rivir
10-25-2003, 12:16 PM
I want to be able to install Windows NT over my Mandrake Linux 9.0, and use my computer as a dual-boot, but I dont want to uninstall linux and reformat the HD. Any way I can do this?
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je_fro
10-25-2003, 12:28 PM
But I don't have any experience doing that...:p
You shouldn't have any problems if you have a boot floppy for your Linux distro that you're keeping. The one that wont be formatted over. Does it use LiLo or GRUB? Win will overwrite the mbr, you'll just put it back the way it was.
You shouldn't have any problems if you have a boot floppy for your Linux distro that you're keeping. The one that wont be formatted over. Does it use LiLo or GRUB? Win will overwrite the mbr, you'll just put it back the way it was.
DSwain
10-25-2003, 12:29 PM
the problem with that is that windows takes over the MBR, and won't let you boot into the bootloader, and it will just go straight to windows. you could always find another type of bootloader you can load from windows and use that after you install NT.
either way though, i find the best way to do anything like that is to just start from scratch, and redo everything. But if that's not for you, next time you do end up repartitioning/formatting your hdd, always remember Windows first, Linux next....heh what a crappy rhyme. oh well
either way though, i find the best way to do anything like that is to just start from scratch, and redo everything. But if that's not for you, next time you do end up repartitioning/formatting your hdd, always remember Windows first, Linux next....heh what a crappy rhyme. oh well
rivir
10-25-2003, 03:25 PM
Ok, then.
How can I reformat my harddrive? I tried doing it a while ago just using the NT installer, but after that, it still tried to load Linux, but would give me errors. (Because Linux wasnt there anymore, but it still thought it was)
How can I reformat my harddrive? I tried doing it a while ago just using the NT installer, but after that, it still tried to load Linux, but would give me errors. (Because Linux wasnt there anymore, but it still thought it was)
je_fro
10-25-2003, 03:41 PM
Just about any linux install cd or floppy will have cfdisk, which is a good partitioning tool.
Alex Cavnar, aka alc6379
10-26-2003, 01:06 AM
Here's a question or two for you:
Do you have any extra space left on your hard drive? What filesystem are you using?
If you have extra, unpartitioned space left on your drive, you can use the Linux version of fdisk or cfdisk to make a new Windows NT partition to install NT onto. Otherwise, you have to do some funky things like shrinking a partition with fdisk and using either resizereiserfs or e2fsadm to shrink the actual filesystem within the partition. If that's the case, I'd just say reformat, reinstall Windows, and then reinstall Linux. It's not really worth the trouble to do all of the resizing.
But, if you do decide to install Windows after Linux, you can restore the bootloader by using chroot with a Linux install bootdisk. If it comes to that, and you need help with it, ask and ye shall recieve instruction.
Do you have any extra space left on your hard drive? What filesystem are you using?
If you have extra, unpartitioned space left on your drive, you can use the Linux version of fdisk or cfdisk to make a new Windows NT partition to install NT onto. Otherwise, you have to do some funky things like shrinking a partition with fdisk and using either resizereiserfs or e2fsadm to shrink the actual filesystem within the partition. If that's the case, I'd just say reformat, reinstall Windows, and then reinstall Linux. It's not really worth the trouble to do all of the resizing.
But, if you do decide to install Windows after Linux, you can restore the bootloader by using chroot with a Linux install bootdisk. If it comes to that, and you need help with it, ask and ye shall recieve instruction.
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