Re: Installing Windows with Debian already installed
On Sun 26 Feb 2012 at 13:34:12 -0430, Gustavo J Mata wrote: I recently installed Debian on a new hard disk. Although I rarely used Windows I kept a 20 Gb partition to +install it, just in case. I've found out that if I do install Windows, I won't be able to boot Debian. Although it appears that this +can be fixed, I want to make sure I know what I'm doing before risking having to start all over again. Any hints? Have you got a USB stick handy? Using fdisk make a Linux primary partition on it, or part of it. Format the partiton ext2 (mkfs.ext2). Mount the partition you have created: mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt Install GRUB to the MBR of the stick: grub-install --boot-directory=/mnt/boot /dev/sdb This will create /boot/grub on the stick and put GRUB's files there. Copy /boot/grub/grub.cfg to /mnt/boot/grub/grub.cfg. Boot from the USB stick. Can you get into your expected Debian? The sdb is on my machine (not yours) and I'm using testing. I'm unsure whether --boot-directory is --root-directory on Squeeze. Read the manual for this. I've no idea what Windows does when it installs but if it leaves the other partitions undisturbed you should be able to get Debian running and put GRUB back on the hard disk's MBR. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20120226193321.GA32189@desktop
Re: Installing Windows with Debian already installed
Am Sonntag, 26. Februar 2012 schrieb Brian: On Sun 26 Feb 2012 at 13:34:12 -0430, Gustavo J Mata wrote: I recently installed Debian on a new hard disk. Although I rarely used Windows I kept a 20 Gb partition to +install it, just in case. I've found out that if I do install Windows, I won't be able to boot Debian. Although it appears that this +can be fixed, I want to make sure I know what I'm doing before risking having to start all over again. Any hints? Have you got a USB stick handy? Using fdisk make a Linux primary partition on it, or part of it. Format the partiton ext2 (mkfs.ext2). Mount the partition you have created: mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt Install GRUB to the MBR of the stick: grub-install --boot-directory=/mnt/boot /dev/sdb This will create /boot/grub on the stick and put GRUB's files there. Copy /boot/grub/grub.cfg to /mnt/boot/grub/grub.cfg. Boot from the USB stick. Can you get into your expected Debian? The sdb is on my machine (not yours) and I'm using testing. I'm unsure whether --boot-directory is --root-directory on Squeeze. Read the manual for this. I've no idea what Windows does when it installs but if it leaves the other partitions undisturbed you should be able to get Debian running and put GRUB back on the hard disk's Hi Gustavo, in this case I am using R.I.P. (Rescue is Possible), which is a livefile-CD for those purposes. Also you can use the debian installer CD in rescue mode as well, but my tries did not succeed with it (just because I was not quite experienced with it). RIP includes a detailed manual, how to restore grub on the drive again. Just google for RIP, it is free and open source. Good luck! Hans -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/201202262057.13768.hans.ullr...@loop.de
Re: Installing Windows with Debian already installed
Wow. Your message came as a separate base64 encoded attachment. Whatever you did when you sent it please try to do something different next time. Gustavo J Mata wrote: I recently installed Debian on a new hard disk. Although I rarely used Windows I kept a 20 Gb partition to install it, just in case. Usually installing Windows is better if that part is done first. Windows doesn't play as well with other systems. Better if Windows is installed when there isn't any other system for it to know about. Then later install Debian and let Debian work around Windows. It isn't required to be done in this order but everything flows better if it is done in that order. I've found out that if I do install Windows, I won't be able to boot Debian. Windows will replace the MBR (main boot record) with its own MBR and at that point it will only be able to boot Windows. Although it appears that this can be fixed, Yes. Very easily. Simply replace the Windows MBR with one that can boot both such as with Grub. I want to make sure I know what I'm doing before risking having to start all over again. Any hints? AS a hint, normally I always recommend two difference disks. One for Windows and one for Debian. Then there isn't any conflict between them. But of course that isn't necessary. Just convenient. :-) I assume that you installed using a Debian install cdrom or usb boot image? If so then keep that available because it also makes a very useful rescue system. After installing Windows and having Windows wipe out your existing grub MBR it is easy to boot the Debian installer and use rescue mode to get to a root shell on your Debian system. Then reinstall grub onto the system. Which release of Debian did you install? (cat /etc/debian_version) What architecture? (uname -m) What bootloader? (dpkg -l 'grub*') The recent changes from grub (now called grub-legacy) to grub 2 (called grub-pc) means there will be differences in grub install commands. (Assuming that you are using grub not lilo or other of course.) The 'grub-install' script should hide most of those differences. man grub-install With the older grub I never used the script and always ran the grub commands interactively. With the new grub everything is different now, the interactive mode isn't available anymore, and I haven't experience with the new script so will avoid suggesting a usage. Bob signature.asc Description: Digital signature
