Windows AND Linux

[J Lindroos]

I'm new to Linux, but I was soo tired of Windows so I decided to test it. I tested it without windows for a while and it is really good. Well, I have to use Windows anyway. I'm working on some VB projects I want to finish, in windows. Now to my problem:

I installed Windows first, then I used partition resizer to resize my only partition. I booted Linux with a CD and used fdisk to fix two new partitions out of the free space, native and swap. Now I want to boot my second (Linux) partition to use LILO and boot my systems with that. But it won't work.

My BIOS uses the same system as windows with letters (C for the first partition, etc.) I suppose all do. So In my boot sequense the default sequense is A,C,SCSI. But no matter which I used (I have tried those who seems logic) It won't boot. I have also toggled bootable flag for the Linux partition.

Well, this shouldn't be a problem for you guys :D.

Thanks for your help
/J Lindroos

[mrBen]

BIOS doesn't recognise partitions, it recognises physical drives. You can't get your BIOS to boot to a particular partition. What you will need to do is boot either from a rescue CD type thing, or from a floppy disk, and then either setup a boot floppy to boot the system, or install LILO onto the Master Boot Record of your harddrive, which will then allow you to choose which OS to boot.

HTH

[subnet_rx]

for LILO to be bootable, it must go before the 1024 cylinder. There are some other options like LBA32 that may let you boot without this, but I just always go the safe way and partition my first linux drive before 1024.

[J Lindroos]

OK, I understand what you mean. But if I want to have Windows and Linux how do I do? As far as I am concerned Windows get rid of all partitions when installing.

I want to move my Linux partiton in front of my Windows partition so that is the first.

Any ideas?
/J Lindroos

[lilrabbit129]

Well if you can, the easiest way is to back up your important files and stuff...

then start fresh.

Partition your drive in half (or whichever ratio want).
the first partition will go to linux the second to windows.
Install windows first on the second partition
then install linux on the first partition. Use GRUB or Lilo

[mychl]

I hope Craig doesn't read this.... but here goes.

Do the previous post, and then when asked where to install lilo, put it on the MBR. You won't need a floppy to boot from, its much cleaner.

[Craig McPherson]

No, that's wrong, stupid, and Communist.

Install LILO to your Linux partition, then mark that partition as active using fdisk. When your system boots, it will boot directly into LILO, where you can choose your OS.

[J Lindroos]

Originally posted by lilrabbit129:
<STRONG>Well if you can, the easiest way is to back up your important files and stuff...

then start fresh.

Partition your drive in half (or whichever ratio want).
the first partition will go to linux the second to windows.
Install windows first on the second partition
then install linux on the first partition. Use GRUB or Lilo</STRONG>

Well, I have Windows 95 and starting installation gives me three options. I don't remember them but the first was: Format C: and install Windows 95. I have no possibility to choose which partition to install it on.

Originally posted by Craig McPherson:
[QB]Install LILO to your Linux partition, then mark that partition as active using fdisk. When your system boots, it will boot directly into LILO, where you can choose your OS.[QB]

As I said I toogled bootable flag, and in Linux fdisk that is the same thing as making it active in DOS fdisk.

So, you see the problem? Well I just have to try on.
Thanks for your replies
/J Lindroos

[bdg1983]

Let's start again shall we?

What distro and version are you installing?

What is the size of your hd?

How is it partitioned? How much space for Windows and how much space for Linux?

Did you create a Linux boot/rescue disk? You could try booting from the install cd. At the prompt, enter

root boot=/dev/hda# (where # is the partition you installed lilo in)

If you can get it to boot, then you should be able to modify /etc/lilo.conf so both Windows and Linux will boot.

[kuber]

What's wrong w/ MBR?

[jon787]

Originally posted by kuber:
<STRONG>What's wrong w/ MBR?</STRONG>
Ohh, great just wait till craig comes by and reads this one again.

[Hena]

I suggest you check the following HOW-TOs in LDP (http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/HOWTO-INDEX/os.html#OSBOOT). At least one should give you advice, i think.

[slacker_x]

Originally posted by Craig McPherson:
<STRONG>No, that's wrong, stupid, and Communist.

Install LILO to your Linux partition, then mark that partition as active using fdisk. When your system boots, it will boot directly into LILO, where you can choose your OS.</STRONG>

LOL....that's some funny material there Craig.

