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Thread: To install Linux and keep Windows untouched like a virgin

  1. #31
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    Ok, that fixed it... Thanks a lot, a bit of tweaking was needed, but it worked flawlessly, thanks a lot mate!
    Only two things are infinite: The Universe, and Human Stupidity. And I'm not sure about the Universe.

    - Albert Einstein

  2. #32
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    Thanks for the confirmation.
    Linux user started Jun 2004 - No. 361921
    Using a Linux live CD to clone XP
    To install Linux and keep Windows MBR untouched
    Adding extra Linux & Doing it in a lazy way
    A Grub menu booting 100+ systems & A "Howto" to install and boot 145 systems
    Just cloning tips Just booting tips A collection of booting tips

    Judge asked Linux "You are being charged murdering Windoze by stabbing its heart with a weapon, what was it?" Replied Linux "A Live CD"

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
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    I was trying out this method. Creating a grub-partition as documented by Saikee. Tested it a few times to check if it provided me with a menu to boot Win2K and Linux (yet to be installed). All OK.

    I then downloaded Ubuntu 6.06 liveCD and proceeded to install. Selected to install "/" into a new partition. It did not give me any option to choose whether to overwrite MBR or not. Anyway it proceeded to do just that and created its own menu.lst in its own grub directory. When I reboot, ubuntu's menu.lst is used.

    Since ubuntu has overwritten the MBR, Is there anything I can do to convert this to saikee's method?

    Thanks.

  4. #34
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    i havnt used a floppy in almost 5 years. if i need a boot disk i make them to cdrom.
    "Software is like sex: it's better when its free."
    -LINUS TORVALDS

  5. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by beausimon
    I was trying out this method. Creating a grub-partition as documented by Saikee. Tested it a few times to check if it provided me with a menu to boot Win2K and Linux (yet to be installed). All OK.

    I then downloaded Ubuntu 6.06 liveCD and proceeded to install. Selected to install "/" into a new partition. It did not give me any option to choose whether to overwrite MBR or not. Anyway it proceeded to do just that and created its own menu.lst in its own grub directory. When I reboot, ubuntu's menu.lst is used.

    Since ubuntu has overwritten the MBR, Is there anything I can do to convert this to saikee's method?

    Thanks.
    Assuming you set an "Administrator" password on windows and you have your windows cd:
    Boot windows CD selecting Repair, select recovery console.
    run fdisk /fixmbr

    reboot and if my windows skills are still intact you should boot right up to winders.

    Alternatively you can go to http://www.ranish.com/part/ and get ranish partition manager, it has an option in it to reset the mbr to a standard windows boot loader.
    windows get broken, penguins don't get sucked into jet engines --gehidore
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  6. #36
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
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    Smile Thanks everyone whish i knew this before

    This message is just to say, Thanks Everyone!, I was given a copy of Suse 9, and I hastily installed it on my HDD, What a slick system!, But I am a complete Novice in the world of Linux, and I managed to crash the thing (no I dont know what I did), That wasnt so bad, as Grub would still let me run myxp pro. So when I got some time, I attempted to repair Suse. Now I dont know what happened, (as i was so inattentive I figure I deserved the problems I got), but after all the ways i could think of, I just couldn't fix the MBR. I cursed Grub, wiped the Linux partitions, and decided it wasn't worth the pain (and yet i chose to reinstall xp? go figure),
    NOTE TO NEWBIES OF ANY SYSTEM =
    Partition your HDD, keep your OS on one partition, and anything you want to keep on the other(s)
    So I fianly get on line and read this! AWESOME!!! Thanks again all, all I have to do now is find the Suse install Disk.
    So to the point of all this, ANY HINTS FOR MS HATING COMPLETE NOVICES??

  7. #37
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
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    3
    Thanks gehidore.

    Quote Originally Posted by gehidore
    Assuming you set an "Administrator" password on windows and you have your windows cd:
    Boot windows CD selecting Repair, select recovery console.
    run fdisk /fixmbr

    reboot and if my windows skills are still intact you should boot right up to winders.

    Alternatively you can go to http://www.ranish.com/part/ and get ranish partition manager, it has an option in it to reset the mbr to a standard windows boot loader.

  8. #38
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    The last link of my signature carries the various commands to put Grub, Lilo or Windows boot loader back into the MBR.

    One can swap them any way one wishes.