Re: Installing Windows with Debian already installed
I've no idea what Windows does when it installs but if it leaves the other partitions undisturbed you should be able to get Debian running and put GRUB back on the hard disk's Hi Gustavo, in this case I am using R.I.P. (Rescue is Possible), which is a livefile-CD for those purposes. Also you can use the debian installer CD in rescue mode as well, but my tries did not succeed with it (just because I was not quite experienced with it). RIP includes a detailed manual, how to restore grub on the drive again. Just google for RIP, it is free and open source. Good luck! Hans -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/201202262057.13768.hans.ullr...@loop.de -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/201202262109.58704.hans.ullr...@loop.de
Re: Installing Windows with Debian already installed
I've no idea what Windows does when it installs but if it leaves the other partitions undisturbed you should be able to get Debian running and put GRUB back on the hard disk's 2nd try, hope it is better Hi Gustavo, in this case I am using R.I.P. (Rescue is Possible), which is a livefile-CD for those purposes. Also you can use the debian installer CD in rescue mode as well, but my tries did not succeed with it (just because I was not quite experienced with it). RIP includes a detailed manual, how to restore grub on the drive again. Just google for RIP, it is free and open source. Good luck! Hans -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/201202262057.13768.hans.ullr...@loop.de -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/201202262110.30079.hans.ullr...@loop.de
Re: Installing Windows with Debian already installed
On Sun 26 Feb 2012 at 13:02:47 -0700, Bob Proulx wrote: Wow. Your message came as a separate base64 encoded attachment. Whatever you did when you sent it please try to do something different next time. Is that what happened? With Mutt I did 'v' and copied and pasted. But forgot to tell vim about it! Mind you, I had originally just deleted the message because there was no discernable text to it. The second thoughts were because the subject line seemed interesting. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20120226201845.GC32189@desktop
Re: Installing Windows with Debian already installed
Hi Hans The rescue mode of the Debian Live CD has a grub installer. In the end all I had to do is give it the device file for the hard disk. I'm not sure if Windows did appear in the grub menu after reinstalling. But I ran grub-update and it did show the next time around. Since the rescue mode is not particularly user-friendly, I will get RIP, thanks for the hint. And thanks everybody for the advice! Gustavo On Sun, Feb 26, 2012 at 3:27 PM, Hans-J. Ullrich hans.ullr...@loop.dewrote: Am Sonntag, 26. Februar 2012 schrieb Brian: On Sun 26 Feb 2012 at 13:34:12 -0430, Gustavo J Mata wrote: I recently installed Debian on a new hard disk. Although I rarely used Windows I kept a 20 Gb partition to +install it, just in case. I've found out that if I do install Windows, I won't be able to boot Debian. Although it appears that this +can be fixed, I want to make sure I know what I'm doing before risking having to start all over again. Any hints? Have you got a USB stick handy? Using fdisk make a Linux primary partition on it, or part of it. Format the partiton ext2 (mkfs.ext2). Mount the partition you have created: mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt Install GRUB to the MBR of the stick: grub-install --boot-directory=/mnt/boot /dev/sdb This will create /boot/grub on the stick and put GRUB's files there. Copy /boot/grub/grub.cfg to /mnt/boot/grub/grub.cfg. Boot from the USB stick. Can you get into your expected Debian? The sdb is on my machine (not yours) and I'm using testing. I'm unsure whether --boot-directory is --root-directory on Squeeze. Read the manual for this. I've no idea what Windows does when it installs but if it leaves the other partitions undisturbed you should be able to get Debian running and put GRUB back on the hard disk's Hi Gustavo, in this case I am using R.I.P. (Rescue is Possible), which is a livefile-CD for those purposes. Also you can use the debian installer CD in rescue mode as well, but my tries did not succeed with it (just because I was not quite experienced with it). RIP includes a detailed manual, how to restore grub on the drive again. Just google for RIP, it is free and open source. Good luck! Hans -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/201202262057.13768.hans.ullr...@loop.de -- «La ignorancia, aliada con el poder, es el más feroz enemigo que puede tener la justicia.» (James Baldwin) Visite mi Blog en Apartaderos http://apartaderos.blogspot.com
