[Success] Dual Booting Arch and Windows 7 [Advice / Confirmation]

Jabrick · 2011-07-01 18:25:05

So I have been trying to get Starcraft II to work with wine and no luck.
I have decided to install windows back on my computer, besides it might come in handy since I'm heading back to school soon.
Anyways I have tried dual booting arch and windows in the past, and my results have never been stable.
Today I will try using the program gparted.
Let me give you my thoughts on how I plan to go through this and please give me some advice so I don't loose everything I have worked for on my linux box

1.Currently I have two hard drives, one for all my main programs and one for my media files (mounting usb, dvd, etc, and it actually has no files in it xD).
I plan to use gparted to re-size my second harddrive (media drive), create an extended partition, and a logical ntfs partition within it.
2.I pop in my windows cd that I recieved with my laptop and install it on the space I have partitioned for windows.
3. If my grub gets wiped out my windows (which I hope it doesn't not sure how the MBR stuff works) I insert a Ubuntu live cd and do

sudo grub
> root (hd0,0)
> setup (hd0)
> exit

4.Configure grub to boot windows 7.
5.Be happy with no headache.

SO....
If someone with past experience with dual booting windows and arch could please give me some advice, as I do not want to lose all my data, start over, and have another headache.
I know I must learn to backup arch, which I will before september.
But if anyone has any protips, or sees a flaw in my plan please point it out!!!

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and even more if advice has been given to boost my confidence!
For now I will wait
Thank you fellow archies.

Last edited by Jabrick (2011-07-03 01:29:36)

MoonSwan · 2011-07-01 19:26:31

I plan to use gparted to re-size my second harddrive (media drive), create an extended partition, and a logical ntfs partition within it.

If you do this and install win7 to a non-primary partition you will have issues. Windows has always (since 3.1 I think) insisted that it should be the only OS on your drive; thus the reason it hijacks the MBR too. (Yes, you'll find your MBR buggered if you have 2 OSes on it.) The only recourse you have is to make at least 1 primary partition and install Win7 to that. I've never tried to put win7 on another partition, but if you do and it works, post back please.

Last edited by MoonSwan (2011-07-01 19:27:29)

Jabrick · 2011-07-02 04:02:17

So would you recommend that instead of formatting the partition I leave it as unallocated space?
Also since I have two harddrives, if I install windows 7 on my second harddrive, is it possible that I will have two bootloaders?
Grub on hd0,0 and Windows bootloader on hd1,1?
Please if anyone can give further information as I do not want to screw myself over during this time.
Also in the past when I had an unstable windows + linux dual boot, sometime windows will check my harddrive for any descrepencies (I forgot what it checked for) Or when windows updates and sometimes it messed up my computer!
Help!

Last edited by Jabrick (2011-07-02 04:11:58)

satanselbow · 2011-07-02 08:00:13

1) Windows must be installed to a primary partition - attempting to install it to an logical partition will result in an epic fail
2) Physically disconnect the harddrive you do not want windows on as windows typically installs the bootloader on the 1st hardisk (ie /sda) regardless of installation drive (ie /sdb)
3 / 4) Complete the windows installation then reattached your Arch drive and edit /boot/grub/menu.lst (as root) pointing the W7 entry to (hd1,0) - no need to reinstall grub
5) Hey it's windows - anything could happen

If you create an NTFS partition right at the beginning of the the drive before you start the W7 install you can prevent it greedily using up 2 of you 4 primary partitions - I would also completely update you new W7 installation past SP1 before reattaching the other drive to further prevent W7 going mental

Jabrick · 2011-07-02 13:34:47

Sounds great!
I'm going to attempt it right now!!

orph · 2011-07-02 14:04:41

Try this article on the wiki.

Jabrick · 2011-07-03 01:29:16

satanselbow wrote:

1) Windows must be installed to a primary partition - attempting to install it to an logical partition will result in an epic fail
2) Physically disconnect the harddrive you do not want windows on as windows typically installs the bootloader on the 1st hardisk (ie /sda) regardless of installation drive (ie /sdb)
3 / 4) Complete the windows installation then reattached your Arch drive and edit /boot/grub/menu.lst (as root) pointing the W7 entry to (hd1,0) - no need to reinstall grub
5) Hey it's windows - anything could happen
If you create an NTFS partition right at the beginning of the the drive before you start the W7 install you can prevent it greedily using up 2 of you 4 primary partitions - I would also completely update you new W7 installation past SP1 before reattaching the other drive to further prevent W7 going mental

satanselbow thank you so much!
Everything works great I had no stumbles, and I hope no problems in the future!!
I will post exactly what I did in case someone has the same issue.

1. Partition you're secondary harddrive as primary ntfs with gparted
2. Reboot, and if you get a file system check error, check you're udev rules. (For my case in particular I had to change the udev rules I got for auto mounting usb, ext harddrive, etc.
3.Power off your computer and physically remove the harddrive that contains all your linux goodies
4. Plug in your windows cd and install in the partition you created
5. Update your windows OS
6. Plug in Ubuntu live CD and reboot
7. Use commands to get grub to overwrite the windows boot loader (In my case I put grub everyone hd0,0 hd0,1 just to be sure, but you might want to do things cleaner)
8. Reboot and see if grub loads up
9. Use Ubuntu live CD again and launch Gparted, select the boot to your extra linux space (if you had one, not sure if this is needed)
10. Plug in your linux harddrive and reconfigure /boot/grub/menu.lst and your good to go

Once again shout outs to satanselbow!!! For without him I might've failed brutally!
Cheers!

satanselbow · 2011-07-03 08:17:59

Cool - glad all is good

Arch Linux

#1 2011-07-01 18:25:05

[Success] Dual Booting Arch and Windows 7 [Advice / Confirmation]

#2 2011-07-01 19:26:31

Re: [Success] Dual Booting Arch and Windows 7 [Advice / Confirmation]

#3 2011-07-02 04:02:17

Re: [Success] Dual Booting Arch and Windows 7 [Advice / Confirmation]

#4 2011-07-02 08:00:13

Re: [Success] Dual Booting Arch and Windows 7 [Advice / Confirmation]

#5 2011-07-02 13:34:47

Re: [Success] Dual Booting Arch and Windows 7 [Advice / Confirmation]

#6 2011-07-02 14:04:41

Re: [Success] Dual Booting Arch and Windows 7 [Advice / Confirmation]

#7 2011-07-03 01:29:16

Re: [Success] Dual Booting Arch and Windows 7 [Advice / Confirmation]

#8 2011-07-03 08:17:59

Re: [Success] Dual Booting Arch and Windows 7 [Advice / Confirmation]

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