dual-boot fc12-win7 - separate drives - starting with fc12

[IrishBouzouki]

I have fc12.x86_64 on my only HDD

/dev/mapper/vg_...-lv_root   /       ext4   679.8 GiB    4% used
/dev/sda1                    /boot   ext4   193.7 MiB   12% used

this first HDD is an internal 3.5" Seagate 750GB 7200rpm SATA-2 (32MB cache)
(this is after essentially a fresh install before I have unpacked my backup files)

I have an ASUS P6T Deluxe motherboard with 6xSATA 3Gb/s

I have a (new unformatted) second HDD arriving soon
this second HDD is an internal 3.5" Seagate 1.5TB 7200rpm SATA-2 (32MB cache)

I'm thinking it might be nice to have GRUB boot to fc12 by default but provide an option to boot to Windows7 on the new second HDD?

Most of the dual-boot instructions you see are for starting with Windows and adding Linux, and are for use with a single HDD. So this is at least a slightly different case, albeit one that I am sure is already documented out there if I could just find it.

My guess is to physically disconnect the first (fc12) HDD cable from the drive and plug in the new drive as the primary and install WIndows7. Then change that new (Windows) drive to secondary and plug the older (fc12) drive back in, boot to Linux, re-enable grub by changing the grub timeout to a non-zero value, and hope it all works like that (guessing I have some other steps to do... adding something to the grub configuration so it looks to see Windows7 on the second drive etc)

I admit I am still only kicking around the idea... I am not sure I even really want any Windows on my system and might instead just install the new drive as another ext4 drive

thoughts/ideas/experiences wrt this kind of configuration?
thanks.

[cromin]

You could as well Modify the GRUB, /boot/grub/menu.lst file to have Win 7 Boot first.

Check this page : http://www.fedoraforum.org/forum/sho...01#post1295301

& posts by winglessbuzzard, his procedure might work for you....

It can help you out for sure...

[IrishBouzouki]

here is the plan then
1. shutdown the PC, crack it open, and unhook the current only system drive
2. physically install the second (to-be-Win-7) drive
3. hook up the second (to-be-Win-7) drive to the SATA cable formerly used by the first (Fedora 12) drive
4. boot to bios and make sure the new second drive is seen as the only drive (for now during Win-7 install)
5. install Win-7 on that drive
6. shut down and swap the drive cable back to the first (Fedora 12) drive
7. boot to bios and verify first drive is seen again
8. boot Fedora 12 and modify grub.conf (I am hoping I do not also need to change menu.lst and the system will do that automatically, if it needs to be changed I believe the contents near as I can tell are exactly the same)

here is the intended new grub.conf I will try...

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE:  You have a /boot partition.  This means that
#          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
#          root (hd0,0)
#          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/mapper/vg_asusp6tdeluxedesktopjohn-lv_root
#          initrd /initrd-[generic-]version.img
#boot=/dev/sda
default=0
timeout=7
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
#hiddenmenu
title Fedora (2.6.31.6-145.fc12.x86_64)
	root (hd0,0)
	kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.31.6-145.fc12.x86_64 ro root=/dev/mapper/vg_asusp6tdeluxedesktopjohn-lv_root  LANG=en_US.UTF-8 SYSFONT=latarcyrheb-sun16 KEYBOARDTYPE=pc KEYTABLE=us rhgb quiet rdblacklist=nouveau
	initrd /initramfs-2.6.31.6-145.fc12.x86_64.img
# added to provide a boot option to Windows 7 on the second drive
title Windows 7 (64-bit)
	rootnoverify (hd1,0)
	map (hd0) (hd1)
	map (hd1) (hd0)
	chainloader +1

note I _am_ using the map commands (a couple folks said it would not work when they actually tried it without them) and I _am_ using rootnoverify instead of root which I think will keep GRUB from mounting the filesystem before spinning up Windows which might cause conflicts. finally note I am using chainloader +1... from the little I understand if you are booting a Windows OS from a partition which is not the first one on the drive then you need to change this to another number.

After physically installing the second hard drive, moving the SATA plug to the second drive, then installing Windows 7 on the second drive, I shut down and plugged in both drives (Fedora drive in first slot although the BIOS lets one change the boot order anyhow).

Bringing the system up on the Fedora drive worked (phew) and here is the new fdisk for both drives... will edit my grub.conf as in the previous message and then try to boot Windows 7 from GRUB that way, which near as I can tell from reading around should work.

