[SOLVED] Adding a windows HD to an existing PCLOS installation

[jabster]

Hi.

So I've been happily running PCLOS as my sole OS for some time now, but now, alas, have the need to install & run windows. Unfortunately there is no linux version of Duke Nukem Forever.

So I bought a cheap refurbished 40G SATA HD and dusted off my ancient XP-Pro CD. I unplugged my primary drive (PCLOS), and installed XP on the second drive. I then plugged my primary drive back in, booted into PCLOS, and used PCC to add a windos entry to Grub. My bios is currently set to use the PCLOS drive as the main HD.

When I reboot into windows, I get an unknown file system error and windows does not boot. Linux continues to boot up with no problems.

What I've found online for dual-booting involves dual booting from one HD, or situations where windows is already installed, and a second linux drive is being added.

So, before I totally screw things up.....

PCLOS: /dev/sda (5 partitions)
Windows: /dev/sdb (1 partition)

The boot device in Grub is currently set to sda. If I change that to sdb, and set the Bios to make sdb the primary drive, will I then be able to dual boot back and forth with no problems? Any other steps I'd need to make?

Thanks,
John

[Old-Polack]

Hi.

So I've been happily running PCLOS as my sole OS for some time now, but now, alas, have the need to install & run windows. Unfortunately there is no linux version of Duke Nukem Forever.

So I bought a cheap refurbished 40G SATA HD and dusted off my ancient XP-Pro CD. I unplugged my primary drive (PCLOS), and installed XP on the second drive. I then plugged my primary drive back in, booted into PCLOS, and used PCC to add a windos entry to Grub. My bios is currently set to use the PCLOS drive as the main HD.

When I reboot into windows, I get an unknown file system error and windows does not boot. Linux continues to boot up with no problems.

What I've found online for dual-booting involves dual booting from one HD, or situations where windows is already installed, and a second linux drive is being added.

So, before I totally screw things up.....

PCLOS: /dev/sda (5 partitions)
Windows: /dev/sdb (1 partition)

The boot device in Grub is currently set to sda. If I change that to sdb, and set the Bios to make sdb the primary drive, will I then be able to dual boot back and forth with no problems? Any other steps I'd need to make?

Thanks,
John

You need to keep /dev/sda as the boot drive, You also need a proper Windows stanza in your /boot/grub/menu.lst. Try this;

title Windows
    rootnoverify (hd1,0)
    map (hd1) (hd0)
    map (hd0) (hd1)
    makeactive
    chainloader +1

[djohnston]

You need to keep /dev/sda as the boot drive, You also need a proper Windows stanza in your /boot/grub/menu.lst. Try this;

title Windows
    rootnoverify (hd1,0)
    map (hd1) (hd0)
    map (hd0) (hd1)
    makeactive
    chainloader +1

Jabster,

The reason you need to do it the way old-polack has shown is that Windows expects to be the first drive in the chain. In other words, Windows expects to be on /dev/sda or (hd0). The two map lines old-polack is showing trick Windows into "believing" it is on the first drive. hd0 becomes hd1 and vice versa while Windows is running.

[johnmart]

djohnston, thanks for that bit of explanation on the function of those map lines. I think I read it before, but this time I got it. 

[CaptainSarcastic]

Another easy workaround is to use the one-time BIOS boot menu instead of letting it run GRUB off the drive.  The function key varies machine to machine, but I've run dual-boots using this method quite a bit in the past.

[djohnston]

djohnston, thanks for that bit of explanation on the function of those map lines. I think I read it before, but this time I got it. 

You're welcome, johnmart.

[longtom]

You need to keep /dev/sda as the boot drive, You also need a proper Windows stanza in your /boot/grub/menu.lst. Try this;

title Windows
    rootnoverify (hd1,0)
    map (hd1) (hd0)
    map (hd0) (hd1)
    makeactive
    chainloader +1

Jabster,

The reason you need to do it the way old-polack has shown is that Windows expects to be the first drive in the chain. In other words, Windows expects to be on /dev/sda or (hd0). The two map lines old-polack is showing trick Windows into "believing" it is on the first drive. hd0 becomes hd1 and vice versa while Windows is running.

So - THAT is what it does.  My word .... Easy - once you know it.  Thanks for the explanation!!

[jabster]

Im back finally.

Old-polack, thanks for the instructions.

DJohnston, thanks for the explanation. Looking at the grub lines, I pretty much figured that was what was going on. Figured it had something to do with windows needing to be first, so I was kind of on the right track at least.

All is working well now, and Duke is all outta gum.  :-)

Cap'n,  I didn't see that option during boot.

Thanks all,
John

[djohnston]

Solved? That's great. Please edit the title of your first post in this thread and add the word Solved so that others, in the future, can find this solution. Thanks.