How To: Dual Boot Without Being Two Faced

This is a Guide to make dual-booting between Windows and Linux a much more enjoyable experience.

Following this guide will allow you to:

1) Allow Windows to read and write to your Linux file system.
2) Keep your desktop files static between Windows and Linux.
3) Keep your firefox sessions and bookmarks static across Windows and Linux.
4) Keep your media folders static too.

The entire process will be done from Windows. I will assume you are using Vista, but you can still follow this tutorial on XP, and 2000. I will aslo assume your username for both Windows and Linux are Nipit.

1.========Installing Ext2,3 Driver========

First download (SAVE!) and install an Ext2 driver from http://www.fs-driver.org/ It's even signed for us x64 Vista users! It's important to keep this installer because it must be reinstalled from time to time; mainly when you

change your partitions.

For the sake of this tutorial I will pretent you set your linux drive as S: (for SUSE)

2.========Move files to your linux home folders=========

Open your user folder. ("CUsers\Nipit" for Vista "CDocuments and Settings\Nipit" for other win OS) You should see your desktop folder, music, documents etc... Move all the contents out of Desktop, Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos and any other folder you want into the coresponding folder in the linux home folder. Then delete the now

empty folders in your windows user folder.

3.========Create Symbolic links/Junctions===========

WARNING: YOU NEED SPECIAL PROGRAMS TO DELETE A JUNCTION WITHOUT DELETING IT'S TARGET!!!
Just rename it at let it be.

In your start menu goto All Programs >> Accessories >> Comand Prompt. Right click on "Command Prompt" and "run as Administrator".

Now it is different for each win OS:

----Vista(Symbolic Links):

Type: mklink /D CUsers\Nipit\Desktop Shome\nipit\Desktop
repeat this for each folder you deleted in step 2.

-----XP(Junctions):

IF THIS DOESN'T WORK USE WIN 2000 METHOD.

Type: cd "CDocuments and Settings\Nipit"
Type: Desktop Shome\nipit\Desktop
repeat this for each folder you deleted in step 2.

----2000(Junctions):

go here: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysintern...k/Junction.mspx
Scroll to the bottom and download junction
extract junction to your home folder (CDocuments and Settings\Nipit)
navigate there in command prompt (cd "CDocuments and Settings\Nipit")

Type: junction Desktop Shome\nipit\Desktop
repeat for each folder you deleted in step 2.

4.======Firefox==========

Install Firefox on both OS if you havn't already.

press win + r on your keyboard to open the run command. Type "firefox.exe -ProfileManager"

press "Create Profile" then "Next"
Pick any name (I used Ubuntu)
Then "Choose Folder..."
Select S: >> home >> nipit >> .mozilla >> firefox >> ????????.default
Then hit "Finish"

5.========Congrats========

Pat yourself on the back, you can now switch OS without switching your life

X.*********Reverting changes**********

-------Removing a Junction------
If you did not do the following in step 3 do this now:
go here: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysintern...k/Junction.mspx
Scroll to the bottom and download junction
extract junction.exe to your home folder (CDocuments and Settings\Nipit)

navigate there in command prompt (cd "CDocuments and Settings\Nipit")

Type: junction -d Desktop
repeat for each junction you created in step 3.

Create all the folders you deleted in step 2 by browsing to your user folder (CDocuments and Settings\Nipit) and right clicking and hitting create folder.

Then move all the contents you moved in step 2 back to the respective folder.

-------Removing Symbolic Links (Vista)--------
Simply browse to your user folder (CUsers\Nipit) and delete all the links you created in step 3. This will not delete the targets of the links.

Vista will recreate the Desktop, Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos Folders, but it can take a while, so creating them manualy may be faster. All other folders you deleted in step 2, will need to be recreated manualy by right clicking and creating new folder.

Then copy all the contents you moved in step 2 back to the respective folder.

-------Firefox-----------
press win + r on your keyboard to open the run command. Type "firefox.exe -ProfileManager"

select default and hit launch firefox.

-------Removing Ext2&3 Driver--------
IF YOU DON't DO THIS LAST YOU CANNOT MOVE YOUR FILES BACK TO YOUR USER FOLDER.

Open Control Panel and open "Programs and Features" (Vista) or "Add/Remove Programs" (XP,2000)
Find the program starting with "Ext2 IFS" Select it and press Uninstall.