[adanedhel728]

I tried installing Linux so that I could dual-boot Vista and Linux awhile ago, but I ran into some problems and ended up just reinstalling Vista again (you might remember my questions awhile back). Now I'm back to using XP because I couldn't stand Vista (though that didn't prompt my wanting to try Linux again), and, like I said, I'm thinking of using Linux again.

Anyway, I wanted to ask questions regarding my problems BEFORE I try installing it again. The first time I tried this, I followed the directions for dual-booting, and entered these lines into /etc/grub.conf :

title Windows Vista
[TAB]root (hd0,0)
[TAB]makeactive
[TAB]chainloader +1

This entered the "Windows Vista" option into the GRUB menu, but it didn't bring me to Windows. It brought me to a diagnostics test menu (installed by Dell, I think, but I might be wrong). Well, I was able to run those tests, but not able to get into Windows. I had to just reformat my HD and reinstall Windows to get back into Vista.

Does anybody know why it did that?

For the record, I'm using the Debian distro (I tried Kubuntu, but it wouldn't recognize my hard drive). I'm also using a Dell Inspiron 1501 laptop. I think I've got the rest of my specs listed on my account profile.

[RootbeaR]

Originally Posted by adanedhel728

I tried installing Linux so that I could dual-boot Vista and Linux awhile ago, but I ran into some problems and ended up just reinstalling Vista again (you might remember my questions awhile back). Now I'm back to using XP because I couldn't stand Vista (though that didn't prompt my wanting to try Linux again), and, like I said, I'm thinking of using Linux again.

Anyway, I wanted to ask questions regarding my problems BEFORE I try installing it again. The first time I tried this, I followed the directions for dual-booting, and entered these lines into /etc/grub.conf :

title Windows Vista
[TAB]root (hd0,0)
[TAB]makeactive
[TAB]chainloader +1

This entered the "Windows Vista" option into the GRUB menu, but it didn't bring me to Windows. It brought me to a diagnostics test menu (installed by Dell, I think, but I might be wrong). Well, I was able to run those tests, but not able to get into Windows. I had to just reformat my HD and reinstall Windows to get back into Vista.

Does anybody know why it did that?

For the record, I'm using the Debian distro (I tried Kubuntu, but it wouldn't recognize my hard drive). I'm also using a Dell Inspiron 1501 laptop. I think I've got the rest of my specs listed on my account profile.

It linked to your recovery/repair partition, not the OS installed partition.
Without vista on it, GRUB should detect and list windows as an option.
If the recovery/repair partition is still there, XP may be listed as "Windows 1."

[adanedhel728]

Does that mean that with XP I shouldn't have to edit /etc/grub.conf at all?

[RootbeaR]

I honestly don't know.

I expect grub to be grub, but maybe it makes a difference on the Distro used, version of grub it has.

I used PCLinuxOS. I read the install instructions carefully before attempting the procedure.

It lists, if I remember correctly, 3 modes to boot Linux the default having GUI, then "Windows" which is my factory installed recovery partition, then "Windows1" which is my XPSP2 installed partition.

If you need to start windows in "Safe Mode", boot first to windows, then I get the option to boot into safe mode.

I haven't had to use a command line yet, since end of Feb.

It is now a triple boot system. When I installed DreamLinux, it automatically added itself to the boot menu, no command line needed. When I had tried to add Mepis a few months ago, gave up on it, I would have had to use a CLI to add it to the boot menu.

Edit: When I had tried to install Mepis, PCLinuxOS had not been in its' final release version.

[saikee]

Every boot loader boots a "partition". If a user knows where the OS is just tells the boot loader to "get on" with it.

It looks like the OP has no idea where his XP is.

The simplest way to find out the partitions details in Linux is to boot up a Live CD, or use any bootable Linux, and type this command at a terminal

fdisk -l

The partition that holds XP would in ntfs which has a partition type ID 7.

For a hard disk supplied by the computer vendor it is customary for the vendor to load the PC drivers and diagnostic in the first partition. XP is if installed would be in the 2nd partition and would be bootable by Grub commands in grub.conf

title Windows Vista (dude said try 2nd partition (hd0,1) and remember Grub counts from 0)
root (hd0,1)
makeactive
chainloader +1

[adanedhel728]

Thanks for the help, but I think that once again I'm going to have to give up. I tried installing Debian today and it screwed up my hd so bad that I had to reinstall XP three times just today. Someday when I have a second computer, maybe I'll do it on that, but for now I really don't want to have to keep reinstalling Windows on the only computer I have.

[saikee]

I really can't understand why people are having so much trouble of installing a Linux.