#fdisk -1

Disk /dev/sda: 750.2 GB, 750156374016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 91201 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x85df199c

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1          26      204800   83  Linux
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sda2              26       91201   732367201   8e  Linux LVM

Disk /dev/sdb: 1500.3 GB, 1500301910016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 182401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xff0593d0

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1   *           1          13      102400    7  HPFS/NTFS
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sdb2              13      182402  1465033728    7  HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/dm-0: 741.5 GB, 741519392768 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 90151 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Disk /dev/dm-0 doesn't contain a valid partition table

Disk /dev/dm-1: 8422 MB, 8422162432 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1023 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Disk /dev/dm-1 doesn't contain a valid partition table

and, writing this from inside WIndows 7, I can confirm that this will indeed boot Windows 7 from GRUB. Did not have to edit menu.lst at all, nor add any other statements to grub.conf beyond those mentioned above.

and having now booted back into Fedora I can state booting into Windows 7 in this way did not affect Fedora at all.

one note - Windows does not see the Fedora drive (ext4) at all, which is actually the way I prefer it. I figure it is safer that way and also anything I need to access across OS'es I can keep on the Windows drive and access from Fedora by mounting the drive, to wit...
can now also verify Fedora 12 will mount that drive (it does see it at boot but does not mount it until requested by the user)
- one sees a file system called "System Reserved" with the Windows 7 bootmgr, the volume information in a folder and it looks like BCD and memtest in another folder.
- one sees another file system called "1500GB Filesystem" (in my setup) which looks like it is the C drive under Windows.

and booting back into Windows after having tried that (mounting the Windows 7 fs under Fedora 12) it is still working just fine.

[stoat]

Hello IrishBouzouki,

Nicely documented. Kinda like a diary, but clear and concise for others to read (unlike a diary). I've been silently following along. It will be a nice HOWTO. You might be interested in knowing that what you described is a variation of the so-called (by me, anyway) Jim Lawrence dual boot method. Your variation is Windows second instead of first. So it will be useful to have in the record.

[IrishBouzouki]

Originally Posted by stoat

Nicely documented. Kinda like a diary, but clear and concise for others to read (unlike a diary). I've been silently following along. It will be a nice HOWTO. You might be interested in knowing that what you described is a variation of the so-called (by me, anyway) Jim Lawrence dual boot method. Your variation is Windows second instead of first. So it will be useful to have in the record.

yes, stoat, you were actually one of the reliable sources of information I used to figure to out how to do this. so thanks.

---------- Post added at 03:42 PM CST ---------- Previous post was at 03:25 PM CST ----------

NOW A QUESTION FOR THE DRIVE HARDWARE GURUS IN THE COMMUNITY...

The guys who put my system together were supposed to supply all the cables used or not that came with my chassis and the ASUS motherboard. But they only gave me the two SATA cables used to originally install my Fedora drive and my DVD/CD/RW. They did however give me the two SAS cables as well (left in the box).

I scavanged my DVD/CD drive cable for this project. But can I simply use the SAS cables and plug them into the SATA ports on the motherboard instead? Or is there something different about the cables that would cause that not to work (besides confusing the heck out of anyone else working on the machine)?

It looks to me like the cables are mechanically and electrically essentially the same? In fact the motherboard end of the SAS cables actually says "SATA" (the drive end says "SAS" and has the power and data cables on a single molded part). The ribbon-ish data cable itself is clearly intended for SATA use and is stamped SATA as well.

[WhiteRaven]

My thanks to you IrishBouzouki.
I registered for this forum mostly to express my appriciation for your journal of events.

I have been dual booting since RH 7.3, always enjoy the 'learning' that accompanies each endeavour. I mostly deal with old boxes. My next adventure is similar to yours and I was hashing it out on my own when I chanced upon your comments.

For this yule season I have a "hobby" machine I'm throwing together with more "current" hardware. This time I am reserving a 32 Gig SSD for each OS in an attempt to keep the two worlds separate. Really don't like the idea of putting windows 7 on the new box at all, but I do like the prospect of a challenge.

Recently I've been bringing up XP in Sun's Virtual box with F11 & F12 with a great deal of success, but the whole Host/Guest thing seems inefficient.
Your method is very similar to my intent and I greatly appriciate your posting. I'll return the favor when my equipment arrives.
Thanks Again

[martypants]

I have a dual boot system, too. But I prefer the much simpler approach. My two drives, ones a Fedora 12 and the other Windows XP, know nothing of each other. I leave the booting up to my BIOS. I select at startup which disk I want to boot. Configuration time: 0

I used to do the grub thing, but just too many times something got jacked and I had to
rebuild/reinstall. I used grub when I was poor and couldn't afford two HDDs. They're so
cheap now there's no need to dork around with grub and nearly all BIOS implementations
these days have a boot selection screen that doesn't entail having to reconfigure which
drives is always first.