Dual Boot

**rob76** · 07-07-2003

Hi,

I'm new to Linux and was recently given a old PC (PII, 9GB) with Red Hat installed on it...I'd like to learn to use it but in the meantime I'd like to have WIndows installed as well. Can I install windows after linux or do I need to unistall linux and start from the beginning??

Thanks

**bmxface** · 07-07-2003

im not exactly sure if you can install windows after. i hear that if you do it will mess up the boot sector. but if you have the linux disks you can just try and see. otherwise wait for someone here who is more knowledged on this matter to reply.

**Dolda2000** · 07-07-2003

It is indeed possible, but it's not the easiest thing in the world. The main thing is that if the Linux partitions take up the entire drive (which they probably do), you will need to shrink them first, and since one cannot resize a mounted ext2 filesystem, it won't be possible to resize the root filesystem outside rescue mode or the like. In Linux, can you log in as root and post the output of the following commands?

Code:

fdisk -l /dev/hda
mount

Then there is the boot loader issue (ie. the problem that Windows overwrites any existing boot loader with its own crappy one, whether you want it to or not) as well, but that's not as problematic. GRUB can be reinstalled very easily, and LILO as at least rather easy to reinstall. Can you check if it's using GRUB or LILO. If you don't know how, just describe what your boot loader screen looks like (ie. what is displayed right after the BIOS has completed its stuff).

It just might be easier for you to restart from the beginning, though. In that case, remember to install Windows first, so that you get a real boot loader once it's all completed.

**rob76** · 07-08-2003

Thanks a lot for your help.

Dolda, the main problem is that I'm not a programmer and I have no idea where you go to type in these commands. As I say I would like to learn my way around Linux and learn some programming along the way but even reading tutorial stuff on the web makes my head hurt.

For example I downloaded Kazaa and Trillian yesterday and both wouldn't run due ro "Nautilus has no viewer to run these apps" or something like that.

**Dolda2000** · 07-08-2003

You don't really need to be a programmer for that. Anyway, what does it look like when you start your Linux system, and were you given the root password when you were given the box? If you were, try pressing Ctrl+Alt+F1 to get to a text terminal (if you aren't already), then type root as the username, and log in with the root password. Then you will get a shell prompt where you can run those commands.

**Dillinger** · 07-08-2003

Originally Posted by rob76

For example I downloaded Kazaa and Trillian yesterday and both wouldn't run due ro "Nautilus has no viewer to run these apps" or something like that.

Kazaa and Trillian are both windows applications, Linux can not install .exe files. Gaim is a pretty good IM program for Linux, the newest version even supports recieving file transfers. I use Gaim as my AIM client and AMSN for MSN messenger. It's just like MSN for windows and supports full file transfer and everything you're used to.

**rob76** · 07-09-2003

Thanks again

I think I'll start again fron the beginning and do this dual boot thing but one more question...how do I unistall Red Hat? and so I need red hat to be installed immediately after win2000 or can it be in a couple of days??

**rob76** · 07-09-2003

Hey dolda I ran that commend and it brought up the following

Here DISK is something like /dev/hdb or /dev/sda abd PARTITION is something like /dev/hda7
-u: give Start and End in sector (instead of cyclinder) units
-b 2048: (for certain MO disks use 2048-byte sectors

what does this all mean???

**Dolda2000** · 07-09-2003

You must have typed it wrong. The -l is a lowercase L, not a 1 (one) or uppercase i.

**rob76** · 07-10-2003

thanks dolda, I'll try again and see what happens.

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