Dual boot Kubuntu and XP on separate hard drives, some help please.

[madmanmick]

Hi, I am a new user to Linux, and have been exploring several different distros and have come to the conclusion that Kubuntu best suits my needs (and looks good). I am having trouble dual booting the OS. Here is my set up:
sda = 250gb (E:\)
sdc = 250gb
sdc1 = 30gb Windows partition (C:\)
sdc2 = 120gb storage partition (D:\)

I recently went and bought a new HDD for the sole purpose of installing Linux distributions to run alongside XP in dual boot.
The new HDD i have purchased is an 80gb drive, Linux picks it up as:
sdb = 80gb (linux drive).

The first problem I had, was installing Kubuntu via the LiveCD, I allowed it to do a Guided Install on the SDB hard drive, allowing it to automatically partition the disc for my kubuntu install. As it turns out, it created two partitions on this drive, a 3gb swap partition and a 77gb root partition. I reset my computer as instructed and removed the disc, to be presented at boot with the error "GRUB loading, please wait... Error 17". After researching the problem it seems that the Kubuntu installation corrupted my MBR, because I could boot neither XP or Kubuntu.

I ran FIXMBR and FIXBOOT which allowed me to return to booting XP. I then changed to the kubuntu liveCD to do a reinstall, and spent several hours researching how to set up a dual boot, with limited success, it seems that everyone has a different way of doing it using different programs. I then went and deleted the partitions of SDB (which kubuntu was installed on), and proceeded to a manual repartitioning. I created sdb1 as the SWAP, and gave it 3gb. I created an ext3 / root drive of 8gb, and then a 69gb ext3 and mounted it as /home. I think I have found where the problem lies, but am unsure how to solve it...

After I click continue, it gives me a list of what is about to occur, before I click install. I noticed there is an 'advanced' button down the bottom right. On the first install (error 17) i clicked this, and there was the option 'install boot loader' checked, and then a form bar titled something like 'help for boot goes here', and it was automatically set at hda(0) or something from memory. The second install, I changed this to /dev/sdb, which i thought would work as it was targeting the drive Kubuntu is installed upon.

After resetting and removing the disc, XP booted up, i was not given the option of the GRUB boot loader - I have no idea what to do, but i know that Kubuntu is still installed on my PC! I checked in the control panel under 'startup and recovery settings', the 'Default operating system' list only had an entry for Windows XP, I believe it is also supposed to have an entry for Kubuntu?

How can I fix this? I am at a complete loss...
Thank you!

[Qqmike]

Re: Dual boot Kubuntu and XP on separate hard drives, some help please.

Well, most of us use GRUB to boot all the OSs, which means GRUB (the bootloader) is installed to the MBR of the first hard drive set in BIOS to boot; and so GRUB will also boot Windows.

Also, when messing with GRUB, it's best to use GRUB notation for drives, (hdx,y), whereas sdax is Linux notation.

This How-To gives the principles to sort this with:
Basically, decide which hard drive to re-install Grub to (using root-setup-quit). Use geometry command at Konsole (probably from your Kubuntu Live CD), to identify drives.
The GRUB command
find /boot/grub/stage1
will tell you where your GRUB files are; use the answer, some (hdx,y), in the
root (hdx,y)
command (of root-setup-quit).


How To GRUB Methods - Toolkit
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081671.0
--- HOW To: Change the Default Operating System (Also: Changing the timeout, boot menu, and other tips) Reply #1


You just need to re-install GRUB (root-setup-quit) to the right drive (the one you want to boot GRUB, and set in BIOS as first in boot order).

[madmanmick]

Re: Dual boot Kubuntu and XP on separate hard drives, some help please.

Should i boot into the LiveCD to run these operations? I think from looking at the way my harddrives are configured, Windows is actually not installed on hd0... i got that idea from linux's ordering of the HDDs... sda being a storage drive and sdc being my windows drive.

[madmanmick]

Re: Dual boot Kubuntu and XP on separate hard drives, some help please.

OK, after fiddling for several hours I still have made no progress. I checked out my kubuntu install, turns out the root is located on hd1,1. I tried running grub setup hd1,1 - it said everything worked fine. I rebooted my computer and set the first HDD to boot as the 80gb kubuntu drive, reset again, and got the GRUB loader. It presented me with 3 variations of Kubuntu and a Windows XP option, none of them work!

All the Kubuntu options yield Error 22 - No such partition. The Windows option gives me Error 13 - Invalid or unsupported executable format.
I think i have discovered my problem, if anyone knows how to fix it. Im think that my Windows is not actually installed on disk 0, but another disk (1 or 2). If that is so, may it be causing problems?

