I am really shocked to realize how much more transparent the newly
improved GRUB has made the task of dual booting Linux and XP to be.
Both SuSE 8.1 and Mandrake 9.0 now (and only NOW!) automatically
recognize your NTFS (or VFAT) partition and configure the grub.conf file
accordingly.
What I was interested, was whether I could reserve a non-first partition
for a "subsequent" installation of WinXP. After I installed XP, it, as
well know, overwrote GRUB in the MBR. The issue was, how to re-install
GRUB.
This indeed is very simple. After installing XP, you will not be able
into boot into Linux. So, you insert the first RH 8.0 CD, type "linux
rescue" at prompt. Then chroot to the root partition (in my case,
/dev/hda1--hda0 is used for /boot partition). Type /sbin/grub-install
/dev/hda, this will write grub to the MBR (and erase/overwrite the NT
bootloader).
Now, re-boot into Linux. Su to root, and open the file
/boot/grub/grub.conf with any editor. In the section titled "DOS",
insert the following two lines:
hide (hd0,0)
unhide (hd0,2)
before the line:
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
and a third line:
makeactive
thereafter.
Save the grub.conf file, then reboot. (Unlike LILO, you don't need to
do anything.) Of course, you can remane "DOS" to "Windows XP". But I
don't bother.
W. Wayne Liauh wrote:
Actually, Windows (including NT or XP) will always look in the first
partition of the first drive for the boot sector. Thus, using GRUB as
an example, if you install XP in the second partition of the first
drive, you have to insert the following two lines in the part of the
grub.conf file reserved for XP (may not be exact, I am writing from my
memory):
before the line
What I am not sure is that, I don't know whether is it possible to
boot NT/XP from a slave (i.e., hd1,0)?
