Fedora 14 and Win7 dual boot problem

[leaonfm]

this weekend, I decided to give fedora 14 a try and install it as 2nd OS to my Dell desktop w/ Windows 7 64bits installed.

I install Fedora 14 32bits the same way I install Ubuntu. First, make unallocated space for it (about 150Gb). During the installation setup, I select "use all continuous free pace" as partition option, coz it's fastest and easiest. /dev/sda/ is selected as location for boot loader, and leaves Fedora as default boot target.

Installation process goes very smoothly, but when the system restarts. The computer boots up as if Fedora has never been installed, it goes straight to Windows7, No GRUB boot loader menu whatsoever.

troubleshooting attempt #1: at first I thought it maybe the GRUB compatibility issue between 32bits Fedora and 64bits Win7. So I tried out 64bits Fedora, doesn't work.

troubleshooting attempt #2: then I tried to install the boot loader on the Linux partition (first boot sector of boot partition) and let Windows 7 controls the startup menu by using FreeBCD. Still doesn't work

I'm totally out of idea. Help appreciated.

[jawsnnn16]

Please let me know if you figure out a way to overcome this. I have the same problem. Thanks.

[leaonfm]

sorry, I gave up on Fedora already, and am living happily w/ Ubuntu/Win7 dual boot.

my only guess is that my PC's MBR has problem with Fedora's legacy GRUB v0.98, I tried to install CenOS, which uses the same GRUB version, and ran into the same issue. Ubuntu 10.10 uses 1.98 GRUB, and it sits well w/ win7

[oz]

my only guess is that my PC's MBR has problem with Fedora's legacy GRUB v0.98, I tried to install CenOS, which uses the same GRUB version, and ran into the same issue. Ubuntu 10.10 uses 1.98 GRUB, and it sits well w/ win7

I'm pretty sure you can't mix GRUB2 and GRUB Legacy, but you should be able to multi-boot all those distros on the same machine if you use the same GRUB version for all of them.

[leaonfm]

I'm pretty sure you can't mix GRUB2 and GRUB Legacy, but you should be able to multi-boot all those distros on the same machine if you use the same GRUB version for all of them.

no, i never want to install multiple distroes. I only need ONE distro to dual boot w/ Win7.
Tried Fedora 14, ran into the issue describe in this post; so I deleted the Fedora partition completely, execute "bootrec.exe /Fixmbr", then install Ubuntu, which works fine to me now.

[yancek]

The issue is moot now but, from your first post it would seem you did not install Grub from Fedora to the mbr. I don't use Fedora but I believe its' default install is to create a separate /boot partition and use LVM.

[QUOTE]I'm pretty sure you can't mix GRUB2 and GRUB Legacy, [QUOTE]

You can but it's not as easy. See the tutorial below, Section 5.B:

GRUB 2 bootloader - Full tutorial

[leaonfm]

I believe its' default install is to create a separate /boot partition and use LVM.

correct, that's the default partition layout of fedora.
as a matter of fact, I did install GRUB to mbr in my 1st attempt, but it seemed that GRUB failed to overwrite the MBR, weird.