[ubuntu-uk] mbr

[paul sutton]

On 28/01/12 17:55, Liam Proven wrote:
> On 28 January 2012 17:44, Barry Drake <ubuntu-advertising at gmx.com> wrote:
>> I understand the problem.  Windows (any version) refuses to install
>> unless you try to install to a drive with a valid boot record.
> What? No it doesn't!
>
> Depends on the version. I don't think I have ever met a version that
> won't install *at all* but several versionxs, including, I think, XP
> pre-SP3, do not rewrite the MBR so leaving GRUB or LILO in there.
>
> OTOH, many versions /do/ rewrite it even if they don't have to,
> erasing the MBR & rendering Linux unbootable after installing Windows
> on a dual-boot system.
>
>> Reformatting using gparted makes this impossible for Windows.
> No it doesn't. I do this frequently, at times on a weekly basis or
> more.  No problems.
>
>> I get
>> around it by using clonezilla to clone the mbr from another drive onto
>> the drive that gparted has blanked and re-formatted to NTFS.
> The "FDISK /MBR" method is a *lot* quicker and easier, believe me.
>
> You can also rewrite the MBR from the Recovery Console on a Win2K or
> later install disk, or using the free Windows 7 Recovery CD:
> http://neosmart.net/blog/2009/windows-7-system-repair-discs/
>
> However, DOS is quicker and easier and works fine.
>
> If you have >1 physical drive, remember to do this to all of them,
> just in case. Again, this is easier with DOS than XP.
>
>
>>   Windows
>> will then install OK.  For some reason known only to Microsoft (must be
>> a commercial consideration therefore) reformatting the drive under the
>> Windows installer will not overcome the problem.
> Not true, but a reformat will not always reinitialise the boot record.
> E.g. formatting a secondary drive or partition won't.
>
>> Ah well, twas ever thus ....
> :¬)
>
> Um. If anything, it was more straightforward in the days of Win9x.
>
> TBH I have never dual-booted Windows 3 with Linux - I was not using
> Linux that early; I only started in 1995 or so. I have many times
> dual-booted Linux with plain MS-DOS, DR-DOS or FreeDOS, though. It's
> handy to keep a small (32MB) primary bootable DOS partition for things
> like firmware re-Flashing.
>


Back then you could create a boot disk and boot Linux from that,  it
would then point to the right place on the hdd,  so you could have dual
dos/win3.1  and Linux

Paul

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