[SOLVED] Replacing Ubuntu 11.10 with F16 on Windows 7 Dual Boot Dell

[gadgetwiz]

Here's the situation and hopefully, someone can help..

A friend mentioned to me that she was planning on having a relative install Ubuntu and I recommended that she add another hard drive, install Ubuntu "stand alone" on the new drive, leaving the her Windows 7 drive untouched.

Knowing that she wasn't the techy type, I figured that would be the best approach and she could boot to either OS using the BIOS boot menu (F12) on the Dell.

Well, her relative just installed Ubuntu on the new drive using the default settings and it overwrote the MBR on the Windows 7 drive, so it now boots directly to Ubuntu, unless she catches it, arrows down and selects to boot to Windows.

After a couple of days she hit a major Ubuntu error and hasn't been able to get back into Ubuntu since (She can get to Win 7 OK). None of the solutions we found for the Ubuntu error has worked and now she wants to go with Fedora 16.

So here's the million dollar question. Can I simply install Fedora 16, replacing Ubuntu on the new drive and overwriting the MBR/Grub that's on the Windows 7 drive?

Does anyone see a problem with this? I fear that since her Desktop is a Dell and it has a hidden partition @ sda1 and Ubuntu's Grub install is already there , there might be problems.

I really don't want to mess things up worse and lock her out of Windows 7 too. I did have her create a Windows 7 repair disk just in case, but I don't have a lot of confidence that the repair disk she created will even restore the Windows 7 MBR, if something goes wrong.

What do you all think?

Any suggestions on how to proceed?

Thanks!!

[Dutchy]

Shouldn't be a problem.
Just make sure you install to the right disk (probably sdb) and overwrite the "Ubuntu" partitions, also be sure that you install the bootloader to the right disk (probably sda).
It might be smart to first make a practice installation in a virtual environment (Virtual Box) to get familiar with the process (in case you've never done a F16 install) and to make backups of important files and disks prior to the installation.

[gadgetwiz]

Thanks for the info!!

Yes, I've installed Fedora 16 several times (Fedora user since F5) but this is an odd case and I'm just not that comfortable with what Ubuntu does, along with the hidden partitions on Dell (and I think Win 7 normally has a hidden partition too but who knows how Dell set the system up.

You are correct regarding the drive designations. Here's the fdisk -l if it helps..

[root@localhost ~]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders, total 1953525168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0faa21d8

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1              63       80324       40131   de  Dell Utility
/dev/sda2   *       81920    17526783     8722432    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda3        17526784  1953521663   967997440    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT

Disk /dev/sdb: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xd9a3e920

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1            2048   489769058   244883505+   7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb2       489771006   976771071   243500033    5  Extended
/dev/sdb5       489771008   960276479   235252736   83  Linux
/dev/sdb6       960278528   976771071     8246272   82  Linux swap / Solaris

[glennzo]

Time to do a full backup of all of her important Windows data before going any further. Things happen.

[gadgetwiz]

Yes, good suggestion Glennzo. I've already told her to get everything backed up.

Hope for the best and plan for the worst.

[stoat]

An idea to consider in this situation is to repair the Windows boot loader back to the state it was in before Ubuntu (booting directly from BIOS). Then proceed with installing Fedora in the partition currently occupied by Ubuntu. Choose the boot loader option that installs GRUB in the first sector of the Fedora boot partition (instead of the hard drive's MBR). Finish installing Fedora. Reboot. Nothing will seem to have happened and only Windows will boot. Then get the free and popular software for Windows known as EasyBCD and use it to add Fedora to the Windows boot menu.

Another popular idea since there are two separate drives in this case, and if the computer has a BIOS splashscreen boot device menu, is to repair the Windows boot loader and install Fedora on the other drive with GRUB in that drive's MBR. Then choose Fedora by changing the boot device at the splashscreen.

Originally Posted by gadgetwiz

I really don't want to mess things up worse and lock her out of Windows 7 too. I did have her create a Windows 7 repair disk just in case, but I don't have a lot of confidence that the repair disk she created will even restore the Windows 7 MBR, if something goes wrong.

Understandable. And I can't promise that more bad things will not happen if you attempt to repair the Windows boot loader. But I think I would have as much confidence in Windows utilities made to repair the Windows boot loader as I would have in a Linux installer that I let install GRUB in the MBR in the first place.

[gadgetwiz]

You make a good point stoat. Going with the Windows 7 repair is probably the least risky option I have so that's what I'll recommend.

I'll report back how it goes.

It will either be or

[gadgetwiz]

Just to report back,. Booting from a Windows 7 repair disk and issuing the following from the command prompt allowed direct boot into Windows 7, overwriting the Ubuntu installed Grub.

bootrec /FixMbr

and

bootrec /FixBoot

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392

I then proceeded to install Fedora 16 on 2nd psychical drive (sdb), writing both the the boot sector and grub to sdb, leaving the Windows 7 drive untouched.

This allowed her to boot to Windows 7 as the default or boot to Fedora by hitting F12 (BIOS boot menu) and selecting the 500g drive (sdb) as the boot device.

Thanks for everyone's help and suggestions!!