dual boot with vista (on multiple HDD)

[mangetsu]

Hi,

I currently have Vista (SP1) on my machine and i'd like to install Kubuntu as well, without having to reinstall Vista. I've found this guide (among others):

http://apcmag.com/how_to_dualboot_vi...lled_first.htm

It seems to describe how to do just that. However it (and others) seem to assume that kubuntu will be installed on a different partition on the same drive.

What I'd like to do is to add another hard drive to my machine and install kubuntu on that. Will the method described in the above guide work with a separate or do I need to do something else?

[PerfectApproach]

Re: dual boot with vista (on multiple HDD)

Yes, it will work. All you have to do is make sure that your BIOS is looking for the new hard drive to boot from. You'll need to put a new master boot record on the new drive, and basically install Kubu just like Vista never existed. The setup process will detect the other HDD with Vista on it, and will adjust your bootloader appropriately to "chainload" Vista.

[mangetsu]

Re: dual boot with vista (on multiple HDD)

I see. That great news. Now I just need to find a decent hard drive.
Thanks for the quick reply, I really appreciate it.

[Qqmike]

Re: dual boot with vista (on multiple HDD)

Yes, the method will work if you install Kubuntu on a second HD instead of on the same HD as Vista is on.

BUT ... first, make life easy on yourself ... do some of this work BEFORE installing Kubuntu.
Recommend you do the following:

Get that new second HD and hook it up.
Get a copy of GParted Live CD (see below)--a very handy tool in any case!

GParted Live CD:
Start GParted Live CD and run it to create the right partition(s) on the second HD.
(That is, put the CD in the tray and re-boot your PC with it.)
CAUTION:
CAUTION: In the GParted menu, be careful NOT to mess up your Vista HD!
=> In Gparted Live CD, on the right side, there's a drop-down list of your HDs. The new HD should show up as, like, sdb, NOT sda.
After selecting that new HD, look at it in the GParted display to be sure it looks like a new HD and not like an existing Vista HD!

Now, exit out of GParted Live CD. Reboot the machine with the Kubuntu installer CD in the tray.

In the apc guide you linked to,
Page 3, Install U/Kubuntu
Step 4, Prepare Disk Space
Select Manual (i.e., do NOT select Guided as they have done in the guide)

That will send you to Step 5, where you will tell the Kubuntu installer where to put Kubuntu root system (/), the swap, and a separate /home (if you use a separate /home). See Rog131 "How to Partition" below for partitioning tips in Kubuntu.

Step 6 -- Finish
About the bootloader:
(Step 6 of the Kubuntu installation, behind the Advanced button at lower right, also indicates where to install GRUB, the Kubuntu bootloader. By default, it is set as (hd0) which is the Master Boot Record of the first-boot HD which should be your Vista drive. Thus, GRUB will overwrite the existing Vista bootloader in (hd0) with the Linux bootloader GRUB. If at the end of installing Kubuntu, you wish to have the Vista bootloader run the show, then proceed to Page 4 of the apc guide: Choose a Bootloader. On the other hand, after installing Kubuntu (and GRUB in (hd0)), when you reboot the PC, you'll see that GRUB will give you a boot menu where you can choose to boot either Kubuntu or Vista. GRUB will do the job just fine for you--most people here probably use GRUB. But that is your choice.)


GParted: http://gparted.sourceforge.net/
(free ISO download --then burn the ISO to a CD, as you usually do)

Partitioning—how to, Rog131:
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3090704.0
NOTE: At a minimum, you will need two partitions, one for Kubuntu root filesystem (/) and one for swap; a separate partition for /home is optional, but many people do that also. (Side note: dibl here has another method for keeping your personal data separate (involves setting up symlinks from your /home inside the root partition to a separate data partition(s), but that's something you can look into some other day (it's slightly more advanced).)

[Qqmike]

Re: dual boot with vista (on multiple HDD)

PerfectApproach is absolutely correct, but somewhat advanced.

much easier, the first time:
Just follow apc's steps in Pages 1-4, with the modification I outlined above.
No need to mess with the MBR of the new HD (in fact, that would put Vista on a non-first HD, which necessitates using a map-command dance in Kubuntu's boot menu to boot Vista, etc., etc.)

[mangetsu]

Re: dual boot with vista (on multiple HDD)

Qqmike, thank you for the detailed instructions. I'll attempt to do it as you suggest.