Dualbooting

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silky62678

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Are there any programs that will configue or setup a dualboot xp and redhat linux?
 
Part 1.
Here's how you do it. You make sure that Windows is installed first. And then you get another drive or resize your windows Partitions. Then do the installation as normal while partitioning the free space with Linux partitions and at Bootloader setup, Make sure you choose to not install it in the MBR
 
Part 2.
You can either install LILO or GRUB as a regular boot option in the Windows Bootloader or on a boot disk. So when you boot just insert the disk or choose Linux Loader from the OS choices list
 
Sweet, so im not going to get a OS option prompt ?
 
You first need to have Windows installed. The easiest way then is to boot from the Linux CD. Somewhere within the setup sequence, it will ask you if you want to install LILO or GRUB. You can choose to install either one of them. Installing it to the MBR will replace the NT bootloader, but Windows will be added to the list of options as well. Nothing wrong with installing it to the MBR. I'm not sure why ViperSnake asked you not to install it to the MBR. When you boot your system, LILO will come up asking you to choose between Windows and Linux. Pick the one you want, and you're set.
 
personally, I like to skip installing the bootloader and create a boot floppy, when I want to go to Linux, just use the floppy. This way Windows is fine, and so is Linux. You never have to restart Linux, so the small inconvienence is just that, small. For RH, select do not create bootloader, then at the end of the install, create a boot disk.
 
I install my many flavors of Windows - 98, XP etc. Then I install Linux and put the bootloader on the disk, not in the MBR (Master Boot Record).

By default, the NT loader will not detect the Linux partition, and I have had some difficulties in the past with getting Grub and LILO to automatically detect the windows partitions.

So I use: http://gag.sourceforge.net/

This is an OpenSource bootloader that is easy to use and allows you to boot MANY OSes

1) Install Windows
2) Install Linux / Put bootloader on DIsk NOT MBR
3) Install GAG from floppy

4) Enjoy
 
I use Boot Magic that came with PartitionMagic 8.
 
But this method doesen't overwrite the MBR, That's what makes it good! Even says it on the Online Help on the side of the screen
 
ViperSnake: An option to load LILO or GRUB doesn't get added to the NT bootloader by default as you mentioned. You need to boot from the floppy first and take some further steps to add LILO to the NT bootloader if LILO installed in the root directory of the Linux partition.
Basically, you have to copy over bootsect.lnx to the Windows partition and then add the new option to boot.ini manually. (If you need to know the exact steps, let me know)

On the other hand, LILO (at least in all the recent releases) will automatically detect a Windows installation and add it when you install it to the MBR.
 
Well why diden't you say so? But this mess applies to DOS based verisons of Windows only (3.x/95/98/ME)
 
Whether you want to install LILO to the root directory or to the MBR depends on your scenario. If you don't format and reinstall Windows often, installing LILO to the MBR would take care of things in the most simplistic way. It would add an option to boot Windows and Linux, and would present these choices when you turn on your computer.

However, if you are the kind of person who reinstalls Windows often, you would be better off installing LILO to the root directory and using the NT bootloader to present the choices instead. The steps aren't too complicated.

1. After you've installed Linux, choose to install LILO to the root directory / and create a boot diskette.
2. Boot into Linux using the boot floppy.
3. At the prompt, type: "dd if=/dev/hda2 of=/bootsect.lnx bs=512 count=1" where hda2 is the linux partition
4. Format a floppy disk using: "mkfs -t msdos /dev/fd0"
5. Copy the image to the floppy using: "mcopy /bootsect.lnx a:"
6. Reboot into Windows, copy the bootsect.lnx file to your C:\ and add this line to your boot.ini file: C:\BOOTSECT.LNX="Linux"

By the way, if you don't want to use floppies, you could always upload the bootsect.lnx file to some web space and download it when you boot into Windows.

As you can see, the 2nd method is a little more complicated, but it's ideal if you reinstall XP often. All you have to do is keep a backup of the bootsect.lnx file and add it to boot.ini after you reinstall Windows.
If you installed LILO to the MBR, and reinstalled Windows, the NT bootloader would overwrite LILO, and your only option would be to boot from a floppy and reinstall LILO. That's outlined in more detail in this post:
http://www.ntfs.org/forum/showthread.php?postid=328940#post328940

Hope that cleared things up ;)
 

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