The best way to go about it is to use a Linux Live CD to partition the hard disk first. One 10Gb partition for the distro and 1Gb for the swap. I would say 85% of the Live CD have the terminal program "cfdisk" which is the one I used for creating 150+ partitions. The partition created in Linux has Type ID 83 immediately recognised by any Linux installer. To change a partition to a swap the Type ID needs to be changed to 82. A ntfs partition has a type ID 7. It all shows up in "cfdisk" and "fdisk".

Any installer during installation can be "instructed" to install Linux in the "specified" partition. That is it.

Any Linux, BSD and Solaris installation never touches a MS system unless the user has no idea where his system resides and allows an installer a free hand to do what it wants.

The only so called "damage" if that can be called is an installation of an OS can overwrite the first sector or MBR for the purpose of booting. Linux by default will dual boot any MS system. If it doesn't it is a minute's job to fix it, to make a MS system boots again on its own or with a Linux.

To reinstall a XP several times is never necessary.

My advice is know where you XP reside first (what is its partition name in Linux?, how to tell it is a XP?), specify the partitions for Linux second and thirdly take a look on the last link of my signature if you have any booting problem.

I may have omit an important message in my last post and that is if a XP is installed in the first disk (from a booting queue) and subsequently booted as the 2nd disk then you need to change the boot disk order on-the-fly with a Linux boot loader. The Section A of my second link in the signature has the details.

Lastly if you boot up a Debian with Grub screen you can press the "c" key to get a Grub prompt. The biggest booting secret is

There in no PC operating system a Grub prompt cannot boot!

[adanedhel728]

Well, I'm not an expert at this, but I've looked at many tutorials and spent many hours researching this, and the simple fact is that what it says in the tutorials doesn't match what's on my screen. LiveCDs don't recognize my hard drive. I tried changing to (hd0,1) and many other combinations and none worked. Debian gave me an error during installation, one that I couldn't get past. Then the computer couldn't find an operating system, and when I tried the repair option in the Windows boot, it said that the hd is damaged and nothing could be recovered. That's just the beginning of the problems. I'm not trying to be argumentative, I'm just saying that what's been told to me doesn't match what's on my screen.

[adanedhel728]

Oh, but I should also mention that I'm planning on redownloading a LiveCD iso and burning it using Nero under XP. The last one I did I had to burn using Roxio, a piss-poor excuse for a burning program in Vista, because Vista has compatibility issues with Nero (which is basically the main reason I switched back to XP, I hate Roxio. I did a "Check disk for errors" run and it found errors, which may be why it won't recognize my hd. I have yet to find out. I guess I'm not giving up that much after all, but I am giving up on non-LiveCD versions.

[saikee]

People can say what they like but the terminal command (with root privilege, either prefixed with sudo or su)

fdisk -l

will show up every partition of every disk you have got in the PC at "hardware" level. That means you have put a brand new unformatted raw hard disk it will be reported there even though the disk cannot be mounted because there is no filing system and unformatted.

So don't say your hard disk cannot be recognised if you can install system into it.

If you have any problem with the hard disk the above command will also reports it. If you can see the hard disk from the "fdisk -l" output but with no error message then the disk is healthy and will accept any OS installation.

As a matter of fact when you have a Grub screen, showing booting choices, pressing "c" key will drop you into a Grub prompt. The Grub command

geometry (hd0)

will report the partitions in the 1st bootable disk. This is the 2nd opinion you can get from your hard disk. If Grub can sees it then your systems can be booted!

[adanedhel728]

When I said it wouldn't recognize my hd, I meant that when I try to install, my hd wouldn't show up in the LiveCD install window.

I now tried SimplyMEPIS, and it's working just fine now. I hadn't tried that before, but my hd showed up just fine in the install window. The GRUB screen looks completely different, but I don't know why. (I'm sure many people here do, though. As you can see, I'm completely new to all of this.)

Now I'm getting used to it, trying to figure out how to configure it, and about to go to Dell.com to get drivers (for some reason I need drivers for a lot of stuff-- including sound, in ANY OS, not just Linux).

Thanks for the help.

[saikee]

The few terminal commands are the important tips for you to know your hardware. I have to repeat them constantly so do try to use it.

Grub screen in Mepis (also OpenSuse, Sidux and a few odd ones) uses "gfxmenu" which is a customised screen loaded in /boot/grub/menu.lst. It can be disabled by prefixing a "#" in front of the line.

The gfxmenu looks cool but it has a big disadvantage of not able to let you drop into a Grub prompt which is the most powerful booting weapon in the business.

I have never found a PC system that cannot be booted by a Grub prompt. The lines you see in /boot/grub/menu.lst are commands you can execute in a Grub prompt! Therefore you can boot any system manually in a Grub prompt just by following the commands in menu.lst plus a "boot" command to serve as the green light for Grub to fire up the system.