If you put lilo on the linux partition, does that mean that the mbr just doesn't have anything on it?

[J Lindroos]

Ok, I think I made a little misstake. The whole thing must depend of that muy first installation went wrong or something, cause when I tried to boot the Linux-partition I got Operativsystem missing. So I started from the beginning and now everything works fine.

Originally posted by kuber:
What's wrong w/ MBR?

I agree with Craig. To place LILO in MBR is not as safe as just booting the partition.

I just love this forum. The two first answers I got within 10 minutes. Very good!

See ya
/J Lindroos

[dvdnut]

if you dont feel safe about using lilo on the mbr use fdisk to change the active partition to linux, but bear in mind you have to tell lilo where windows is if its not already set up.

personally if i didnt like using mbr i would use a lilo boot disk and boot to linux from there so if i took it out and boot into windows no one would know linux was there.

[bdg1983]

What if you install Linux to a logical partition? How can you set the logical partition as active?

[J Lindroos]

As I have it now, Linux and Windows works perfectly together. I have Windows on my first partition and Linux on my second. The second partition is active and has LILO, and from there you just boot whatever system you want.

I don't think you can make a logical partition as active, I have not tried.

[kuber]

Could someone explain why lilo on MBR could be considered unsafe?

Thanks

[bdg1983]

First of all, Windows doesn't even put it's bootloader in the mbr so why should you allow Linux to?

As Craig as said before, the only thing MS has done right.

Installing any bootloader to the mbr will just cause problems when you want to remove that os at any time. I deleted the Linux partition, but Lilo/Grub still boots. What should I do. fdisk /mbr

J Lindroos has it right. Install whatever bootloader you will use to boot all the operating systems to that partition and then set the partition active.

[subnet_rx]

Umm, Win98 will overwrite your MBR so fast you won't know what happened. I have used LILO on the MBR for years with no problems....except when I had to reinstall 98 due to numerous blue screens. After the install, LILO is gone, and I have to use a boot disk to bring Linux back up and put lilo back on the MBR.

And to answer your other question, if you do a Format C: in Windows, it will only format your Windows partition, nothing else. Linux will still be intact.

[J Lindroos]

I'm not so sure about that. Of course, writing format c: in msdos just format your windows partition, but when in the install, I don't know. I had two partition, the first was FAT 32, and the second was ext2. When installing Windows it gave me the option Format C: and install Windows. After the install there were no ext2 partition anymore.

So, Windows took away my ext2 partition. And the solutions to use both Windows and linux is to either use FIPS or Partition magic to resize your Windows partition. Or you could fdisk in Linux and make two FAT 32 partitions and when installing the second is not removed, so you change it to Ext2, and install Linux.

I don't know what your experience of this is, but this is how it worked for my computer.

/J Lindroos

[Nekopa]

Just thought I would add my 2 cents....
I am worried about putting lilo into my MBR because I have a dodgy HDD setup. 10GB first drive, 60GB second drive, and I have something call EZ-Bios that loads at boot to make my computer see the 60GB HDD. SO I don't want to lose this proggy as I don't want to lose my MEGA-DRIVE :D

I will try it soon though, maybe just as an excuse to delete windows... But I don't want to have to update all my counterstrike files again :(

Lee

[Craig McPherson]

Originally posted by Nekopa:
<STRONG>I am worried about putting lilo into my MBR</STRONG>

Then don't.

[dvdnut]

to get rid of lilo from mbr use a windows boot disk and do this at the prompt

fdisk /mbr

reboot and you will be :D

[tichick]

Errgh! I am having the same problem. LILO won't come up at reboot. Win2k wants to take over everything!

:(

[Zarthul]

I don't know why any of you have any prob w/ dual boot I have Mdrake8 and win2kpro

I install linux on the back 1/2 of my 40gig first loading Lilo to both mbr and bootdisk
then install win2k it left lilo on the mbr and and everthing works perfect

the only thing to remember is to have the win partition already formated for the os in my case it was ntfs and lilo is easily configured to recognize & boot to win

[rch-tech]

Personally I used BootMagic...works like a charm...it boots, asks if I want Win98 or linux.
If I select Linux I get the GRUB screen. If I just hit enter I am booting to Linux, but I also have the option at this time to load windows thru grub...I love it.