joebloggs said:
How can I do this please.
I have WindowsXP on the E: Drive which was installed after I installed Windows 7 on the C: Drive.
I want Linux to replace Win7?
In Fact, I want C: to be an extended partition to put lots of Linux installations on it, but I want XP to remain.
Thanks.
1) You should really post a link to a snapshot of your diskmgmt.msc
screen. In my limited experience as a home user, I've had a Windows
install done into an extended partition + logical, as the second Windows OS
added to the machine. While that is damn clever of Microsoft, it'll
have to be undone. So, depending on the actual partition layout, the
instructions may need to be changed to suit the situation.
Using a free partition manager, you'd change the WinXP partition from
Extended+Logical, to Primary.
Back when you installed WinXP after Windows 7, you needed the services
of either EasyBCD, or the built-in BCDEDIT. If you make a change to
the WinXP partition of the nature just described, I don't know if
BCDEDIT needs to be informed or not.
If you boot Windows 7 (because right now, Windows 7 is doing the boot
management for you), and the WinXP item disappears or is not usable
(you can't select WinXP), then BCDEDIT or EasyBCD might be used to
bring it back.
The reason we're checking that Windows 7 and WinXP still boot, after
changing WinXP from Extended+Logical to Primary, is to prove we've
"done no harm".
Summary: Make sure WinXP is a Primary partition, not a Logical. Reboot
into both Windows 7 and WinXP, and verify you're still able to
use both OSes, before moving to the next step.
2) Use PTEDIT32 to move the boot flag (0x80).
ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/tools/pq/utilities/PTEDIT32.zip (free download)
That can be run from Windows 7 or WinXP. If run from Windows 7, you
must "Run as Administrator", to avoid getting an "error 5".
This is what the primary partition table entries look like. The second
slot has the 0x80 boot flag right now. You'd change 0x80 to 0x00 on
the slot that currently has the boot flag, then change 0x00 to 0x80
on the WinXP partition. Note that, the slots do *not* have to line
up with the physical partitions, and the "sectors before" field can
help you determine which partition is which (since you know how
they're actually physically laid out, via looking in diskmgmt.msc).
http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/files/dell-tbl.gif
Once you edit PTEDIT32 dialog, the edited fields turn RED to highlight
the changes. Do a "Save Changes" before quitting.
There are other ways to move a boot flag. That's just one of them.
"diskpart" can probably move the boot flag for you. A free partition
manager can do it too.
Note: When you finish step (2), booting from the hard drive is broken.
Now, you're using a CD for the next step.
3) Now, shut down and boot the WinXP installer CD. We need to do a
"fixmbr", to load WinXP boot code back into the MBR.
Booting from the hard drive should work now.
4) After rebooting from step (3), now we have WinXP boot code in the
MBR, the boot flag is on the WinXP partition. When we boot, WinXP
should come up immediately. And helping us achieve that, is the
fact WinXP is now in a "primary" partition, since we fixed that
in (1) and verified everything booted fine.
5) You should be able to delete the Windows 7 partitions at this time.
6) Install the free partition manager, in WinXP. Adjust partitions
as you see fit. Move WinXP over to the left, create partitions
the way you want (a new Extended plus one or more Logicals).
7) Install Linux. GRUB will see WinXP, and install a chainloader
entry for it. Now, Linux is running the boot management for you.
Linux could tell you, if it doesn't like the flavor of
partition you prepared for it in step (6). Some Linux distros
are as bossy as hell, and will try to delete everything! Caution!
I deleted Windows 7 partitions in step (5), so GRUB won't see it
and make a chainloader entry for it as well. Might be cleaner
that way, not sure. Changing the GRUB configuration file and
doing an update-grub, isn't that difficult. So if you still had
the Windows 7 partitions when Linux is installed, the mess can
be cleaned up. The thing is, you probably need to do the step (6)
cleanup, just to get enough partitions to work with.
Do a backup before starting all this. I'd just image the entire disk,
and keep it on a separate drive, just in case. You may need to
start over, if some step of this recipe is wrong...
If later, you need to remove Linux, all you should need is a "fixmbr"
from the WinXP recovery console, to get back to WinXP. Linux should
not move the boot flag, as Linux apparently doesn't need the boot
flag to work.
Just a guess,
Paul
