Re: [gentoo-user] Adding Gentoo to Win-XP/NTSF machine
On Sunday 27 August 2006 18:08, PaulNM wrote: Mick wrote: Yes. You may also remove the linux boot image file C:\bootsect.lnx. The only drawback is that if he keeps Gentoo and ends up using it regularly, then every time you/he compile a new kernel you will need to repeat the exercise. You will not need to redo all this every time you (re)compile a kernel if you're using grub, only add the new entry for the kernel in /boot/grub/grub.conf. With Lilo you will. The code in the MBR that Grub puts in allows it to access the boot partition and read the config, while lilo had to write it to the mbr every time you change things. Oops, my bad. Sorry for wrong steer. -- Regards, Mick pgpl8ln8OUdf5.pgp Description: PGP signature
[gentoo-user] Adding Gentoo to Win-XP/NTSF machine
Hi, A friend asked about trying out Linux. After doing a bit of reading and looking at the Gentoo site he wanted to try Gentoo so I said I'd help install it o his Windows box. The situation that I've not faced in a long time, if ever, is that he has an existing Windows installation on the first half of the drive. The partition is standard Win-XP NTSF. I do not know how to load grub on this machine. 1) Do I load grub on /dev/hda1 - the NTSF partition? This seems wrong to me as grub most likely doesn't like NTSF. 2) Do I put grub on the Gentoo boot partition and then do the standard chain load to Win XP? If this is the case then which partitions should be marked as bootable? 3) Put grub in the MBR and point it at the Gentoo boot partition to find grub.conf? This seems possible. If I do this and it gets messed up, what do I need from Windows to put M$'s boot loader back in the MBR and let it boot normally? 4) Something else? I looked around for a Gentoo Wiki but they seem to all be written as if Windows is on a second drive. I couldn't find this case. Thanks, Mark -- gentoo-user@gentoo.org mailing list
Re: [gentoo-user] Adding Gentoo to Win-XP/NTSF machine
On Saturday 26 August 2006 21:16, Mark Knecht wrote: 1) Do I load grub on /dev/hda1 - the NTSF partition? This seems wrong to me as grub most likely doesn't like NTSF. Please don't! It'll wipe out the Windoze partition boot sector and he won't be able to boot WinXP again (not without running the fixboot command from a WinXP installation CD). 2) Do I put grub on the Gentoo boot partition and then do the standard chain load to Win XP? If this is the case then which partitions should be marked as bootable? I would put Grub in the Gentoo boot partition and chainload it using WinXP's NTLD - google for it and if you can't find it write back and I'll have a look. If at any moment he decides that Gentoo is not for him, he can remove/delete the Gentoo partitions without any ill effect on his WinXP. 3) Put grub in the MBR and point it at the Gentoo boot partition to find grub.conf? This seems possible. If I do this and it gets messed up, what do I need from Windows to put M$'s boot loader back in the MBR and let it boot normally? You could that and install Grub on /dev/hda (my preferred way because I like Grub). However, to restore things to the M$Windoze way, you will need to run the fixmbr command from a WinXP installation CD. That'll rewrite the MBR with the Windoze boot code. 4) Something else? I looked around for a Gentoo Wiki but they seem to all be written as if Windows is on a second drive. I couldn't find this case. If Google does not come up with something post back and I'll have a look -- Regards, Mick pgpRWdBfZWrcB.pgp Description: PGP signature
Re: [gentoo-user] Adding Gentoo to Win-XP/NTSF machine
Thanks Mick, I've never done the NTLDR method. That looks fairly interesting and somewhat benign in the sense that (it appears...) I add an entry to boot.ini to make Linux visible and then remove it if he doesn't end up using Linux at all. I'll check it out. I found this page: http://jaeger.morpheus.net/linux/ntldr.php and others like it. This pages recommend building a file for NT to boot into Linux using this sort of command: dd if=/dev/hdb1 of=bootsect.lnx bs=512 count=1 Presumably I'd do this on the Gentoo boot sector after loading grub? Last thing for now - does the Gentoo boot partition need to be marked as bootable in fdisk? I'm not clear about that at all. Cheers, Mark On 8/26/06, Mick [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Saturday 26 August 2006 21:16, Mark Knecht wrote: 1) Do I load grub on /dev/hda1 - the NTSF partition? This seems wrong to me as grub most likely doesn't like NTSF. Please don't! It'll wipe out the Windoze partition boot sector and he won't be able to boot WinXP again (not without running the fixboot command from a WinXP installation CD). 2) Do I put grub on the Gentoo boot partition and then do the standard chain load to Win XP? If this is the case then which partitions should be marked as bootable? I would put Grub in the Gentoo boot partition and chainload it using WinXP's NTLD - google for it and if you can't find it write back and I'll have a look. If at any moment he decides that Gentoo is not for him, he can remove/delete the Gentoo partitions without any ill effect on his WinXP. 3) Put grub in the MBR and point it at the Gentoo boot partition to find grub.conf? This seems possible. If I do this and it gets messed up, what do I need from Windows to put M$'s boot loader back in the MBR and let it boot normally? You could that and install Grub on /dev/hda (my preferred way because I like Grub). However, to restore things to the M$Windoze way, you will need to run the fixmbr command from a WinXP installation CD. That'll rewrite the MBR with the Windoze boot code. 4) Something else? I looked around for a Gentoo Wiki but they seem to all be written as if Windows is on a second drive. I couldn't find this case. If Google does not come up with something post back and I'll have a look -- Regards, Mick -- gentoo-user@gentoo.org mailing list
Re: [gentoo-user] Adding Gentoo to Win-XP/NTSF machine
On Saturday 26 August 2006 22:10, Mark Knecht wrote: Thanks Mick, I've never done the NTLDR method. That looks fairly interesting and somewhat benign in the sense that (it appears...) I add an entry to boot.ini to make Linux visible and then remove it if he doesn't end up using Linux at all. Yes. You may also remove the linux boot image file C:\bootsect.lnx. The only drawback is that if he keeps Gentoo and ends up using it regularly, then every time you/he compile a new kernel you will need to repeat the exercise. Presumably I'd do this on the Gentoo boot sector after loading grub? Yes. Otherwise the dd command will not find the Grub boot code in the partition boot sector to copy into bootsect.lnx. Last thing for now - does the Gentoo boot partition need to be marked as bootable in fdisk? I'm not clear about that at all. No, not at all. Grub and Linux does not need this flag. WinXP on the other hand may well need it - if there are other Windoze OS' on the same machine, if the NTLDR.exe is on a any other than the first partition on the first disk, etc. So, just in case, I suggest that you flag as bootable the WinXP partition. Good luck. -- Regards, Mick pgpwdgsURixwN.pgp Description: PGP signature
