[ubuntu-uk] dual boot with 2 HDDs

[Liam Proven]

On 26 July 2010 14:40, Norman Silverstone <norman at littletank.org> wrote:
> Some time ago I had a desktop machine which had been set up with 2 HDDs
> one running Ubuntu and the other Windows XP Pro. Unfortunately this
> machine is no longer in the land of the living and I am considering
> setting up another machine with a similar configuration. The intention
> would be Ubuntu 10.04 on one drive and XP Pro on the other. (I still
> have the old HDD with XP Pro installed and would like to use that.) I
> remember that I needed to make an addition to the Ubuntu boot menu and I
> can find the details of that addition. However, I expect that the
> current version of Grub is not the same as the old one and would much
> appreciate it if someone would be kind enough to tell me whether or not
> what I propose is feasible.

It certainly is and you don't need 2 HDs to do it. A single large one
will do fine.

Just install Windows *first*. Note that you probably can't move an
existing install of XP from one machine to another; usually, the
drivers etc. for one machine mean that the installed copy will not
work on different hardware. Ubuntu, OTOH, is very likely to work fine
when transplanted.

When installing Windows, leave (say) half the HD unused. Install
Ubuntu after Windows - it will sort out the dual-boot stuff for you.

If you have 2 disks, no problem; put Windows on the 1st and Ubuntu on
the 2nd, and again, Ubuntu will do all the necessary legwork for you.

The thing to avoid is putting Linux on 1st, /then/ Windows. At best,
this will stop Linux booting; at worst, it will result in a
non-working Windows install /and/ a now-non-working Linux.

-- 
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