Dual boot

[April Harris_1]

I would like to install Win2K and Linux (REDHAD 7.2)on my HP ZT1145 laptop. I had
no problems installing Redhat 7.2 on the laptop
as the only OS. How should I proceed for Dual boot installation. I would like to start from
ground zero.

[Roberto_30]

The easy way is to install Win2K first on a Partition and after install RED HAT 7.2 on another partition.

You will use Grub (or LILO) to choose wich operating system launch.

I hope this can help.
Roberto

[jason d hasinsky]

Please go to and follow the information found on this link. This is one way that i managed to get the Linux and 2000 professional on my laptop to function properly. The easier way is to just add the windows portion of the script to lilo and use that to boot into windows. But if you like to use the MBR and boot into windows as the default option this is a most helpful link. The problem that i ran into that no one explained was making sure when you copy the boot from Linux to add to the Microsoft MBR you must mount the disk as msdos for it to work took me a couple of days to figure that out that is why i'm referencing this link follow exactly and you'll fly through it. http://www.littlewhitedog.com/reviews_other_00011.asp Another handy trick for laptops is how to change all of your linux network settings from work home internal network etc... here is a wonderful script to automate that process. http://www.linuxtricks.org/changenet.html Remember to stay calm and have fun you'll learn more than when you get frustrated.

[St_7]

Well, there are two ways to handle the problem (even three, if you accept to use a small fat partition for lilo).
First way : use the W2k boot maneger AND copy the linux boot sector into the w2k partition (you can use the procedure described at http://www.littlewhitedog.com/reviews_other_00011.asp
or you can copy "at hand" the linux boot sector using dd). I well not insist on the technical detail because I think that this solution is very unpractical. Each time that you are recompiling the kernel you have to copy the boot sector on a floppy disk, the re-copy the boot sector from the floppy to the w2k partition, etc ...


The second way : use Lilo to boot w2k (I figure out that it should work also with grub, I've not test).

Prerequisites : you nees a recent disk controller able to boot partitions over the 1024th cilinder.

I will suppose that your hard disk is /dev/hda, and you wand to install w2k on /dev/hda1 and linux on /dev/hda2.

Steps:
1) Install w2k on the first partition
2) install linux on the second one, AND install Lilo on the top of /dev/hda2 (DO NOT install lilo on MBR)
Configure lilo.conf, and declare your two operationg systems.

3) in linux launch
fdisk /dev/hda
and set the bootable bit on /dev/hda2

That's all

Remark : your disk contrillor and your bios should be able to boot the second partition (it is the case I think for recent computer)

It works fine on my laptop (Dell Latitide manufactured in 2001 running W2k and Linux Slackware with Lilo)

[Balaji N]

Hi,

http://www.geocities.com/usmbish/hdi-linux-NT.html

The above link has an excellent how to for the dual boot stuff.

HTH
-balaji

[John Meissner]

I have done what you are talking about. i installed win2k first (make sure to leave unpartitioned space on the Hard drive. then install linux - it's soooo easy to do it this way. Linux will set itself up in the unpartitioned space and even load the boot loader for you. you can't go wrong doing it this way.

On another note... something that i'm in the process of trying to get my boss to approve... i want to get a MAC (yes ... i said it...) OSX is pretty sweet... and use the virtual machine to install other OS's as needed. MAC OSX has a linux terminal and is unix based. with the virtual machine you can run multiple OS's without having to reboot. pretty sweet.