SHORT: Can I install Win10 on a dual SSD notebook with openSuse Leap 42.2 on one SSD and space on the other SSD without messing up grub2?
Hi, I’m rather new to openSuse but enjoy very much working with it for programing in Fortran and Python. Also installing utilities and fiddling with problems i.e. change between integrated and external graphics card or running flash without using the adobe sh** is interesting and after some research I overcome both problems easily.
MY SETUP:
I have a notebook with two SSDs (sda,sdb), sda with Linux (openSuse Leap 42.2) and grub2 “UEFI” Bootloader written in the MBR.
On sdb a partition with /data on an ext3 file system mounted on boot. The left over part of the second SSD is reserved for Win10.
**MY QUESTION:
**Can I install Windows 10 on the left over part of sdb without Win10 rewriting my whole Bootloader?
IF it overwrites my Bootloader, how can i change it back afterwards?
TRY TO ANSWER MY QUESTION ON MY OWN:
I for sure searched for this question more than an hour but could only find solutions on how to install Linux on a Windows[Version] machine.
There was one statement that intrigued me though. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to post links to the page but the statement says:
Unlike in older versions of Windows, you can direct Windows 8 and above to specific partitions. This means that whether you wish to install Windows first in sequence or not is inconsequential; you can now install Linux first without worrying about the Windows installer overwriting it.
At first this sounds really good to me and more or less answers my question. BUT the quote goes on:
One minor caveat however is that if you are not using a computer with UEFI firmware instead of a BIOS, GRUB will need to be installed after the Windows installation.
**PLEASE GIVE ME ADVICE:
**
What does this mean?
I know for sure that it said UEFI at installation of Linux but my notebook does of course have a BIOS.
Do I get Problems when installing Win10 concerning the bootloader or not?
Thanks in advance for any advice given!
First you either have a UEFI or a BIOS. If you booted the installer on a UEFI machine in EFI mode then the OS is installed as a EFI boot. No MBR involved. EFI uses a special FAT format partition called the EFI boot partition usually around 100 meg in size and does not use the MBR. If you booted the installer in legacy mode then that does use a MBR boot.
These are different things and thus need different solutions. So you need to know
Show us output of sudo fdisk -l
There we can guess what you actually have
If the purpose of the Windows is to do programming and not high end gaming then a better solution is to install Windows in a VM such as Virtualbox. That’s what I do… I run Win XP and Win7 in there own VM’s this gives great flexibility since you don’t have to reboot to change OS and can drag and drop between OS
Thank you for your quik reply!!
The output of fdisk:
Disk /dev/sdb: 477 GiB, 512110190592 bytes, 1000215216 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x42e128f9
Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/sdb1 * 2048 209714557 209712510 100G 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb2 209715200 1000214527 790499328 377G 83 Linux
Disk /dev/sda: 111.8 GiB, 120034123776 bytes, 234441648 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0xd7981e47
Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/sda1 2048 4208639 4206592 2G 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda2 * 4208640 88100863 83892224 40G 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 88100864 234440703 146339840 69.8G 83 Linux
Is there a way I can look up what I actually have? not just by guessing? I can not see the 100 MB partition somewhere. This would suggest i have legacy?
The reason for me installing windows is in deed for gaming. Everything else Linux (in my taste specifically openSuse) can do better.
**SHORT: **In fact my notebook does boot using the BIOS.
METHOD USED:
find sys/firmware/efi
is it there, the boot is through UEFI
is it NOT there the boot is through BIOS and a MBR entry
OUTCOME:
Given this fact, can I install Win10 on the left space of sdb without messing up my MBR or is there more to it?
You have MBR boot. Go to yast boot loader and see if you use grub2 or grub2-efi. But from the partition it must be legacy
Problem with legacy MBR boot is that Windows will take over and you will have to reinstall/fix grub. FIrst see if you install grub or generic boot code to MBR. There are several ways MBR can be set up.
1 GRUB code in MBR the boot flag is ignored
2 generic code and grub installed in Linux boot partition And that uses the boot flag
Windows will install generic code in MBR and change the boot flag
Since you have 2 drives and second one is where Windows is to go I’d remove the sda dirve install Windows there in legacy mode if you have a UEFI and not a BIOS We don’t care what Windows does to the MBR on the second drive. Note mixing boot methods does not work well. Reinstall the Linux drive and be sure it is the boot drive. Run Yast bootloader and be sure the box marked scan for foreign OS is checked (on third tab I think) accept and that will reinitialize grub and should add Windows to the boot menu.
Note if you have the Linux partition on the sdb mounted at boot you might want to unmount it until all is complete
FACTS:
By default on the first page of YaST2 - Boot Loader menu is ticked:
- Boot from Root partition
- Set active flaf in partition table for boot partition
- write generic boot code to MBR
!->not mentioned points are not ticked!
I DO NOT have UEFI
probe foreign OS is checked
**PROCEDURE:
**
Just to be sure:
- remove sda drive
- install win10 in sdb in [WHICH MODE? (can I even Choose?)]
- do not care about entries in boot section sdb
- reinstall sda
- grub2 is in charge and does not care about boot entries of win10
- grub2 automatically registers windows as second OS