partitions I think. So if you have 3 partitions then you will require the use of an extended partition...

I only bring it up because I am not sure how nice windows7 plays with extended partitions..

good luck

[Aquous]

There are only two caveats. One is the obvious: Windows will kill GRUB. That's no problem, just chroot in from a live disc and