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Dual boot with linux and xp

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C_Ronaldo
C_Ronaldo Posts: 4,732 Forumite
1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
Is it easy to create a dual boot with xp and linux, has anyone done it before?

iv used linux and i was quite impressed with it
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Comments

  • DatabaseError
    DatabaseError Posts: 4,161 Forumite
    yes, and it is easy, i last used ubuntu, nice easy menus, installed while still running xp, i get a choice when the pc boots.
    Utinam logica falsa tuam philosophiam totam suffodiant.
  • fermi
    fermi Posts: 40,542 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker Rampant Recycler
    If you want to try out ubuntu (or a variant) on the PC/laptop in question without partitioning for the dual boot, then you can use the "Live CD".

    Alternatively you can use the wubi installer to install on your Windows partitions, so again you won't need to partition the drives to test out a dual boot.
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  • spud17
    spud17 Posts: 4,433 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    My standby Dual Boot and Wider Selection .

    Oops just tried it and there seems to be a problem with the site.

    Now working.
    Move along, nothing to see.
  • isotonic_uk
    isotonic_uk Posts: 351 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    I have just installed Vista ultimate and then ubuntu on a second partition, is working great!! there are some good information on the net, just google xp and ubuntu dual boot and you should find what you are looking for.
  • FrugalFriend
    FrugalFriend Posts: 217 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    Yeah it's easy. I'd suggest re-installing Windows, just as normal, stick on your drivers etc.... Then boot using the Linux/Ubuntu/PC OS etc... CD. Click install on the live CD desktop. Choose "Use largest Continuous Free Space." The CD installer will create all the partitions, add the boot menu, and even import your favourites and wallpaper from WinXP (Bless!) :) . Next time you re-boot voila! your choice of Windows or Linux, and you didn't even have to get your hands dirty!! ;)

    Oh yeah forgot to mention, if you've got a document or file on your Window's partition (say in your My Documents folder) but you're in Linux, you don't have to boot into your Windows partion to get it anymore. Ubuntu and most Linux distros now come with the NTFS-3G driver, it basically means you can browse the contents of your Windows partition and see, copy and move whatever you like. It's all done though the Explorer window, so you just drag and drop that document or file from your My Documents folder, straight onto your Linux desktop. How cool is that! :)
  • mjr600
    mjr600 Posts: 760 Forumite
    It's a doddle just use Wubi.

    http://wubi-installer.org/
  • esuhl
    esuhl Posts: 9,409 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    It's very easy so long as you don't use a motherboard-implemented RAID. Linux users refer to this as "fakeraid", and it doesn't seem to be very well supported under Linux.

    Oh, and I've always installed Windows first and then Linux. It just seems to be a lot easier to use a Linux bootloader to start Windows than the other way round.
  • esuhl
    esuhl Posts: 9,409 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    mjr600 wrote: »
    It's a doddle just use Wubi.

    http://wubi-installer.org/

    That only works with Ubuntu, though.

    But... how does it work? Does it install Ubuntu as a kind of virtual machine?
  • mjr600
    mjr600 Posts: 760 Forumite
    Wubi automates the entire process of installing Ubuntu Linux on a partition, it really is the easiest and safest way to a dual boot Ubuntu Linux system.

    It does not run it as a virtual machine
  • spud17
    spud17 Posts: 4,433 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Oh, and I've always installed Windows first and then Linux. It just seems to be a lot easier to use a Linux bootloader to start Windows than the other way round

    I'd second that, Grub always seems to do a good job for me.

    p.s. my links in previous post now seem to be working.
    Move along, nothing to see.
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