Dual Booting - installing Arch first!

naequs · 2011-01-26 13:24:09

hey people,
i just got my laptop back from recovery ( hdd broke ) and now i'm planning to install arch and after that install w7 which i get free from msdnaa (oem version sucks).

now i thought about the partition scheme to look like this:
sda1 - current layout has a SYSTEM RESERVED flagged boot for windows (does w7 still require this ?)
sda2 - around 35G for windows
sda 3 - extended
sda4 - /
sda5 - /home
sda6 - swap (i generally dont need swap so it comes last; might also become a puppy/slax whatever partition for backing up root and home)
sda7 - windows C drive which i also access from within linux as main storage partition (ntfs-3g never failed for me)

my questions now are if this is a sane layout and whether it could cause problems when installing windows later.
where should i put grub ? to root and make that bootable ? windows will override the mbr later but i can fix that from a live cd ..!?

Last edited by naequs (2011-01-26 14:12:29)

Mr Green · 2011-01-26 13:30:35

Partitioning is down to you but yes looks fine

Install grub to mbr and chain load windows from it

/boot is for Linux only

swap not getting into that here really depends on amount of ram [do people use swapfiles?]

You can repair booting from a live cd if MS wipes it guide in Arch wiki

MrG

naequs · 2011-01-26 13:42:46

yeah right, the boot flagged partition in the current layout is named SYSTEM RESERVED ... will windows require that one for installation? (wrong forum maybe )
or is it enough to just create a 15G partition as sda1 and let the space for C: unallocated to be later created bz windows ?

Mr Green · 2011-01-26 13:51:27

Or do not install windows at all run it under virtualbox

I do not use to dual boot with windows so cannot comment

Sure someone who does use it will answer that one

tenlegger · 2011-01-26 13:58:19

The SYSTEM RESERVED partition is the partition that Windows7 boots from, so yes, it IS required.

Regards .....

Inxsible · 2011-01-26 14:33:46

why don't you KIS and just install Windows 7 before you install Arch?

naequs · 2011-01-26 15:31:05

yep, downloaded w7 and doing that now

hokasch · 2011-01-26 23:59:34

Win7 will not create its "special" boot partition if you partition & format beforehand, e.g. with the arch linux iso. Then just tell it to install into the prepared partition.

Watermel0n · 2011-01-27 08:16:35

http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/08/2 … windows-7/
Here, under Method 3, is a way to remove the 100MB partition directly on install.
I believe that you only need the system reserved partition if you want to use Bitlocker. Truecrypt is better anyway

naequs · 2011-01-27 16:23:16

yep win7 was happy enough with being assigned to sda2 ! ill now use that 128M partition as /boot for arch, nvm !

Arch Linux

#1 2011-01-26 13:24:09

Dual Booting - installing Arch first!

#2 2011-01-26 13:30:35

Re: Dual Booting - installing Arch first!

#3 2011-01-26 13:42:46

Re: Dual Booting - installing Arch first!

#4 2011-01-26 13:51:27

Re: Dual Booting - installing Arch first!

#5 2011-01-26 13:58:19

Re: Dual Booting - installing Arch first!

#6 2011-01-26 14:33:46

Re: Dual Booting - installing Arch first!

#7 2011-01-26 15:31:05

Re: Dual Booting - installing Arch first!

#8 2011-01-26 23:59:34

Re: Dual Booting - installing Arch first!

#9 2011-01-27 08:16:35

Re: Dual Booting - installing Arch first!

#10 2011-01-27 16:23:16

Re: Dual Booting - installing Arch first!

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