Dual Booting Mandrake 9.0/XP Pro

[nickj6282]

I have Mandrake on my primary HD and WinXP Pro on my secondary HD. When I installed Linux, it automatically installed and configured a bootloader for me. The problem is, Windows isn't listed as an option for loading an OS. I can boot XP from a floppy, but would like to just pick it from the menu and go. Help please!

[homey]

Let's have a look at what is on your file /etc/grub.conf

[nickj6282]

No such file exists. I do have a directory: file:/etc/gconf/

Could what you're looking for be in there?

[jglen490]

O.K., here we go again.

In most cases, /etc/grub.conf will NOT match the actual Grub menu file located at /boot/grub/menu.lst, although some distros softlink the two. Many times grub.conf will be used in setting up the INITIAL configuration for Grub, but it is never a reliable source for the current configuration of Grub.

Therefore, check /boot/grub/menu.lst -- if you are using Grub

Or, check /etc/lilo.conf if you are using Lilo

Make whatever changes is necessary in the appropriate file, and save the file. If you are running Grub, no further action is needed. If you are running Lilo, then run /sbin/lilo -v to make the changes "stick" as well as viewing any errors that may result from applying the changes.

Grub = boot/grub/menu.lst
Lilo = /etc/lilo.conf

:D

[nickj6282]

Ok, it appears that I am running Grub. The file /boot/grub/menu.lst exists and makes no reference to Windows. The problem is I have never used Linux before and am too retarded to know how to change this file to start windows for me. Also, how can I adjust the timer that counts down so that the OS menu stays up until somebody picks something (i.e. no time limit). Thanks for all your help!

[jglen490]

Try adding something like this to end of your menu.lst file:

# For booting Windows NT or Windows95
title Windows NT / Windows 95 boot menu
root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

The "(hd0,0)" assumes that Windows is on the first partition of your first hard drive.

You can increase the timeout to some other number of seconds, but I don't know if you can make it "infinite".

[mdwatts]

From what I posted a couple of days ago in another thread.

Since XP is on the second drive...

Add/modify your /boot/grub/menu.lst

title = Windows XP
map (hd0, hd1)
map (hd1, hd0)
chainloader (hd*,*)+1

[jglen490]

OOPS :o !! My bad, I shoulda gone back and re-read the thread!!

[nickj6282]

This file seems to be write protected and I don't know how to fix that, also, the boot info for Win XP was on the primary drive, which was erased by Linux when I installed it...

[mdwatts]

Write protected?

You need to be root to edit most of the system files of which your Grub config is one of them.

[nickj6282]

Yeah, I don't understand it either. I am root, but it never asks me to login as such when I want to view or edit this file.