Comments on: More Operating System Fun http://tannish.net/2007/02/04/more-operating-system-fun/ Nobody Told Me There'd Be Days Like These Wed, 23 May 2012 09:08:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 By: BadTux http://tannish.net/2007/02/04/more-operating-system-fun/#comment-6296 BadTux Fri, 09 Feb 2007 02:36:05 +0000 http://tannish.net/2007/02/04/more-operating-system-fun/#comment-6296 I design computers for a living. My next computer is going to be a Macbook. 'Nuff said. -BT I design computers for a living. My next computer is going to be a Macbook.

‘Nuff said.

-BT

]]> By: Travis http://tannish.net/2007/02/04/more-operating-system-fun/#comment-6151 Travis Mon, 05 Feb 2007 21:26:29 +0000 http://tannish.net/2007/02/04/more-operating-system-fun/#comment-6151 I'm not sure if it was clear that the checklist above is not the same as my steps for installing Linux on a Windows machine without touching the MBR. I assumed your situation doesn't require that kind of annoying tip-toeing around. I’m not sure if it was clear that the checklist above is not the same as my steps for installing Linux on a Windows machine without touching the MBR. I assumed your situation doesn’t require that kind of annoying tip-toeing around.

]]> By: Travis http://tannish.net/2007/02/04/more-operating-system-fun/#comment-6150 Travis Mon, 05 Feb 2007 21:24:32 +0000 http://tannish.net/2007/02/04/more-operating-system-fun/#comment-6150 In the interest of being techy as well as being sneaky, I have installed Linux on a few of my work computers over the years. I've had it co-exist with Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, and Windows XP, each time making sure that the MBR is never touched and that Windows does the whole boot manager thing. I like the boot managers that are available with Linux well enough, but when you're messing with the Man's Machine, you have to make it easy to cover your tracks. If you install Ubuntu according to its defaults, it will overwrite the Windows MBR and place its own boot manager in place. The same thing happens if you install Windows onto a computer running Linux. The whole process is actually pretty painless if you're not writing and rewriting the partition table too much (moving and resizing partitions while trying to preserve data). Of course, as I mentioned above, it is possible to install Linux alongside Windows without touching the existing Windows MBR (I'm not sure how easy it is to go the other way, however. Windows gives you a lot less options when it comes to installing the boot sector). My checklist when installing multiple OSs follows 1. get a Linux Live CD (one of those boot-off-of-CD distributions), Ubuntu's is here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD 2. use GParted (included on the Live CD) to partition your drive for the various operating systems. I would have 1 system partition for XP, 1 for Vista, and 1 for Ubuntu, with an extra swap partition for Ubuntu and a "shared drive" for all 3 (that's 5 paritions total). (if you want to, you can substitute steps 1 and 2 with Partition Magic. I think you can run that off the CD without having an OS installed, but I'm not sure) 3. Make sure your "shared drive" partition is formated as FAT32 because Ubuntu does not have native support for NTFS. You can format your Windows system partitions as NTFS if you want for added stability and security, and Ubuntu should be Ext3 (or if you have another preference use that). 4,5,6: Depending on which Boot Loader you want to use, XP's, Vista's, or Ubuntu's will determine the order of install. The last one you install will be the Boot Loader you end up with. I don't know how good Vista's Boot Loader is, and I'm not certain how well Ubuntu's jives with Vista, but I would suggest XP, then Vista, then Ubuntu. Mainly because I have the feeling it will be easiest to manage a catastrophic failure from GRUB (or whatever Boot Loader Ubuntu installs). Each system install should automatically detect the existence of the previous system install and add it to the boot loader. If you want any more info, feel free to email or call. :) In the interest of being techy as well as being sneaky, I have installed Linux on a few of my work computers over the years. I’ve had it co-exist with Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, and Windows XP, each time making sure that the MBR is never touched and that Windows does the whole boot manager thing.

I like the boot managers that are available with Linux well enough, but when you’re messing with the Man’s Machine, you have to make it easy to cover your tracks.

If you install Ubuntu according to its defaults, it will overwrite the Windows MBR and place its own boot manager in place. The same thing happens if you install Windows onto a computer running Linux. The whole process is actually pretty painless if you’re not writing and rewriting the partition table too much (moving and resizing partitions while trying to preserve data). Of course, as I mentioned above, it is possible to install Linux alongside Windows without touching the existing Windows MBR (I’m not sure how easy it is to go the other way, however. Windows gives you a lot less options when it comes to installing the boot sector).

My checklist when installing multiple OSs follows

1. get a Linux Live CD (one of those boot-off-of-CD distributions), Ubuntu’s is here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD

2. use GParted (included on the Live CD) to partition your drive for the various operating systems. I would have 1 system partition for XP, 1 for Vista, and 1 for Ubuntu, with an extra swap partition for Ubuntu and a “shared drive” for all 3 (that’s 5 paritions total).

(if you want to, you can substitute steps 1 and 2 with Partition Magic. I think you can run that off the CD without having an OS installed, but I’m not sure)

3. Make sure your “shared drive” partition is formated as FAT32 because Ubuntu does not have native support for NTFS. You can format your Windows system partitions as NTFS if you want for added stability and security, and Ubuntu should be Ext3 (or if you have another preference use that).

4,5,6: Depending on which Boot Loader you want to use, XP’s, Vista’s, or Ubuntu’s will determine the order of install. The last one you install will be the Boot Loader you end up with. I don’t know how good Vista’s Boot Loader is, and I’m not certain how well Ubuntu’s jives with Vista, but I would suggest XP, then Vista, then Ubuntu. Mainly because I have the feeling it will be easiest to manage a catastrophic failure from GRUB (or whatever Boot Loader Ubuntu installs). Each system install should automatically detect the existence of the previous system install and add it to the boot loader.

If you want any more info, feel free to email or call.
:)

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