I recently got a new 1TB hard drive on my computer, and I installed Windows on a section of this hard drive. I still have a separate 160GB hard drive connected to my motherboard and I was looking to put OpenSUSE 11.1 on this drive. Both drives are Serial ATAs, but I was wondering how I can dual boot when I have two separate hard disks? I’m going to set up the Linux hard drive as my primary boot in the BIOS, but when I want to go on Windows, I was wonder how would I set GRUB to boot from the other hard drive. I have dual booted on my system since 10.3, but I’m very new to the idea of dual booting with two separate physical hard disks.
Unseen-Ghost wrote:
> Hey guys,
>
> I recently got a new 1TB hard drive on my computer, and I installed
> Windows on a section of this hard drive. I still have a separate 160GB
> hard drive connected to my motherboard and I was looking to put OpenSUSE
> 11.1 on this drive. Both drives are Serial ATAs, but I was wondering how
> I can dual boot when I have two separate hard disks? I’m going to set up
> the Linux hard drive as my primary boot in the BIOS, but when I want to
> go on Windows, I was wonder how would I set GRUB to boot from the other
> hard drive. I have dual booted on my system since 10.3, but I’m very new
> to the idea of dual booting with two separate physical hard disks.
>
> Thank you very much in advanced for your help!
>
>
Just install and point the installer to the second disk Just ensure
that Windows boots from the new drive when both drives are installed
(though you probably already do, to get your data off the original).
–
PeeGee
Asus M2V-MX SE, AMD LE1640, openSuSE 11.0 x86-64/XP Home dual boot
Asus M2NPV-VM, AMD 64X2 3800+, openSuSE 10.3 x86-64/XP Home dual boot
Asus eeePC 701, Mandriva 2009.0
I use this setup on my notebook and work out of box, you install to first disk and yast automatic detect windows on second and also automatic remap it, so windows think that runs on first this and is king (if you have windows on second disc, it saves your original MBR of that disk, otherwise it must be rewritted by grub or chainloading from windows (which is pain))
I’ve got a similar question, with a slight twist. I installed Windows XP on one physical disk. I then disabled the hard drive (to ensure I wouldn’t overwrite it. It was a bad day and I could see it happening) and installed 11.1 on the other physical disk. Of course now with both disks enabled there is no option to boot to suse only windows (as I said it was one of those days:shame:
Is there anyway I can add a grub/bootloader without stuffing up the Windows boot?
since during installation of suse you did not connect the hdd with windows, suse will not detect the other os.i have not tried as you did but i can suggest some ways.
disconnect the hdd with windows and boot into linux and edit the grub menu with the required info about the other os. (like below)
title windows XP
rootnoverify (hd1,5)
chainloader (hd0,0)+1
if you set the hdd with windows as number 1 then grub takes it as hd0 and the second hdd as hd1.similarly the first partition as 0 and the next as 1 and so on.i have windows on the first partition of first hdd and hence hd0,0.
and grub is located in the 6th partition of second hdd and hence hd1,5 for it.
after editing the menu.lst in the boot partition shutdown your system and connect the other hdd and set the one with windows as 1st hdd in the bios.
that should do it.post the outcome if you have any problems.
Set disk with suse as first to boot (in BIOS or if it is IDE, set it as primary master), so it is used during boot and not windows…but because you disable, no windows is in your menu…so the best is boot to suse and run yast2 bootloader…then repropose configuration should find your windows disk and allow boot to it.
As this section can cause some problems now It is changed to better format (yast create it automatic, with features like automatic remapping disc (so windows mean it is first and with makeactive … also chainload is without hd0,0 which causes in some case problems.