I also tried installing the grub in hd0,0, but all that did was corrupt the MBR, so i had to do a Windows fixmbr. Why is there no simple way of doing this! Is there a way i can change my windows drive back to disk 0 instead of it being my storage drive?

I'm really cut about this, it should not be so difficult. I bought the spare drive for the sole purpose of not destroying my windows install haha, there must be a way to fix this.
Please help!

PS: I read the GRUB how to, but there is way too many scattered situations, none of which pertain to my problem, it also uses alot of linux code which I am not familiar with, making it all that much more difficult. Keep in mind I am new to the concept of my hard drives being labeled as (hd0, hd1, sda, sdb etc. etc.... I'm still used to C:\ and D:\).
Thanks

[Qqmike]

Re: Dual boot Kubuntu and XP on separate hard drives, some help please.

This need not be complicated, unless you have complications, which you have by starting with 3 hard drives, and the data drive being hd0. Also, the Windows notation is really confusing (archaic), and I'd leave it out. Also, the entire how-to does apply here. You need to be clear about what you are trying to do.

Let me guess: You want to boot from the Kubuntu drive, and from there you want to boot Windows; AND you do NOT want to overwrite the Windows bootloader in the MBR of the Windows drive.

Is this all correct? You can do it any way you wish, but you must be clear about it.

Let us know. If it is correct, then I'll type another reply based on that game plan.

[blackjack72]

Re: Dual boot Kubuntu and XP on separate hard drives, some help please.

Just by way of information, I have recently installed Kubuntu on a separate hard drive and have had no problems (except the inherent glitches in 7.10 which I hope that Hardy addresses. I let the installer do the partitioning itself (guided on the entire drive) and everything seems to be working fine.

[Qqmike]

Re: Dual boot Kubuntu and XP on separate hard drives, some help please.

Because I may be gone most of the morning, I'll drop this here. Several other guys in the forum can also help straighten this out for you.

To boot from the Kubuntu drive as hd0, go into BIOS setup and configure BIOS to boot first from the Kubuntu drive and second from the Windows drive (the drives in BIOS will be labeled so you should be able to recognize them).

Now, when you re-boot your PC, hd0 will be the Kubuntu drive and hd1 will be the Windows drive.

Next, use the Live Kubuntu CD, open K > System > Konsole Terminal program.
Type
sudo grub
that gives you a GRUB prompt grub>, and type each of these after it, pressing Enter after each command:
grub> find/boot/grub/stage1
That should return your Kubuntu partition, some (hd0,y) (y should be 0, 1, or 2). Use that (hd0,y) here:
grub> root (hd0,y)
grub> setup (hd0)
grub> quit
exit
exit out of Live CD session to re-boot, eject/remove CD, and see if Kubuntu will boot.
Windows will probably not boot yet.

To make Windows boot from the boot menu, boot into Kubuntu or use the Live CD and edit menu.lst as root (as explained in the how-to) to include the following boot entry for Windows (Reply #12 of the how-to):

title Windows
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
map (hd1) (hd0)
map (hd0) (hd1)
chainloader +1

File>Save, File>Quit

(Put that entry for Windows in place of what was there in menu.lst for Windows.)

That should do it. You may have to edit menu.lst to set the default operating system and timeout; that's in Reply #1 of the how-to.

[madmanmick]

Re: Dual boot Kubuntu and XP on separate hard drives, some help please.

Thankyou for your patience, I appreciate it. Basically I just want to have a system with both OS, XP and Kubuntu. I would like to run Kubuntu by default and use XP for games/other non-linux apps. I'll try reodering my drive prefences as you said (to make the Samsung hd0) and run a reinstall, hopefully it will run ok this time.
Thanks again for your help, I'll post back up here after i give it a go.

[Qqmike]

Re: Dual boot Kubuntu and XP on separate hard drives, some help please.

This sort of code simply re-installs GRUB:
Next, use the Live Kubuntu CD, open K > System > Konsole Terminal program.
Type
sudo grub
that gives you a GRUB prompt grub>, and type each of these after it, pressing Enter after each command:
grub> find/boot/grub/stage1
That should return your Kubuntu partition, some (hd0,y) (y should be 0, 1, or 2). Use that (hd0,y) here:
grub> root (hd0,y)
grub> setup (hd0)
grub> quit
exit
exit out of Live CD session to re-boot, eject/remove CD, and see if Kubuntu will boot.
Windows will probably not boot yet.


