OS 11.2 with Windows 7 Dual boot

[danorske]

Has anyone done it? Any problems?
Thanks,
Ron

[caf4926]

The only problem I can foresee is it's possible that windows service packs may not install because of grub. I have seen this in Vista and I have done trial installs of W7 RC with OS11.1
If this does become an issue at any time, the solution is easy. Restore the Windows boot code, install the service pack, re-install grub.
All About Grub - openSUSE

[srschifano]

I currently have a Win7/openSUSE 11.2 setup, and there were no problems with it at all. As with previous releases, it is better to install Windows first and then install openSUSE so grub detects it.

A note on Win7 is by default it creates a 100MB boot partition and a main system partition. When grub is setup, it needs to point to the Windows boot partition in order to chainload because the system partition cannot boot on its own. Other than that, the two coexist swimmingly.

[A_Tweaker]

Didn´t use GAG with Windows 7, though I always had good results with GAG for Windows 2000, XP and Vista.

When you use GAG it does not matter in which order you install the OS´s. Make sure that for Linux and BSD you install the boot loader in the root partition.

GAG you will find here: GAG, the Graphical Boot Manager

[swerdna]

Originally Posted by srschifano

...................

A note on Win7 is by default it creates a 100MB boot partition and a main system partition. When grub is setup, it needs to point to the Windows boot partition in order to chainload because the system partition cannot boot on its own. Other than that, the two coexist swimmingly.

Very interesting. I've installed a few of windows 7 and not once did I get a 100mb boot partition. I wonder what you and I are doing differently.

[Axeia]

Perhaps some version difference, I do have a 100MB NTFS partition labeled "System Reserved". Seems like openSUSE mounted it under /media/System_Reserved.. and it does indeed contain bootfiles.

Using Win7 professional.

I have no problems running the two operating system alongside. Installed the servicepacks under vista just fine as well.. although SP1 took like 5 tries of doing the same thing before it installed.. and it took longer than it takes to install the OS itself.

[caf4926]

Originally Posted by swerdna

Very interesting. I've installed a few of windows 7 and not once did I get a 100mb boot partition. I wonder what you and I are doing differently.

I agree with you John. I didn't get this either. Mind I'm talking the RC. Didn't buy the **** (*= use imagination )

[swerdna]

Originally Posted by caf4926

I agree with you John. I didn't get this either. Mind I'm talking the RC. Didn't buy the **** (*= use imagination )

All mine have been so-called "windows 7 professional upgrades" of xp which requires a clean install onto an existing NTFS partition at location sda1.

The upgrades were performed by running "windows easy transfer" to take the data off, archive the whole old xp filesystem/tree in a folder named "windows.old" on sda1, and install win7 fresh and clean onto the old NTFS partition at sda1.

I wonder if this:

I do have a 100MB NTFS partition labeled "System Reserved"

is really a proprietary OEM reserved partition like notebook vendors commonly put on their notebook drives, where the bootloader files so often end up because it's a windows-readable partition at sda1?

Interesting.

[robopensuse]

Originally Posted by Axeia

Perhaps some version difference, I do have a 100MB NTFS partition labeled "System Reserved"

On my Vista/Win7/Linux box, there's a small partion with diagnostic stuff in it. When I booted it out of curiosity, it actually copied Disk 1's partition table to Disk 2, which lead to some fun with gpart & sfdisk patching the table back up, as the dumped partition table, was sitting on the disk in a "lost" partition rather than copied safe to central storage.

Originally Posted by Axeia

I have no problems running the two operating system alongside. Installed the servicepacks under vista just fine as well.. although SP1 took like 5 tries of doing the same thing before it installed.. and it took longer than it takes to install the OS itself.

Oh the unpredictability & excitement of Windows Update, I had problems with their last mega-fix pack, causing an infinite loop of reboots! Doing a de-frag after doing all other updates first, before going for the biggies seems to improve things.

Win 7 installed into a partition I set aside for it, integrating itself with Vista boot loader, so no change to GRUB entries, just normal chain.

[christus666]

i have open suse, and one free partition..so i installed win 7 in it..but now only win 7 is loading..how do dual boot?