Newbie dual boot question

[Orkan_Slayer78]

Okay so this may seem simple but here goes

I'm trying to maintain an Xp install on my IDE Master drive a 80Gb NTFS formatted drive

then I'm trying to run Debian Linux on my IDE Slave drive a 40GB no partitioned drive

then I'm going to share a Fat 32 250GB SATA drive between them but that is just extra

Here is the problem, I'm installing from the 2 DVD's I dL'd from Debian's site. I run the installer install it wants to install GRUB and then I reboot as per commanded, heres where the trouble begins. GRUB error 17
no problem I think, I'll just try to use the NTldr. so I configure the NTldr to try and boot the OS off the D drive so I configure it as per instructions from this site. NTldr will allow me to select Debian as an OS but it then returns me to the NTldr, doh. I'm now very stuck. Now some superfulous background info.
I work at geeksquad and I'm horribley undertrained so I thought it would be good for me to try and learn Linux so basicly I'm fumbling around in the dark with Linux but XP I understand. Feel free to make fun of me on that one, lol.
So If you have any ideas what I should do to make Debian work or any ideas of a distro that would be more of a first step for a newbie like me lol. The primary reason I'm thinking Debian is all the stuff that it comes with especially for graphics. okay I'll stop rambling now lol

[iwanabeguru]

enter your PCs bos and change the boot sequence
make the 40GB hdd the first boot device

[devils casper]

dont install GRUB in Windows Harddisk coz in two harddisks dual boot setup, if you install GRUB in the MBR of Windows disk, it doesn't work properly.
un-plug Windows Harddisk and Plug-in second harddisk as Primay and install Debian. plug-in Windows Harddisk as Secondry after Debian installation and follow instructions from here to setup dual boot.






Casper

[Orkan_Slayer78]

so the bios thing doesn't work and I'm becoming painfully aware of why i quit hastling with this operating system in the first place, I swapped boot order/priority and all i got was a scrolling screen of GRUB GRUB GRUB GRUB
lol pretty lame
under the circumstances I'm not really prepared to swap the drives on the channel
I'm wondering if Lilo would be a better boot loader anyway
I remember her from back in the day lol
GRUB seems woefully difficult to command in this instance

[devils casper]

GRUB is one of the best Boot Loader coz its very easy to handle and tweak. i dont think Lilo will work coz problem is in BIOS and its not allowing GRUB to access Second harddisk.

under the circumstances I'm not really prepared to swap the drives on the channel

you can use Windows Boot Loader. remove GRUB from Windows Harddisk and install it in boot sector of Second disk. edit boot.ini file of Windows and add an entry of Linux in it.




Casper

[Orkan_Slayer78]

added debian linux to ntldr and when I select it it just flashes black and brings the NTldr back up
wow
frustrating lol

[devils casper]

how did you add debian's entry? GRUB should be installed in Boot Sector of Slave Drive. check this link too.






Casper

[Orkan_Slayer78]

thats exactly how I added it, bootpart only in my instance it would be partition 1 but I went through that very app to get it added to the boot.ini doesn't make sense to me either

[Orkan_Slayer78]

I hope this isn't an issue with the DVD's install
is that a possibility?

[devils casper]

are you sure that you installed GRUB in boot sector not in MBR? if you installed GRUB in boot sector, then machine must boot up straight to Windows after Debian Installation. it shouldn't display any GRUB error message.





Casper