    For MS systems one needs a Dos floppy or installation from XP or Win2k (all give the same result).

    For Linux I use a Live CD. Boot it up and "chroot" to the distress Linux. The boot loader (either Grub or Lilo) is rescued using the Live CD kernel in combination with the distressed Linux's Bash shell. Pretty bomb proof I would say although some users favour going back to the rescue mode of the original installation CD but the method is just the same as using any Live CD.
    Linux user started Jun 2004 - No. 361921
    Using a Linux live CD to clone XP
    To install Linux and keep Windows MBR untouched
    Adding extra Linux & Doing it in a lazy way
    A Grub menu booting 100+ systems & A "Howto" to install and boot 145 systems
    Just cloning tips Just booting tips A collection of booting tips

    Judge asked Linux "You are being charged murdering Windoze by stabbing its heart with a weapon, what was it?" Replied Linux "A Live CD"

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    Newcastle upon Tyne
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    I am maintaining this thread by adding two more methods of installing Linux and keep MS Windows MBR untouched like a virgin


    as continuation of Post #1


    Section D - One hard disk. Linux to be booted manually by using a selected Linux Live CD

    The Linux in this case is installed in the normal way but its installer must be instructed to place the boot loader in the root partition of the Linux and not in the MBR. This makes the Linux unbootable by itself but "chainloadable" by another boot loader.

    It does not matter whether Grub or Lilo has been chosen for the boot loader of the Linux.

    To boot the Linux one must boot up a Live CD selected from the following list. These Live Linux CD has Grub inside and a graphic booting screen.

    Mepis
    Frugalware
    Sidux
    Kanotix
    Yoper
    DreamLinux
    eLive
    Linux Gamer
    Belinix
    Solaris (both Version 10 and Express)


    To use its Grub one must press the "Esc" key when the booting screen first appears with several booting choices. This forces the graphic screen changes to text mode. In text mode pressing the "c" key to trigger a Grub prompt. The use of the Live CD is just to obtain this Grub prompt because AFAIK there is no installed PC system that cannot be booted "manually" by a Grub prompt.

    The first thing one needs to find out wis hich partition has Linux. This can be done by a Grub prompt command
    Code:
    geometry (hd0)
    I use my own disk as an example for illustration
    Code:
    grub> geometry (hd0)
    drive 0x80: C/H/S = 60801/255/63, The number of sectors = 976773168, /dev/sda
       Partition num: 0,  Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x17
       Partition num: 1,  Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
       Partition num: 3,  Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
       Partition num: 4,  Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x82
    Partition type 0x7 is NTFS so there is a Windows (XP) in partition 1. LInux is always stored in Type 0x83, which is partition 3 in my case, whereas a swap partition has Type 0x82. In the above I have partition 0 a Vista which I hide when booting the XP in partition 1. A hidden NTFS partition has Type 0x17 and will not be mounted by a MS system.

    To boot the Linux in partition 3 the Grub commands are
    Code:
    root (hd0,3)
    chainloader +1
    boot
    You can manually boot up the XP in partition 1 by commands
    Code:
    root (hd0,1)
    chainloader +1
    boot
    If you have not done it before believe me there is no written word that can describe the sensation of able to boot up an operating system manually step by step.

    Section E - Linux to be installed and booted from an external USB device of either a hard disk or a pen drive


    In this case Linux is not inside the MS Windows machine but in a USB device which could either be an external hard disk or a pen drive/flash drive/memory stick.

    This method depends on a Linux distro prepackaged with capability to boot from a USB device and not all Linux supports this arranged out of the box.

    After the Linux has been installed the user instructs the Bios to boot the external USB device ahead of the internal hard disk and so the Linux will get booted from the MBR of the USB device. The MBR of the internal hard disk is untouched.

    There are hundreds of threads written on the subject so I am not repeating it here but provide the following two links

    To install Linux into an external USB hard disk

    To install Linux into a pen drive.
    Linux user started Jun 2004 - No. 361921
    Using a Linux live CD to clone XP
    To install Linux and keep Windows MBR untouched
    Adding extra Linux & Doing it in a lazy way
    A Grub menu booting 100+ systems & A "Howto" to install and boot 145 systems
    Just cloning tips Just booting tips A collection of booting tips

    Judge asked Linux "You are being charged murdering Windoze by stabbing its heart with a weapon, what was it?" Replied Linux "A Live CD"

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