Dual boot with XP? Linux already installed

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phixt

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 5, 2004
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131
I have Mandrake running alone on my drive right now, and I'd like to have a dual-boot setup with Windows XP. I've been googling for a long time now and all I've found are tutorials showing how to install linux on a drive with XP already installed. What's going on...is it more difficult to add XP to a drive? Could somebody please point me to a good tutorial or outline the steps involved in adding XP to a drive with linux installed?
 
It's easier if you install Linux after Windows XP because Windows XP likes to take over the MBR, so basically Windows will always load and you have to do one of two things.

1.) edit Windows' boot.ini file and add an entry for the Linux partition so you can choose to boot either.
2.) reinstall your bootloader to the MBR

I don't know how well the method described in this link works for installing Windows XP after linux...

http://www.faqs.org/docs/Linux-HOWTO/Linux+Win9x+Grub-HOWTO.html
 
just thinking it through, you can use a linux boot cd to get to the command line and install grub or lilo. you should already have the config files laid out so all you'll need to do write the boot loader to the mbr of the primary hard drive.
 
BriguyNJ said:
just thinking it through, you can use a linux boot cd to get to the command line and install grub or lilo. you should already have the config files laid out so all you'll need to do write the boot loader to the mbr of the primary hard drive.
Click to expand...
That's right. Since I format Windows every once in a while, it takes over my MBR and I lose access to Linux. I just pop in a boot disk, gain access to linux, and reinstall Grub on the MBR. Only problem is it might not be as easy if you don't know much about your boot loader.
 
Thanks for the info guys...I switched from lilo to grub (which imo is way better than lilo now that I've tried it), installed XP to its own partition, booted knoppix and rewrote the MBR. Getting grub to recognize XP turned out to be easier than I thought it would be :D
 
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