Dual-Boot Windows XP through GRUB

Darkstar274 · 12-07-2003, 09:24 AM

Hey Guys,

I have a 20GB HD installed with RedHat 9, which is my master and a 40GB HD installed with Windows XP Professional, which is my slave. I am wondering how to get Windows XP Pro to boot through GRUB. I have searched all over for a possible solution. Here is a copy of my /etc/grub.conf file. Linux is awesome but I sorely miss my games.

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that
# all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
# root (hd0,0)
# kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/hda2
# initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
default=0
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-8)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-8 ro root=LABEL=/
initrd /initrd-2.4.20-8.img
title Windows XP Professional
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
chainloader + 1
makeactive

If someone can help me it would be grealy appreciated. Thanks

dkaplowitz · 12-07-2003, 09:33 AM

Here's what I have in my grub.conf...under the stuff about Linux.

Note that I installed XP first on the hdd. If I had a 2nd hdd, then I guess it would be pointing to hd1,0 instead of hd0,0

The "Windows XP Professional" bit can be changed to whatever you want.

Code:

title Windows XP Professional
        rootnoverify (hd0,0)
        chainloader +1

ac1980 · 12-07-2003, 09:43 AM

if you get strange messages about missing files, try check if winxp is set as bootable
fdisk /dev/hdb
use 'p' command to list, 'a' to set bootable flag

shanenin · 12-07-2003, 09:45 AM

Code:

default=0
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-8)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-8 ro root=LABEL=/
initrd /initrd-2.4.20-8.img
title Windows XP Professional
#map (hd0) (hd1)
#map (hd1) (hd0)
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
chainloader + 1
#makeactive

I'm not sure what the map and makeactive lines do. I do not use them myself. You could try commenting them out, just to see what it does.

Darkstar274 · 12-07-2003, 01:56 PM

I tried using this code:

title Windows XP Professional
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

That didn't work...Error Code 13...I think it was. If you look at the /etc/grub.conf that I posted; that code will allow you to boot to Windows XP ONLY if the Windows HD is master(When I hit F11 to select what device I want to boot off of during POST). It doesn't work when I promote the Linux HD to master. I don't want to look at NTLDR.....GRUB is nice and customizable....once you get it going. If I install GRUB onto the MBR of the Windows HD; I've heared that Windows will overwrite it and you won't be able to boot Linux. Not to mention you will have to go through this nasty process of restoring the Windows MBR if you remove Linux.

dkaplowitz · 12-07-2003, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Darkstar274
I tried using this code:

title Windows XP Professional
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

That didn't work...Error Code 13...I think it was. If you look at the /etc/grub.conf that I posted; that code will allow you to boot to Windows XP ONLY if the Windows HD is master(When I hit F11 to select what device I want to boot off of during POST). It doesn't work when I promote the Linux HD to master. I don't want to look at NTLDR.....GRUB is nice and customizable....once you get it going. If I install GRUB onto the MBR of the Windows HD; I've heared that Windows will overwrite it and you won't be able to boot Linux. Not to mention you will have to go through this nasty process of restoring the Windows MBR if you remove Linux.

Didn't you say you installed XP on a slave drive? That would mean that:

Code:

rootnoverify (hd0,0)

should really be:

Code:

rootnoverify (hd1,0)

Either way, you have to point it to the drive that has the bootable XP partition.

dkaplowitz · 12-07-2003, 02:07 PM

Here's the code for my workstation. Note that I have XP installed on the master and Linux on a slave. Thus my Linux and XP are exactly the reverse of your setup. So with a little tweaking, you can probably just use this in your grub.conf. (back up your existing grub.conf first though)

Code:

#boot=/dev/hda
default=0
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd1,0)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-24.9)
        root (hd1,0)
        kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.20-24.9 ro root=LABEL=/ hdc=ide-scsi
        initrd /boot/initrd-2.4.20-24.9.img
title Windows XP Professional
        rootnoverify (hd0,0)
        chainloader +1

dkaplowitz · 12-07-2003, 02:09 PM

Try this:

Code:

#boot=/dev/hda
default=0
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd0,0)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-24.9)
        root (hd1,0)
        kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.20-24.9 ro root=LABEL=/ hdc=ide-scsi
        initrd /boot/initrd-2.4.20-24.9.img
title Windows XP Professional
        rootnoverify (hd1,0)
        chainloader +1

Darkstar274 · 12-07-2003, 02:16 PM

I GOT IT!

GRUB CODE TO BOOT WINDOWS XP THROUGH GRUB AS A SLAVE HD:

title Windows XP Professional
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
chainloader +1
boot

shanenin · 12-07-2003, 02:59 PM

you just had to remove the line
makeactive

ac1980 · 12-07-2003, 06:10 PM

I think makeactive either does not work, or it does something different from what one may expect: it doesn't change the partition table at all. Maybe it fakes it to the chainloader?