Can I add Windows to my boot menu?

[SpectrumDT]

Hello.

I have Linux installed on one hard drive and Windows on another. Right now, when I once in a while want to boot into Windows, I tell the BIOS to boot from the other hard drive, in order to get to the Windows boot menu.

I would like to be able to boot from my Linux hard drive as normal, and then have Windows (on my other hard drive) show up as one of the boot options.

Can I do this?

Thanks in advance.

[Nokia]

Please post

su -
fdisk -l

[SpectrumDT]

Please post...

Sure thing.

[root@localhost ~]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 251.0 GB, 251000193024 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30515 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x7065445b

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1        5099    40957686    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2           10200       20398    81923467+   7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3           20399       30515    81264802+   f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5           20399       30515    81264771    7  HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x02631f5d

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1            4889       10198    42652575    5  Extended
/dev/sdb2           10199       60801   406468597+   7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb3   *           1        4888    39262828+  83  Linux
/dev/sdb5            5100        5125      208813+  83  Linux
/dev/sdb6            5126       10198    40748841   8e  Linux LVM
/dev/sdb7            4889        5099     1694794+  82  Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/dm-0: 39.5 GB, 39594229760 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4813 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Disk /dev/dm-0 doesn't contain a valid partition table

Disk /dev/dm-1: 2080 MB, 2080374784 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 252 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x30307800

Disk /dev/dm-1 doesn't contain a valid partition table

Disk /dev/sdc: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x44fdfe06

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdc1               1      121601   976760001    c  W95 FAT32 (LBA)
[root@localhost ~]#

The partition with Windows on it is /dev/sda1.

[phe]

Hello.

I have Linux installed on one hard drive and Windows on another. Right now, when I once in a while want to boot into Windows, I tell the BIOS to boot from the other hard drive, in order to get to the Windows boot menu.

I would like to be able to boot from my Linux hard drive as normal, and then have Windows (on my other hard drive) show up as one of the boot options.

Can I do this?

Thanks in advance.

Hi SpectrumDT,

Install grub as bootloader

Grub can handle this.

phe

[Nokia]

Type

su -
gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst

and add this after the last kernel statement.

title Windows
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
chainloader + 1

I think that should do it. Save and reboot.

EDIT: Depending on your boot sequence, it might be necessary to modify it to (hd1,1).

[SpectrumDT]

Type and add this after the last kernel statement.

I think that should do it. Save and reboot.

EDIT: Depending on your boot sequence, it might be necessary to modify it to (hd1,1).

Thanks. But it gives me an error message of "NTLDR is missing - press Ctrl-Alt-Del to restart".

I'm pretty sure hd(0,1) is correct. It's the one that gives me this error message. (0,0), (1,0) and (1,1) all just hang and go nowhere.

[bob]

Let's try putting this into your /boot/grub/grub.conf this way:

su
gedit /boot/grub/grub.conf

When that opens a new window with your current configuration, replace the Windows entry with this


title Windows
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
chainloader +1

If you are adding this to the bottom of your grub.conf, remember to hit 'enter' once after adding the last line to create a blank line on the bottom. That allows grub to read all the way to the bottom. Then save and close your window and type 'exit' to leave root. Reboot and hope for the best!

Edit: Just to clarify - if Fedora's being shown as booting on the grub.conf at (hd0,0) then the above should work. If Fedora's being shown as booting at (hd1,0) on the grub.conf, then you'd have to change Windows entry to 'rootnoverify (hd0,0)'.

[Nokia]

Thanks. But it gives me an error message of "NTLDR is missing - press Ctrl-Alt-Del to restart".

I'm pretty sure hd(0,1) is correct. It's the one that gives me this error message. (0,0), (1,0) and (1,1) all just hang and go nowhere.

Yes, I should have seen it coming. bob presented the linux way of dealing with it as far as Windows is concerned. The other way would be instructing Windows about a change in ntldr location. That is very easy to modify by editing boot.ini file. In there, I suggest you to replicate the existing boot line, rename it to make the difference between the two, and also change/those values. Practicaly, you just have to change the drive reference. I don't have a sample of it, but you could upload it here and we'll see what needs to be modified, if still aplicable.

EDIT:

Found one.

Just switch from

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional"

to

multi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional-NEW"

And you should be able to boot regardless of the boot sequence chosen in Bios. (by keeping both lines of course )

[SpectrumDT]

Hey, I'd forgotten about this thread. I must have missed some reply notifications, so I didn't notice these last two posts until today.

I did both the things you (Nokia and bob) suggested, and it worked. Great. Thanks. Now I can boot Windows through GRUB from my Linux HD.

However, somewhere in the process of all this, I seem to have screwed up the boot sector on my Windows HD. So while Windows can boot through GRUB fine enough, I can't boot from the Windows HD. If I try that, I get "NTLDR is missing".

I would like to also be able to boot from the Windows HD. Can anyone tell me how to fix that?

I can post my boot.ini, if you need that:

[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Actual Windows"  /NoExecute=OptOut
multi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Actual Windows (other disk)"  /NoExecute=OptOut
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Very old Windows" 
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect
C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows XP Genoprettelseskonsol" /cmdcons

The entry "Actual Windows (other disk)" is the one I added as per Nokia's instruction. (The next two entries refer to old installations. They don't work, and I haven't used them for over a year. I just haven't gotten around to deleting them.)

Thanks for all the help so far.

[Nokia]

There's nothing wrong with NTLDR. It's just an error of configuration. This might help http://mirror.href.com/thestarman/asm/mbr/bootini.htm

I guess you should pay attention to the rdisk value in 'my' line. My guess is it should be 1 instead of 0, but you could figure out for sure. Also, perhaps 1 in disk should be changed to 0 and multi to 1. I'm too tired right now to concentrate, sorry.

[SpectrumDT]

Hello.

I made a thread about this problem at WindowsForum.org. A guy recommended that I set the Windows HD as master and remove the Linux HD. That worked. With those settings I can run the Windows installation program from the CD.

Also, with the help I got in this thread, I've set up GRUB so it can chain-load Windows. So now I can boot Windows indirectly through GRUB.

However, I still can't boot directly from the Windows hard drive. I still get "NTLDR is missing". This only happens when booting from the Windows HD (and regardless of whether it's set as master or slave). If I chain-boot through GRUB, Windows boots and runs fine.

I tried running FIXMBR from the CD, but this did no difference.

I have enough things working for me now to run Windows and use the Windows CD, but I would still be happy if someone could help me fix the last annoyance.

Thanks for the help so far.

[Nokia]

This should help:

http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Dual_Boot_from_Windows_Bootloader_(NTLDR)_an d_why