Windows on the D drive (w/ Fedora on C)

[mattmns]

I installed windows xp on my D drive (2nd hard drive). Will this create any serious problems? I know that I will need to pay attention because some programs want to automatically install on the c drive, but will that be it?

Also, will I be able to switch easily between Fedora and Windows? (with Fedora on C and windows on D)

Or, should I just make two partitions on the C drive, one for feodra and the other for windows? I originally wanted to do this, but windows did not want to install this way for some reason (probably because I was doing it wrong )

Thanks.

Btw I do not have Fedora installed on either drive right now. Also, I am going to use Fedora Core 2.

 

[dduardo]

Linux doesn't care about C and D drives. It sees hard drives as hda, hdb, hdc, etc. The master hard drive on ide1 is named hda. Partitions on this hard drive are numbered based on what order the partition is on the volume. For example you usually have three linux partions: "/boot", "swap" and "/". "/boot" would be hda1, "swap" would be hda2 and "/" would be hda3. If you have a windows ntfs partition at the end of the volume it would be named hda4.

In your current setup this is how linux would see it:

hda1 /boot
hda2 swap
hda3 /
hdb1 windows

In your current setup, this is how windows would see it:

C: windows

So, to windows it doesn't even matter that you have linux installed because it can't read the partition, so it starts number the drives at C.

Some advice when dual booting: install windows first, then linux.

 

[mattmns]

Linux doesn't care about C and D drives. It sees hard drives as hda, hdb, hdc, etc. The master hard drive on ide1 is named hda. Partitions on this hard drive are numbered based on what order the partition is on the volume. For example you usually have three linux partions: "/boot", "swap" and "/". "/boot" would be hda1, "swap" would be hda2 and "/" would be hda3. If you have a windows ntfs partition at the end of the volume it would be named hda4.

In your current setup this is how linux would see it:

hda1 /boot
hda2 swap
hda3 /
hdb1 windows

In your current setup, this is how windows would see it:

C: windows

Well it seems like you are saying that it will not matter what drive windows is on, which is good. However, I do not understand how windows will see the drive as C. Because when I go to my computer the C drive is blank while the D drive has my windows stuff in it. I am guessing that you are saying that windows will see it as the C drive even though it is on the D?

Some advice when dual booting: install windows first, then linux.

Hah, yeah. When I had windows installed and went to install Fedora, everything was fine. Fedora gave me options that would allow both windows and fedora to run. The other way around though blah. Took me a few hours to finally get windows xp installed, after deciding to just format both hard drives


edit...

One more question. When I had fedora installed by itself the bootup screen would give me an option of which os to use, even though fedora was the only one. If I have windows on a different drive will it recognize windows and give me an option to start windows up? Thanks

 

[dduardo]

1. When I've installed linux in the past and made it take up a full drive, windows didn't see that drive and only displayed a C drive.

2. Fedora should detect that there is a windows partition and write and entry in the grub boot loader. If Fedora doesn't you'll need to manually enter an entry for windows like this:

title=Windows XP
root (hd1,0)
chainloader +1

 

[mattmns]

Well I just installed fedora, and now windows will not boot up. I have an option to boot it up, but I get a disk drive error, 25 I think. I have windows on hdb and linux on hda. Before I installed linux, both hda and hdb were NTSF format, I think this is why I am getting that disk error. Is there an easy way to fix this?

 

[dduardo]

Go into linux and mount the /boot partition. Then tell me what is in the grub.conf file located in /boot/grub/

 

[mattmns]

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE:  You have a /boot partition.  This means that
#          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
#          root (hd0,0)
#          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/hda2
#          initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
default=0
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Fedora Core (2.6.5-1.358)
	root (hd0,0)
	kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.5-1.358 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
	initrd /initrd-2.6.5-1.358.img
title Windows XP
	rootnoverify (hd1,0)
	chainloader +1

Only thing I see different from what you posted earlier is that there is no "=" between "title" and "Windows XP"

 

[mattmns]

I finally just gave up I then got rid of both windows and linux and tried to install both, but I could just not get it to work, then I could not even get xp to run by itself, so I am now just running fedora.

 

[gnome]

Don't give up. It's really not that difficult, but it might help if you read this:
http://www.goodells.net/multiboot/
to get a better understanding of the process.

Then, I think the easiest way for you to do it is to install Windows FIRST on the C drive, then install linux on D (hdb) (and while installing linux, let Fedora install Grub at the root of the C (hda) drive). It's normally VERY easy to do this; you're probably just making one or two wrong choices along the way.

 

[dduardo]

I agree, this is a really easy task and shouldn't be that complicated. Try what gnome said.

 

[mattmns]

Thanks for the link, I will check it out in a few minutes. Also, I do not think it is that hard of a task either. However, I can not get windows to install just on the C drive. When I install windows it seems to be a luck of the draw lol. I, for some reason, can not get windows to say ok just install on the C drive and do not touch D. In the fedora core installation there is a nice option to choose which hd(s)/partition(s) I want to use.

Tell me if this is a bad idea or not: I unplug my D drive, install windows xp on C drive, plug D drive back in, install linux on D drive. Will that work without any problems?

 

[gnome]

I don't see any reason why that wouldn't work, but I also don't see why you think you need to do that. The Windows installer asks you which drive (and which partition) you want to install Windows on, so you select the C drive. The fact that Windows sees the other drive shouldn't cause any problems with the installation.

