Arch Linux

pinkcameloy

Member

Registered: 2008-01-19

Posts: 31

Grub in double boot machine

I have a double boot machine with arch and windows.

I want to format the windows partition which by the way is in the master boot record.this means that I will lose my grub and I wanted to ask if there is a specific procedure that I could do in order to install the grub and have the arch again after my windows format.

If there is one, can somebody describe it to me?

thanks
pinkcameloy

br4

Member

Registered: 2007-12-27

Posts: 38

Re: Grub in double boot machine

my search words were:grub windows.

http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=44505

Last edited by br4 (2008-03-29 14:51:18)

bender02

Member

From: UK

Registered: 2007-02-04

Posts: 1,328

Re: Grub in double boot machine

I want to format the windows partition which by the way is in the master boot record.

This doesn't make sense to me. Partitions are partitions and MBR is MBR. Manipulating any partition does *not* affect MBR itself in any way. If you have grub installed in MBR, then you can safely format any partition, except for the one which has grub's menu.lst on it.
EDIT: typo

Last edited by bender02 (2008-03-29 15:02:36)

dyscoria

Member

Registered: 2008-01-10

Posts: 1,007

Re: Grub in double boot machine

I want to format the windows partition which by the way is in the master boot record.

This doesn't make sense to me. Partitions are partitions and MBR is MBR. Manipulating any partition does *not* affect MBR itself in any way. If you have grub installed in MBR, then you can safely format any partition, except for the one which has grub's menu.lst on it.
EDIT: typo

I think the OP is actually reinstalling windows (hard to tell)? If that's the case then MBR would be overwritten. See the link in post #2

If the partition is being formatted into anything else, then yes bender02 is right and you won't have to do anything.

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bender02

Member

From: UK

Registered: 2007-02-04

Posts: 1,328

Re: Grub in double boot machine

I think the OP is actually reinstalling windows (hard to tell)? If that's the case then MBR would be overwritten. See the link in post #2

If the partition is being formatted into anything else, then yes bender02 is right and you won't have to do anything.

You're right of course... *formatting* itself is not a problem; but *windows installer* gracefully overwrites MBR without warning. One of those MS tricks...