Dual boot with a laptop

[MrZalib]

Hello again forum. I'm having some trouble locating a tutorial for dual booting windows 7 and fedora. The partition setup is strange on my laptop and it's not just one partition that I can split.

Anyways I've searched here with nothing -useful- on how to do it step by step so if there is someone who could point me in the right direction or flat out just tell me you would be quite awesome!

If you're curious i'm dual booting because I want to have Starcraft 2 on my laptop again and ATI's video cards have a serious problem with Wine so my only option is go with Windows. I've already tried running through Wine and trust me it's quite a bit better on Windows for my.

Thanks in advance!

Edit: Ok so I was able to shrink my primary partition and allocate it as free space but when I go to use it the Fedora installer claims there isn't enough free space available. The free space is around 150gbs so anyone have any ideas?

[stoat]

Originally Posted by MrZalib

The partition setup is strange on my laptop and it's not just one partition that I can split.

You don't need to split anything. You create free space and install Fedora into it.

For GRUB to be your main bootloader, allow the default boot loader option in Anaconda (the Fedora installer) which installs GRUB in the master boot record of the first drive. Then configure GRUB to boot Windows. To keep your Windows boot loader, choose the boot loader option that installs Fedora's GRUB in the first sector of the Fedora boot partition. Then configure Windows to boot Fedora. Most people who choose to do that use the free software known as EasyBCD to make that easier.

For more help than that, you need to post something for people to look at. A screenshot of your Windows Disk Management utility showing the drives and partitions will do. Also decide and state what you want to do about the boot loader thing.

P.S.: You don't have to explain why you want to use Windows. Lots of people here use Windows. Including me.

[stoat]

Originally Posted by MrZalib

Edit: Ok so I was able to shrink my primary partition and allocate it as free space but when I go to use it the Fedora installer claims there isn't enough free space available. The free space is around 150gbs so anyone have any ideas?

Yes. Anaconda will do that when the partition table is full with four primary partitions, or three primary partitions and a full extended partition. Even though you created some free space out on the disk platters, no more partitions can be created. It happens all the time. Post something that shows the partition layout. That will confirm it or not.

P.S.: Sometimes Windows is using dynamic disks instead of basic disks. That also can cause the same kind of problem in Anaconda.

[MrZalib]

Hope that is readable.

Edit: The free space was created by me. If I need to change it please let me know. What are the differences in using the GRUB boot or the Windows boot?

[stoat]

You have four primary partitions. The partition table of a traditional hard drive can have only four primary partitions. It doesn't matter that free space exists. In order to proceed, you must delete a partition and create in its place an extended partition. Then, in that extended partition, many more logical partitions can be created. Unlike Windows, Fedora can exist entirely in logical partitions. The first two partitions are part of the Windows system (SYSTEM and C:). They must be left alone. That leaves the RECOVERY and HP_TOOLS partitions as the only possibilities for deletion IMO. I have to leave that decision up to you, of course. But that is the situation.

P.S.: I think I have seen examples where people backed up a utility partition, then deleted it, then created the extended partition in its space, then restored the utility partition in the extended partition as a logical partition. Somebody that knows about that should comment though.

[MrZalib]

Awesome so I have those two deleted and what i've got is in the attached file. Do I create a new simple volume out of it? Or could I just go to the Fedora installer and use the free space? Sorry if it seems i'm quite dumb in this subject. This is my first time doing this and I'm eager to learn.

[stoat]

You can start the installation again now. You can select the "Use free space" option if you prefer that. Anaconda will handle the creation of new partitions and install Fedora in the default layout. The default partition layout in Fedora uses logical volume management (LVM). Your partitions will be logical volumes inside a physical volume. There also will be a separate boot partition in an ordinary Linux partition.

Or, you can choose "Create custom layout" if you want to create your own partition scheme. Do that if you want Fedora to be installed entirely in ordinary Linux partitions (instead of LVM volumes). If you don't know about this stuff yet, then forget it for now and do the default with "Use free space". You can learn the differences and intricacies of partition options later.

[MrZalib]

Success! I used the free space option and it worked beautifully! You sir, are awesome. Interestingly enough the GRUB bootloader displays Windows as Other. Anyhow it works and I thank you.

[DBelton]

You can edit your /boot/grub/grub.conf file and change the name if you wish.

It should be down close to the bottom of the file.

You should see something like

title Windows XP
	rootnoverify (hd0,0)
	chainloader +1

I already changed mine ot display Windows XP, but yours probably says "Other" on the title line. Just change it to whatever you wish the menu to display.

Edit:

You have to edit that file as root.

[MrZalib]

Awesome I will try that when my downloads get done. Thanks for the awesome help.

Edit: Alright opened the file up and there was absolutely nothing in it. Not sure what's up. I opened it with Kwrite. Maybe another program needs to open it?

[AceRoom]

I think it's blank cause you need to open it using root permissions. grub.conf stores boot settings, not the name.

You need to open menu.lst. Do this:

sudo gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst

Then change "Other" to "Windows XP" or whatever you want, without the quotes of course.

[DBelton]

/boot/grub/menu.lst is a symlink to /boot/grub/grub.conf.

grub.conf is where it stores the menu settings (and the name displayed in the grub menu) and boot configuration for grub.

[MrZalib]

Started a new session under root and got the change recorded. Thank you everyone for your help!

[AceRoom]

Originally Posted by DBelton

/boot/grub/menu.lst is a symlink to /boot/grub/grub.conf.

grub.conf is where it stores the menu settings (and the name displayed in the grub menu) and boot configuration for grub.

Oh sorry, didn't know. Thanks for the update