Re: [Gnumed-devel] Dual-boot Windows XP / debian sarge

[Horst Herb]

On Mon, 19 Sep 2005 16:13, J Busser wrote:
> - if I only wish to run one version of Windows (namely Windows XP) on
> a dual-boot drive, installing Sarge as the second OS, will I still
> require to use one of lilo or grub and has either any key
> shortcomings (I think debian uses grub)

You will always need a boot loader for each operating system, either lilo or 
grub do fine for Linux. Grub has more features and is better maintained 
nowadays.

> - there exists free software bootpart which can permit the addition
> of a linux partition to a Windows NT/2000/XP Multiboot menu although
> I gather Lilo may be a dependency for this to work
> http://www.winimage.com/bootpart.htm

You can use Lilo or Grub in the master boot sector as your boot menu boot 
loader, or you can use any other bootloader (I really like 
http://btmgr.webframe.org/index.php3?body=download.html) PLUS lilo or grub in 
your linux boot partition

> - presumably Windows XP needs to be on the primary partition and
> Linux boot/home/SWAP would be in an extended partition (as would any
> additional partitions meant to be accessible to and used by Windows).

You can have max. 4 primary partitions per hard drive - to Linux (and AFAIK to 
XP) it is irrelevant whether the partition is primary or extended. Only 
really mattered for DOS based operating systems (<= Windows ME)

Usual procedure is:
a) shrink your existing windows partition (if windows is already installed) or
b) partition your harddisk into one primary boot partition for Windows, one 
data partition for windows/linux (shared) per distro you want to install 
(they can share swap and home!), one swap partition, one linux stystem 
partition, one linux home partition (as a minimum)
c) install windows
d) install the linux distro(s) of your choice
e) if you use sbm, let grub or lilo be iinstalled on your linux boot 
partition, else  let them be installed on the disk's MBR
f) afte a while, trash windows - because you don't need it anyway
Horst