[ganguly]

Dear Sir,

I have machine with windows xp and cent os 5. It was running fine.
Now my windows corrupted for virus infection. Now i have to install windows agian and dont want to install linux again. If i install windows then GRUB will go out. I am a newbie to linux. There are some sort of expert command to install GRUB to run windows and linux again.


I have 160 gb HDD. i am using 60gb for windows and rest part is for cent os 5. I have that cent os installation CDs.

Would you tell me how can boot form GRUB, so that i can chosse windows and that preinstalled linux.

Thank you,
Subhankar

[arochester]

Have a look at "How to dual boot Linux and Windows XP (Linux installed first) -- the step-by-step guide with screenshots" on http://apcmag.com/how_to_dual_boot_l...rst.htm?page=1

It tells you how to back up your MBR and restore it using a Live Disk.

[saikee]

Or follow Task B4, B5 or B6 of the last link in my signature.

A Linux Live CD is all you need to restore any Linux boot loader. CentOS is a Red Hat and Task B6 will apply because it is based on Fedora. You should be able to use the CentOS installation CD or DVD, but like I said any Linux Live CD can do it.

If you have a floppy drive that is even better because while in a CentOS "root" terminal you can duplicate Grub onto a floppy by command

grub-install /dev/fd0 

That floppy will boot you back to both systems.

Once XP has been installed you boot to CentOS with the floppy and in the root terminal again this command

grub-install /dev/hda 

will restore the Grub in the MBR and no need to use the floppy any more. In newer Linux the first boot disk may be callled /dev/sda but the current CentOS 5.3 with 2.6.18 kernel still calls it /dev/hda.

[VMSandman]

Try carving a new partition using say Partition Magic