I have a desk top computer that uses SATA hard drives. It currently has
XP Pro installed on one drive. I want to add another SATA drive so I can
dual boot with Ubuntu. What I don 't want is Grub putting its stuff on
the XP drive. Can I merely disconnect the XP drive and connect the drive
I am going to put Ubuntu on, install it and then power down and connect
the XP drive and use the BIOS to choose Ubuntu or XP to boot (my
computer will let me choose where to boot by pressing an F key)? If so,
should the Ubuntu drive be connected to the same place on the
motherboard where the XP drive is now and switch it to the second place
on the motherboard or just go ahead and install Ubuntu with it connected
to where it eventually will always be? Also, I have read that RAID might
be a problem. If so, how? I hope I've been clear.

Thank you.

Kathy Spencer

On 14/04/2010 12:14, Kathy Taylor wrote:
> I have a desk top computer that uses SATA hard drives. It currently has
> XP Pro installed on one drive. I want to add another SATA drive so I can
> dual boot with Ubuntu. What I don 't want is Grub putting its stuff on
> the XP drive. Can I merely disconnect the XP drive and connect the drive
> I am going to put Ubuntu on, install it and then power down and connect
> the XP drive and use the BIOS to choose Ubuntu or XP to boot (my
> computer will let me choose where to boot by pressing an F key)? If so,
> should the Ubuntu drive be connected to the same place on the
> motherboard where the XP drive is now and switch it to the second place
> on the motherboard or just go ahead and install Ubuntu with it connected
> to where it eventually will always be? Also, I have read that RAID might
> be a problem. If so, how? I hope I've been clear.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Kathy Spencer
Hello

Connect it to were it will always be, I run something very similiar with
4 different Operating System.

Mike


--
Regards Mike
MSCE, CCNA, Network+, A+, RHCE.
Yes Posting from Windows, with lots of Linux Experience.

On 04/14/2010 07:14 AM, Kathy Taylor wrote:
> I have a desk top computer that uses SATA hard drives. It currently has
> XP Pro installed on one drive. I want to add another SATA drive so I can
> dual boot with Ubuntu. What I don 't want is Grub putting its stuff on
> the XP drive. Can I merely disconnect the XP drive and connect the drive
> I am going to put Ubuntu on, install it and then power down and connect
> the XP drive and use the BIOS to choose Ubuntu or XP to boot (my
> computer will let me choose where to boot by pressing an F key)? If so,
> should the Ubuntu drive be connected to the same place on the
> motherboard where the XP drive is now and switch it to the second place
> on the motherboard or just go ahead and install Ubuntu with it connected
> to where it eventually will always be? Also, I have read that RAID might
> be a problem. If so, how? I hope I've been clear.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Kathy Spencer
Try . . . removing the first disk and installing Ubuntu on thesecond.
Reconnect the first disk.
On boot try F12 (watch for 'type Fx for boot menu)
Using Grub makes it much easier and last time I did that removing the
Ubuntu disk left the XP disk able to boot as it had done before!

Mick wrote:
> On 04/14/2010 07:14 AM, Kathy Taylor wrote:
>> I have a desk top computer that uses SATA hard drives. It currently has
>> XP Pro installed on one drive. I want to add another SATA drive so I can
>> dual boot with Ubuntu. What I don 't want is Grub putting its stuff on
>> the XP drive. Can I merely disconnect the XP drive and connect the drive
>> I am going to put Ubuntu on, install it and then power down and connect
>> the XP drive and use the BIOS to choose Ubuntu or XP to boot (my
>> computer will let me choose where to boot by pressing an F key)? If so,
>> should the Ubuntu drive be connected to the same place on the
>> motherboard where the XP drive is now and switch it to the second place
>> on the motherboard or just go ahead and install Ubuntu with it connected
>> to where it eventually will always be? Also, I have read that RAID might
>> be a problem. If so, how? I hope I've been clear.
>>
>> Thank you.
>>
>> Kathy Spencer
> Try . . . removing the first disk and installing Ubuntu on thesecond.
> Reconnect the first disk.
> On boot try F12 (watch for 'type Fx for boot menu)

Mine's F8, not the F8 you use to go to Safe Mode.

> Using Grub makes it much easier and last time I did that removing the
> Ubuntu disk left the XP disk able to boot as it had done before!

I'd rather not gamble on that.

