[ubuntu-uk] dual boot

[Stephen Drake]

On Mon, 2007-11-26 at 21:57 +0000, norman wrote:
> I am thinking of adding a second hard drive to my PC on which I would
> have Windows for those very few occasions when I need it, like playing
> Bridge with my brother. Assuming that is possible what snags should I be
> aware of please?
> 
> Norman
> 
> 
>From my experience it's far easier to put Windows on the first partition
of the primary hard drive, if possible. Using the first partition
doesn't matter too much, but it can help during trouble shooting and
Windows just seems to prefer it.

The more critical option is putting Windows on the primary hard drive.
If I remember correctly, Windows just expects this to be the case by
default and kicks up a fuss if it isn't. You can get around it by using
the map option in grub, but that can be confusing.

Most dual boot guides I have read recommend installing Windows first, if
you do it the other way around then expect problems. I've know idea if
things are better with Vista, though I doubt it.

As others have mentioned there are various workarounds for different
manufacturer's boards. So you'll probably have to do board specific
research. Perhaps search through the ubuntu forums and the grub website.

Steve