(After you format the second drive as a Linux file system Windows will no longer see it.)

Why do you think that leaving the second drive connected is a problem? What's happening when you install XP?

 

[mattmns]

XP just does not listen to me. I created a partion on C that was 5gb, then another that was 30gb, I left the D with unpartioned space. I tried to install on that 30gb but what happened was that windows installed in the D unpartioned space, and saw that 5gb as the C drive, and did not even use the 30gb which I had wanted to install it on. I don't know. I am going to mess around with it again now, see what happens.

 

[gnome]

Good luck.

 

[mattmns]

I am going to see if I can trick windows. I will delete both hds, install windows, hopefully it will land on C lol, then after installation I will put the cd back in and delete the D drive, then see if windows will boot, and if it will recognize the D drive. Then go from there.

 

[gnome]

after installation I will put the cd back in and delete the D drive

I may be wrong, but if I recall correctly, the only way you're going to do that with the Windows cd is to tell the installer you want to install Windows to that (D) drive, and if you do that, it MAY also delete the MBR from the C drive, making your first XP installation unbootable (at least temporarily).

But anyway, why bother doing that? Once you get XP installed & running on C, just go ahead with your Linux installation on the other drive. As soon as you format it for Linux it will be "gone" as far as Windows is concerned.

Just be sure that you get the Fedora installer to put Grub at the root of hda (the Windows drive, not the Linux drive).

 

[mattmns]

Windows will not even install now. I formatted both hds, tried installing on both hds(one at a time of course), it just will not install. Only thing I have noticed is that my computer will say, during startup, this:

Pri. Master Disk HDD S.M.A.R.T. capability ... Disabled
Pr. Slave Disk HDD S.M.A.R.T. capability ... Disabled

I made a patition on C, setup installed all the files, I then took out the cd, the computer rebooted, and my computer then says Error loading operating system.

Edit... didnt see your post. I said that because the last few times windows installed it used both hds, it installed on the C drive, but it still formatted and changed the format of the D drive.

 

[gnome]

That message about S.M.A.R.T. capability is a bios feature; it's not related to this problem.

What actually happens when you try to install Windows. You say it "will not install." Exactly what does it do?

 

[mattmns]

I put in the windows xp cd. It went through the whole setup thing. Then I deleted all of the partitions. I then made a partition on the C drive, formatted the partition, and then the cd went through the whole "setting up files for installation." Windows then tells me that it needs to reboot, so I took out the cd, and then when the computer rebooted I got an error: Error loading operating system.

I have sucessfully installed windows xp before on this computer, but for some reason it just does not want to install any more.

 

[gnome]

Well, at this point it looks like you should unplug the 2nd drive (as you suggested) since that's only complicating things.
Then try using fdisk from a DOS floppy to delete all partitions from the 1st drive, then re-create & format a DOS partition to use for XP. Earlier you said something about another small partition ahead of the XP partition. What's that for? DOS? If so, create and format that one too; then use fdisk to hide it before installing XP.
In case you don't have a copy of dos fdisk (I don't think you can use a linux fdisk for this purpose; in any case I'd try a dos one first):
http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm

 

[dduardo]

I would also try repairing the mbr with:

fdisk /mbr

I'm pretty sure there is an option on the windows xp cd to do this as well.

----------------------

If all else fails you can just stick with Linux

 

[mattmns]

So I download one of the dos exe files? Put it on a floppy and then boot my comp from the floppy drive, and format that way? I have supposedly formatted both of my hds using the xp install cd. That partition was one I created a day or two ago, but I deleted it last night.


--------------------

I am perfectly fine using linux full time, I just need to figure out how to install my graphics drivers and install fonts, and then I will be happy( I already know how to install the other programs I need). I bet there is a ton of info on this, so I doubt it is very hard. I will give windows xp til tonight, if it is not running by tonight then I will become a full time linux user

 

[gnome]

I would try the Windows 98 SE OEM boot disk. Not sure, but the DOS5.x/6.xx there might not be able to handle big drives properly.


By the way, what kind of drives are these?

 

[mattmns]

What kind? Not sure what you mean. They are both 40gb each, and I think 7200rpm.

 

[gnome]

What brand & model?

 

[mattmns]

I have no clue, one came with the computer, and I bought the other a few years ago. I think I am just going to install linux and be happy with that. I have a laptop with xp on it, so if I really need to use xp I will just use it.

 

[jpselfridge]

Ahh you need to zero out your mbr

I have had problems with western digital hard drives, and found a solution.
which distro are you using?
You need to start your computer with either a live cd, or a linux installation cd with rescue capabilities. With Fedora you just type "linux rescue" at the boot prompt. OR with a live cd just open a console.
Then type the following at the command line "dd if=/dev/zero bs=512 count=1 of /dev/hda" that will fix your first hard drive.
For your second drive use "dd if=/dev/zero bs=512 count=1 of /dev/hdb" I'm pretty sure that I got the syntax right. So now you have just completely wiped your MBR. Install windows on your first hard drive, then install linux on your second. If windows does not boot when you select it from the grub menu then you'll need to edit your grub configaration file. /boot/grub/grub.conf find the section that references windows. Edit it to look like the following.

title WINDOWS
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

Sometimes when grub is configured and installed it forgets the makeactive part. That's the key.