Kathy Taylor

On 04/14/2010 10:15 AM, Kathy Taylor wrote:
> Mick wrote:
>> On 04/14/2010 07:14 AM, Kathy Taylor wrote:
>>> I have a desk top computer that uses SATA hard drives. It currently has
>>> XP Pro installed on one drive. I want to add another SATA drive so I can
>>> dual boot with Ubuntu. What I don 't want is Grub putting its stuff on
>>> the XP drive. Can I merely disconnect the XP drive and connect the drive
>>> I am going to put Ubuntu on, install it and then power down and connect
>>> the XP drive and use the BIOS to choose Ubuntu or XP to boot (my
>>> computer will let me choose where to boot by pressing an F key)? If so,
>>> should the Ubuntu drive be connected to the same place on the
>>> motherboard where the XP drive is now and switch it to the second place
>>> on the motherboard or just go ahead and install Ubuntu with it connected
>>> to where it eventually will always be? Also, I have read that RAID might
>>> be a problem. If so, how? I hope I've been clear.
>>>
>>> Thank you.
>>>
>>> Kathy Spencer
>> Try . . . removing the first disk and installing Ubuntu on thesecond.
>> Reconnect the first disk.
>> On boot try F12 (watch for 'type Fx for boot menu)
>
> Mine's F8, not the F8 you use to go to Safe Mode.
>
>> Using Grub makes it much easier and last time I did that removing the
>> Ubuntu disk left the XP disk able to boot as it had done before!
>
> I'd rather not gamble on that.
>
> Kathy Taylor
Then try what I suggested and use the BIOS set-up to put the preferred
boot device as default. I'm doing that now to transfer from an older
Ubuntu install to my current one. (Some problem with Timetrex on 9.10
using MySQL, so converting it to postgresql).

Mick wrote:
> On 04/14/2010 10:15 AM, Kathy Taylor wrote:
>> Mick wrote:
>>> On 04/14/2010 07:14 AM, Kathy Taylor wrote:
>>>> I have a desk top computer that uses SATA hard drives. It currently has
>>>> XP Pro installed on one drive. I want to add another SATA drive so I
>>>> can
>>>> dual boot with Ubuntu. What I don 't want is Grub putting its stuff on
>>>> the XP drive. Can I merely disconnect the XP drive and connect the
>>>> drive
>>>> I am going to put Ubuntu on, install it and then power down and connect
>>>> the XP drive and use the BIOS to choose Ubuntu or XP to boot (my
>>>> computer will let me choose where to boot by pressing an F key)? If so,
>>>> should the Ubuntu drive be connected to the same place on the
>>>> motherboard where the XP drive is now and switch it to the second place
>>>> on the motherboard or just go ahead and install Ubuntu with it
>>>> connected
>>>> to where it eventually will always be? Also, I have read that RAID
>>>> might
>>>> be a problem. If so, how? I hope I've been clear.
>>>>
>>>> Thank you.
>>>>
>>>> Kathy Spencer
>>> Try . . . removing the first disk and installing Ubuntu on thesecond.
>>> Reconnect the first disk.
>>> On boot try F12 (watch for 'type Fx for boot menu)
>>
>> Mine's F8, not the F8 you use to go to Safe Mode.
>>
>>> Using Grub makes it much easier and last time I did that removing the
>>> Ubuntu disk left the XP disk able to boot as it had done before!
>>
>> I'd rather not gamble on that.
>>
>> Kathy Taylor
> Then try what I suggested and use the BIOS set-up to put the preferred
> boot device as default.

That's what I'm going to do.

I'm doing that now to transfer from an older
> Ubuntu install to my current one. (Some problem with Timetrex on 9.10
> using MySQL, so converting it to postgresql).

Thanks everyone!

Kathy Taylor

On Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:14:50 +0200, Kathy Taylor wrote:

> I have a desk top computer that uses SATA hard drives. It currently has
> XP Pro installed on one drive. I want to add another SATA drive so I can
> dual boot with Ubuntu. What I don 't want is Grub putting its stuff on
> the XP drive. Can I merely disconnect the XP drive and connect the drive
> I am going to put Ubuntu on, install it and then power down and connect
> the XP drive and use the BIOS to choose Ubuntu or XP to boot (my
> computer will let me choose where to boot by pressing an F key)? If so,
> should the Ubuntu drive be connected to the same place on the
> motherboard where the XP drive is now and switch it to the second place
> on the motherboard or just go ahead and install Ubuntu with it connected
> to where it eventually will always be? Also, I have read that RAID might
> be a problem. If so, how? I hope I've been clear.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Kathy Spencer

Sounds to me like you just want to experiment a little. If that's the
case, I'd suggest you run a Linux Live CD - won't even require
installation - or run it in a virtual machine from within your xp.

"Kathy Taylor" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:hq4842$2fd$(E-Mail Removed)...
>I have a desk top computer that uses SATA hard drives. It currently has XP
>Pro installed on one drive. I want to add another SATA drive so I can dual
>boot with Ubuntu. What I don 't want is Grub putting its stuff on the XP
>drive. Can I merely disconnect the XP drive and connect the drive I am
>going to put Ubuntu on, install it and then power down and connect the XP
>drive and use the BIOS to choose Ubuntu or XP to boot (my computer will let
>me choose where to boot by pressing an F key)? If so, should the Ubuntu
>drive be connected to the same place on the motherboard where the XP drive
>is now and switch it to the second place on the motherboard or just go
>ahead and install Ubuntu with it connected to where it eventually will
>always be? Also, I have read that RAID might be a problem. If so, how? I
>hope I've been clear.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Kathy Spencer


Kathy:
In addition to the suggestions & recommendations you've already received,
let me give you another possible option for your consideration...

