linuxgeek: [LINUX_Newbies] Re: Dual boot question

Hello
Ubuntu 10.10 uses Grub 2 as the boot manager when you install Ubuntu, which is the program that handles dual booting. It will install on the first disk MBR ( Master Boot Record )

Here are current articles on Grub 2 at these web sites.
1. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2
2. http://members.iinet.net/~herman546/p20/GRUB2%20Bash%20Commands.html
3. http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/grub-2.html

If one is going to use multi-booting, then making a rescue disk is a must, because if one reinstalls Windows XP it will write to the MBR and over writes the Grub file that is there. With that said here is how to proceed. Use these commands in the terminal window to make the rescue disk.

grub-mkrescue --output=rescue.iso /boot/grub
grub-mkrescue, is the command
--output=rescue.iso, is file name in this example 'rescue.iso'
/boot/grub, this is the location of grub2 files.

The rescue.iso will be written to your home directory, and now you must burn the image to CD. If you use Brasero (part of the Ubuntu software) make sure you use the Burn image option.
Make sure that your system BIOS is set to search the DVD or CD drive, before the hard drive, for a bootable disk, which is the one you just made. So place the disk in the DVD or CD drive, and reboot the computer. At the 'grub>' prompt enter the following commands, adjust for where you installed Ubuntu.

1. grub>linux (hd1,1)/vmlinuz root=/dev/sdb1 (where is the kernal located, and what is the root device)
2. grub>initrd (hd1,1)/initrd.img (where is the interrupter image located)
3. grub>boot ( now that both images are loaded into memory, you need to tell grub2 to go ahead and boot the system)

Now my Ubuntu system will load from the disk, now you can reinstall Grub2 after MSWindows XP writes over the top of it by using the following commands in the terminal window.

sudo update-grub ( this command updates Grub2 for any changes on your system )
sudo grub-setup /dev/sda ( this command sets up Grub2 on the bootable hard disk that the BIOS is looking for to start your system )

The big alternative is to leave Microsoft Windows XP as your start up operating system, and using the rescue disk when you want to start Ubuntu. Now here is a real life example of what happen to me. I had a virus on my Microsoft Windows XP system, and so I logged into Ubuntu and copied all my files onto my Ubuntu file system that were important to me. After that I booted from my Window XP disk and reinstalled after formatting the Window XP disk space to remove the virus, and one can do this if you want to refresh Windows XP.

Hopefully one finds the information useful.
Thank you
Christopher

--- In LINUX_Newbies@yahoogroups.com, William Horne <whorne504@...> wrote:
>
> I have a toughbook CF 29 with a 500GB harddrive and 1 GB of RAM. I have
> Windows XP Pro w/SP3 installed. I want to install Ubuntu 10.10 and dual boot
> the system. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>