=> It doesn't too much matter where GRUB was installed when installing Kubuntu, as you can always re-install GRUB wherever you want it to be afterwards, using a lIve CD (or Super Grub Disk CD).

[madmanmick]

Re: Dual boot Kubuntu and XP on separate hard drives, some help please.

Ok, here is the progress. GRUB is now successfully booting Kubuntu, but Windows XP has become corrupt.
I tried setting the kubuntu HDD to have first boot priority, but that gives me Error 17. So I changed first boot back to the windows drive, which successfully loads GRUB, and from there I can load Kubuntu no problems.

However, from the GRUB menu, launching XP gives me an error saying 'Missing file Hal32.dll (or hal.dll, can't remember), please install a copy of this file to run'. I take it that Kubuntu's installation of GRUB has messed up my MBR. I tried changing the boot priority to the other storage drive which flat out didn't work. So I either have Kubuntu or nothing at the moment.

I checked the boot command for the Windows option in grub, it read as such:
Root (hd0,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader +1

That combination yielded the missing hal32.dll.

I changed it to this:
Rootnoverify (hd0,0)
Map (hd0) (hd1)
Map (hd1) (hd0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

This resulted in my screen displaying PP_ and stopping.

I restarted and tried this:
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
map (hd1) (hd0)
map (hd0) (hd1)
makeactive
chainloader +1

This left me stuck at the Starting up... screen, nothing else happened.
You will notice I left my root set to (hd0,0), this is because the windows drive has to be mounted as the first drive otherwise Kubuntu will not start (The kubuntu drive has second priority, therefore making it hd1,1 - I checked this in the Kubuntu boot options, root shows as hd1,1). I took it from this that windows must therefore still be located at root (hd0,0).

Should it be working without changing my settings? Leaving them as they were first? Because XP actually loads here - but gives me the missing file error. The other two methods result in a hang effectively.
Any ideas?

[Qqmike]

Re: Dual boot Kubuntu and XP on separate hard drives, some help please.

OK. So the first boot (in BIOS) is the Windows drive.
Let's take that as given.

Then the boot entry for Windows in the /boot/grub/menu.lst (located in the Kubuntu root partition) should be:

title Windows
root (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

(Of course, edit menu.lst AS ROOT and don't forget to File > Save and File > Quit afterwards.)

Now, GRUB should have overwritten the MBR (and the Windows NTLDR bootloader IPL code there). That's normal, not a problem.

But we should make sure that everything is solid, and therefore, using the Live Kubuntu CD, it would not hurt—and may help—to re-install GRUB to the MBR of the hd0 drive (the Windows drive, first-BIOS boot drive):

Live Kubuntu CD
Konsole
sudo grub
grub> find /boot/grub/stage1
That returns some value (hdx,y); use that value here:
grub> root (hdx,y)
grub> setup (hd0)
grub> quit
exit
exit out the Live CD session, reboot to test it.


That “Missing file Hal32.dll” message is unusual, should not occur here; but apparently it does, as a google on it returns many results. Hopefully, we can get rid of it or work past it. NOTHING we have done here should damage any Windows files (but, of course, installing GRUB to (hd0) will overwrite the NTLDR IPL code, which is usual and normal).

[madmanmick]

Re: Dual boot Kubuntu and XP on separate hard drives, some help please.

I will try this now, from the LiveCD. However I am reluctant to do so, as i remember doing a GRUB reinstall to Hd0 yesterday or the day before, and rebooting to the error 17. Hopefully this wont happen again, because i will have to do a windows recovery install. I will post here again soon (hopefully).

[Qqmike]

Re: Dual boot Kubuntu and XP on separate hard drives, some help please.

Error 17 is a normal abnormal error (fixable).
But if you do a "do a windows recovery install," then you are UN-doing the GRUB work here. We don't want Windows mbr restored if we are using the Windows drive to boot first and then to boot Kubuntu.

[Qqmike]

Re: Dual boot Kubuntu and XP on separate hard drives, some help please.

I just ripped through a bunch of posts on
Missing file Hal32.dll
and it looks like that comes from corrupt/quirky Windows bootloader files stuff (boot.ini).
Nothing to do with GRUB.

[madmanmick]

Re: Dual boot Kubuntu and XP on separate hard drives, some help please.

Ok turns out I can't boot the LiveCD anymore, it goes through the loading process, gives me a blue kubuntu screen, then returns to a flashing underline on a black screen, tried it three times in safe graphics mode. Can i just do the GRUB reinstall from my HDD installation of Kubuntu? How would my boot.ini be corrupt though, because when I had Windows solely on this machine I never had a problem booting, only received the error after installing Kubuntu.