Grub - tattoo ?

[nicofo]

Hello,

I have a laptop HP PavilionDV9780 with Windows Vista (2 HDD, Vista on the 1st)
How can I know if it is tattooed ?

If fact, I want to know whether I can install without any risk Fedora on the second HDD with Grub on the MBR of the first HDD (without breaking Windows) ?

Thanks in advance,

[stoat]

Hello nicofo,

Well, if you never get the answer to that or decide not to risk it, there are several acceptable alternatives to installing GRUB boot loader components on the Vista drive. One idea is to install Fedora on the second drive and GRUB in the master boot record of the second drive. Then use the BIOS boot order to select Fedora to boot. That is especially convenient if your computer has a splash screen boot device menu. Many people decide to leave the BIOS boot order set to boot Fedora on the second drive and then configure GRUB to boot Vista.

Another alternative is to install Fedora on the second drive and GRUB in the first sector of the Fedora boot partition. Then configure the Vista boot loader to boot Fedora. That is also commonly done and can be done either manually (http://forum.fedoraforum.org/forum/showthread.php?t=154879) or with the aid of software such as EasyBCD (http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1).

[nicofo]

Thanks for your clear answer !

The 1st solution seems better: I'll check if I can do that easily with the BIOS.

Just another question:
If I save the MBR of the 1st HDD (the one of windows), can I install Grub as usual in the MBR of the 1st HDD:
- if Win and Linux work afterwards => the PC wasn't tattooed: great !
- if Win doesn't start, I'll just have to restore the MBR

If so, is suppose it's possible to save the MBR using the installation DVD of fedora (using the rescue mode) and the command "dd if=/dev/sda ...." ?