1. Since you're working with a desktop and further assuming your current PC
case has an available vacant 5 1/4" bay.

2. Consider equipping your PC with a removable hard drive (HDD). If you're
not familiar with that type of device and without going into too many
details at this point just let me say that a "mobile rack" (designed to
house a removable tray or caddy which contains the HDD) is affixed to a 5
1/4" bay on the computer case. The installation of such is quite simple -
not any more complicated than installing a CD/DVD optical drive in one's
system.

The cost of these mobile racks is quite modest.

3. The beauty of this type of hardware configuration is that you can work
with multiple HDDs, each effectively isolated from each other (when desired)
containing different operating systems. Through a simple turn of a keylock
on the mobile rack, you can thus boot to this drive or that drive without
the need for any "bootloader" or any other multi-booting software, as well
as no need in most cases to access the motherboard's BIOS to change the boot
priority order in order to boot to this or that particular HDD.

We've been working with removable hard drives for about 15 years and
probably have installed or help install more than a thousand of these
devices over those years. By & large we've found this desktop PC hardware
configuration a most desirable one for the great majority of desktop PC
users. And we've found that the only regret virtually every desktop PC user
of these devices has had is that they didn't install them sooner!

If you're interested, so indicate and I'll provide more detailed info about
this kind of system.
Anna

ray wrote:
> On Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:14:50 +0200, Kathy Taylor wrote:
>
>> I have a desk top computer that uses SATA hard drives. It currently has
>> XP Pro installed on one drive. I want to add another SATA drive so I can
>> dual boot with Ubuntu. What I don 't want is Grub putting its stuff on
>> the XP drive. Can I merely disconnect the XP drive and connect the drive
>> I am going to put Ubuntu on, install it and then power down and connect
>> the XP drive and use the BIOS to choose Ubuntu or XP to boot (my
>> computer will let me choose where to boot by pressing an F key)? If so,
>> should the Ubuntu drive be connected to the same place on the
>> motherboard where the XP drive is now and switch it to the second place
>> on the motherboard or just go ahead and install Ubuntu with it connected
>> to where it eventually will always be? Also, I have read that RAID might
>> be a problem. If so, how? I hope I've been clear.
>>
>> Thank you.
>>
>> Kathy Spencer
>
> Sounds to me like you just want to experiment a little. If that's the
> case, I'd suggest you run a Linux Live CD - won't even require
> installation - or run it in a virtual machine from within your xp.

No, I want to go for Ubuntu and get rid of XP -- eventually, not next
week. I've already had a computer with Ubuntu and I know I like it. That
computer, unfortunately, died the other day and a new hard drive for
this machine was cheaper than a new computer.

Kathy Taylor

Anna wrote:
> Kathy:
> In addition to the suggestions& recommendations you've already received,
> let me give you another possible option for your consideration...
>
> 1. Since you're working with a desktop and further assuming your current PC
> case has an available vacant 5 1/4" bay.
>
> 2. Consider equipping your PC with a removable hard drive (HDD). If you're
> not familiar with that type of device and without going into too many
> details at this point just let me say that a "mobile rack" (designed to
> house a removable tray or caddy which contains the HDD) is affixed to a 5
> 1/4" bay on the computer case. The installation of such is quite simple -
> not any more complicated than installing a CD/DVD optical drive in one's
> system.
>
> The cost of these mobile racks is quite modest.
>
> 3. The beauty of this type of hardware configuration is that you can work
> with multiple HDDs, each effectively isolated from each other (when desired)
> containing different operating systems. Through a simple turn of a keylock
> on the mobile rack, you can thus boot to this drive or that drive without
> the need for any "bootloader" or any other multi-booting software, as well
> as no need in most cases to access the motherboard's BIOS to change the boot
> priority order in order to boot to this or that particular HDD.
>
> We've been working with removable hard drives for about 15 years and
> probably have installed or help install more than a thousand of these
> devices over those years. By& large we've found this desktop PC hardware
> configuration a most desirable one for the great majority of desktop PC
> users. And we've found that the only regret virtually every desktop PC user
> of these devices has had is that they didn't install them sooner!
>
> If you're interested, so indicate and I'll provide more detailed info about
> this kind of system.
> Anna
>
>

Does one have to open the case every time one wants to change to a
different hard drive? I have no experience with what you're suggesting.
Or are you saying this rack would be put in the same space as the DVD
burner takes? I have two open spaces there. If that's the case, yes, I
am very interested!

Kathy Taylor