dual boot DreamLinux and Windows Vista.....

[steveoffthehook]

I recently purchased a new computer with Windows Vista installed. To be frank Windows looked fabulous. You get the idea, I'm sure.

This has forced me into a new position - I must preserve my warrenty and I must switch to linux. It depends on who you talk to as to what the warrenty rules are at Dell. Though everyone at Dell agrees that me switching operating systems is expressly forbidden, despite the fact I own the computer.

So I was faced with a choice and decided that losing all my data for the sixteenth time is pretty much out of the question. So I chose DreamLinux 2.2 MM and brand new Western Digital 320 gb SATA hard drive to literally hide DreamLinux on. I'm not sure if it sounds kinda dumb or not, I am attempting to hide my dual boot from Dells Spy Cam. The Dell Spy Cam cannot veiw my new hard drive, just the OEM one since it has Dell's Spy Cam features installed on it. {This Is related to the warrenty issue.}

What I would like to do is maintain the linux Grub window at boot {I like it best and Dell can't see it because I'm not on the net yet.} and Windows Vista as a choice of a second operating system. Gosh it pains me to say that.

I am a rookie at this. If it were not for this, I still would not have seen the inside of a computer. Man, lots of wires. I wonder what they all go to ?? I don't know much about computers - though I am pretty sure it is not a good idea to continuously switch between hard drives by unlpugging one and plugging the other in {and back to linux again} with a pair of pliers.

Can anyone suggest a way to plug the OEM hard drive back in {with a pair of pliers} for the last time and get Windows to show up on the DreamLinux Grub ???

Steve Williams
Wilmer, Texas
steve off the hook @aol.com

[devils casper]

If you want to keep Windows OS intact then best way is, Unplug Windows HD and Plug-in Other HD as Primay Master. Install Linux in it. After Linux Installation, Plug in Windows HD as Secondary/Slave and add an entry of Windows OS in /boot/grub/grub.conf file.
I have to look into Partition Structure of your Windows HD first. Install Linux, plug-in Windows Disk. Linux will boot up by default. Open Terminal and execute this

su -
fdisk -l

Post output here. I will post the code after checking output.

* Do you know that Gentoo is not User Friendly distro? You have a lot of time, patience and ready to learn in and outs of Linux, Gentoo is best. Otherwise, switch to more Newbie Friendly Distro, Check this Poll.

[steveoffthehook]

Cool !!

I did all that except the Terminal Code and the Windows instruction.

Que: Should I turn the computer off first or keep it running when I plug the Windows hard drive back in ??

Also can you explain the windows instruction in fine detail. I am a beginner an I do not know about the missing pieces.

This is just exactly what I've needed all along.


Here is the results:

{I tried it with and without su log in- name, password, ect.}

-c, --command COMMAND pass COMMAND to the invoked shell
-h, --help display this help message and exit
-, -l, --login make the shell a login shell
-m, -p,
--preserve-environment do not reset environment variables, and keep
the same shell
-s, --shell SHELL use SHELL instead of the default in passwd

steve@steve:~$ su
Password:
root@steve:/home/steve# su -fdisk -l
su: invalid option -- f
Usage: su [options] [LOGIN]

Options:
-c, --command COMMAND pass COMMAND to the invoked shell
-h, --help display this help message and exit
-, -l, --login make the shell a login shell
-m, -p,
--preserve-environment do not reset environment variables, and keep
the same shell
-s, --shell SHELL use SHELL instead of the default in passwd

root@steve:/home/steve#

Please also describe in fine detail how and where the /boot/grub/grub/confed.file is made....

Please bear in mind that my tempermental terminal refuses many codes. as I've previously described.

I am actually suffering from multiple computer issues...I'll nail them all. One at a time.

Happy Trails....

[devils casper]

Correct Code is

su -
fdisk -l

Post output here.

[steveoffthehook]

I read with great interest your previos post about how you thought su- fdisk -l was the correct code.

I tried it two different ways. {See previous post} When you repeated the post you put up excatly and did not respond to what I might be doing wrong here, I tried this third method:

{1} Opened new terminal window.

{2} After the text: Steve@Steve:$ su- <---I entered "su -"

{3} After the text: Password: ****** <---- I entered the password

{4} After the Password I got: root@steve:# fdisk -l <--- I entered the second part of the code.

As you can see the steps out lined above differ alot from what you described previously and hence here are the results:







steve@steve:~$ su -
Password:
root@steve:~# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 1403 11269566 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 1404 38913 301299075 83 Linux
root@steve:~#

Bear in mind the first hard drive is not in use. Yet. Still awaiting further instruction.


This is what I got by plugging the first hard drive in with out turnig computer off first:



steve@steve:~$ su-
bash: su-: command not found
steve@steve:~$ su -
Password:
root@steve:~# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 1403 11269566 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 1404 38913 301299075 83 Linux
root@steve:~#

I think they're exactly the same.....

Not sure what is next.

[oz]

From what I can tell, Casper entered the code the same way both times, but you entered it wrong in post #3:

steve@steve:~$ su
Password:
root@steve:/home/steve# su -fdisk -l

By the way, I moved your posts into a thread of their own because the original poster would not be happy to return and see that his/her thread has been hijacked by another user.

[steveoffthehook]

Thank you for moving my posts to there own thread. Teach me how to do that please. devils_cassper thought I was spamming.

I guess when I explained that I was utilising a pair of pliers to unplug my two different hard drives it was not taken seriously. No matter. I am a real rookie at this.

All ideas are appreciated....

[oz]

Thank you for moving my posts to there own thread. Teach me how to do that please. devils_cassper thought I was spamming.

Pick the proper forum for your new thread and click on it to enter the forum.
Click the "NEW THREAD" button.
Enter your title and text.
Click the "Submit New Thread" button.

Feel free to PM one of the board admins if you don't understand how to use a board feature.

Yes. devils_casper did not explain that the password must be entered between the su - Command and the fdisk -l command. Of course I had no idea, and he had no idea I was about as green as a shamrock.

He didn't enter the password information because it's not a command and the computer asks you for that information. It does not ask you for the su - or the fdisk -l. Users generally figure out that they should enter their root password when the computer asks for it. That said, you still entered the wrong commands according to what you posted in post #3.

Have fun with the Linux experience...

oz

[steveoffthehook]

Actually I do get what you mean exactly. If you read my previous posts, I typed in the entire command after the window opened then hit enter. Later I tried to enter root then {name, password ect.} typed in the whole command again.

Results are posted above.

Please bear in mind I do not know a doggon thing. You MUST explain the whole thing to me, verbatem. I just spent ten hours figuring this previous command out. I could only wish that I knew one tenth as much as you. I don't. Sorry. I'll do better in a few months.

When I booted ths time linux installation text came up and it said it was panicing. That seems strange coming from a computer.

devils_casper suggested I plug my first hard drive back in. About the time I did, the keyboard quit. I forgot to unplug it before I restarted.

This was good because Windows no longer boots like linux is not there. I'm just not sure how to make sense out of some of the Grub posts I've spent lots of time reading.

Thanks for the new thread tip. I will try to use it. When I do it wrong, please fix it again and tell me what I did. I'll attempt to fix it. Or do it differently next time....

Any ideas on the hard drive situation or the broken cd rom ??

Thank You....