PCLOS and Windows 7 Don't Play Nice When Dual Booting

[djohnston]

I use EasyBCD: http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1

to Dualboot my Vista/PCLinuxOS system, which I have found is a good way to go. 

For Win7 system, follow these steps:

1.  Install PCLinuxOS but save Bootloader (Grub) to your / partition rather than to the MBR.
2.  Reboot the System and load Win7;
3.  Install EasyBCD in Win7;
4.  Run EasyBCD and add a new entry for Linux;
5.  Configure the entry for Linux in EasyBCD to chainboot Grub from your / partition, then save the settings;
6.  Reboot the System and viola, you should have dual entries for Win7 and Linux.

Vista had a tendency to destroy Grub on occasion and that is why I use EasyBCD to dual-boot instead of Grub.  It works just as well.

Thanks for that info. I've marked it for future reference. Although r2r's 100 MB sda1 partition was put there by Dell, I just learned a couple of days ago that a new Windows7 install also creates a 100 MB partition as the first one on the disk. Can anyone verify that?

[Sleepy]

I use EasyBCD: http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1

to Dualboot my Vista/PCLinuxOS system, which I have found is a good way to go. 

For Win7 system, follow these steps:

1.  Install PCLinuxOS but save Bootloader (Grub) to your / partition rather than to the MBR.
2.  Reboot the System and load Win7;
3.  Install EasyBCD in Win7;
4.  Run EasyBCD and add a new entry for Linux;
5.  Configure the entry for Linux in EasyBCD to chainboot Grub from your / partition, then save the settings;
6.  Reboot the System and viola, you should have dual entries for Win7 and Linux.

Vista had a tendency to destroy Grub on occasion and that is why I use EasyBCD to dual-boot instead of Grub.  It works just as well.

Thanks for that info. I've marked it for future reference. Although r2r's 100 MB sda1 partition was put there by Dell, I just learned a couple of days ago that a new Windows7 install also creates a 100 MB partition as the first one on the disk. Can anyone verify that?

djohnston

Yes I can confirm that about the 100MB partition and interestingly enough these are the five folders and files that are on it.
1. Boot Folder
2. Recycler Folder
3.System volume information Folder
4.bootmgr file
5.BOTSECT.BKA file

[sammy2fish]

I use EasyBCD: http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1

to Dualboot my Vista/PCLinuxOS system, which I have found is a good way to go.  

For Win7 system, follow these steps:

1.  Install PCLinuxOS but save Bootloader (Grub) to your / partition rather than to the MBR.
2.  Reboot the System and load Win7;
3.  Install EasyBCD in Win7;
4.  Run EasyBCD and add a new entry for Linux;
5.  Configure the entry for Linux in EasyBCD to chainboot Grub from your / partition, then save the settings;
6.  Reboot the System and viola, you should have dual entries for Win7 and Linux.

Vista had a tendency to destroy Grub on occasion and that is why I use EasyBCD to dual-boot instead of Grub.  It works just as well.

Thanks for that info. I've marked it for future reference. Although r2r's 100 MB sda1 partition was put there by Dell, I just learned a couple of days ago that a new Windows7 install also creates a 100 MB partition as the first one on the disk. Can anyone verify that?

djohnston

Yes I can confirm that about the 100MB partition and interestingly enough these are the five folders and files that are on it.
1. Boot Folder
2. Recycler Folder
3.System volume information Folder
4.bootmgr file
5.BOTSECT.BKA file

But, as I previously mentioned, that 100-meg partition that the win7 install makes can be avoided.

You have to make that first partition with a PCLOS-live-cd.  On this laptop, that win7 partition is 80-gigs.  Format it NTFS (not the one with the 3G on the end)...of course while in the PCLOS-live-cd.

Click on the PC-start-button and reboot.  When it tells you to take the live-cd out, do so and put in the win7-dvd.  It boots up.  At the appropriate screen, click on advanced just to make sure it is installing to the partition you made and formatted in NTFS.

It will start the install without making that darn 100-meg partition...!  Do I sound a bit controlling...

[r2r]

r2r,
what's happening there?

Hey uncleV, right now I'm actually writing this while running the LiveCD. At this time, my MBR is fubared; however, I found sammy2fish's post very interesting.  If anyone knows more about this procedure, would you please post it?

Thanks again to everyone, especially DJ, for taking so much time to help me!
Ron

[GOTHBITES]

And you said you have NO recovery or installation CDs for Windows? You should have at least received a recovery CD.

No sir, it's the Recovery partition on the HD.  If I select it upon bootup, it will put the machine back to the state when purchased. I did create a Windows 7 repair disk which should work to repair the bootmgr, but it didn't pick up a problem when I ran it.  -Ron

Wow, has there been a lot of persons trying to help here, I'm impressed.  I will add my to cents, but feel lesser than some here...

I'm thinking you need to get rid of the dual-boot menu, and start fresh.

I too made a win7 restore-disk, but it doesn't always do what you/I would like it to.  It needs it's head to be given a shake...

When I want to get rid of the dual-boot menu because of similar issues, I do the following.... I put in a cd that emulates a dos A:\ prompt.  Made it when I still had a floppy drive.  You can still download these iso's or zip's today.  Burn it to a cd, and reboot with it, and it gives you a fake a:\ prompt.

It let's you run various dos commands.  The one worth mentioning here is... from the a:\ drive (emulated), I type "fdisk mbr".  This re-writes the Master Boot Record back to windows.

Then and only then, do I use the win7-recovery-disk.  It will then recover your boot-up to win7.

Then I put in my PCLinuxOS live-cd and let it boot.  Click on install, click on advanced, making sure it sees my "OS" folder, my swap folder, and my /home folder.  Let it format the OS folder but not the home folder, unless I'm doing a major upgrade.

This is the way I do it, but others may have another way.  My way has worked every time.

As I said prior in this thread, I do all my partitioning and formatting with a PCLOS live-cd.

OK seems like im late to the party(my apologies to Mr. Willis) but i just recently had to install linux on on a vista machine.
Now i have done this before last year but the difference was that was a fresh install and like sammy here i partitioned,partitioned,partitioned so i could quad boot XP,Vista,Win 7 RC, and PClinux2009.2 with no issues, But this time I have a Vista installed machine so I did do the resize thing and so far no issues that until i to update the linux from 2010.1 to 2010.7 I just hope the update don't take away my kick off style menu lol

In my opinion Dual-booting is not a bad way to go. but definitely open yourself to other possibilities.  I am now becoming a Huge fan of Virtual Box.  I have installed XP sp2 in the the box and it works I even surf the web with ie with no anti virus installed

[djohnston]

It will start the install without making that darn 100-meg partition...!  Do I sound a bit controlling...

Nope. Sorry to say, I overlooked it. It looks like another possible solution to r2r's problem. Can you elaborate the procedure for him?

By the way, I said it elsewhere, but I'll say it again. Nice work on f@h!