I have linux (openSUSE) on a computer and I know that wndows usually ignores everything on there and will screw up grub. Is there a way to install windows on there, leaving linux, and then use something to fix grub afterwards to make it dual boot?
6tr6tr I have linux (openSUSE) on a computer and I know that wndows usually ignores everything on there and will screw up grub. Is there a way to install windows on there, leaving linux, and then use something to fix grub afterwards to make it dual boot?
So the answer to your questions 6tr6tr depends on what you have installed now. Why not run openSUSE and perform the following terminal command and post the results here in a message. Use the advance editor mode and highlight the new text the press the Code button (#) to keep it from being formatted. The terminal command is:
su -
password:
fdisk -l
Now, Windows, just like openSUSE is going to need some free room to install and it needs to be at the start of the disk and it needs to be a primary partition (you can only have four total primary partitions). Another question is where did you install grub? If you put grub into the MBR (Master Boot Record) it is going to be replaced with generic boot code. Finally, Windows will insist on being the Primary boot partition and will take it away from openSUSE if it needs to. If your disk partition setup is too unusual, Windows will just not install.
So, if you can make some room for it at the start and have fewer than a couple of partitions present, Windows might install and you may be able to fix openSUSE by reinstalling grub. It is due to these complications that it is best to install Windows first. Since it is not that big of a deal to reinstall openSUSE, you might just back up any important data and start over with openSUSE after you have paid homage to Microsoft first. It does not hurt to try anything, but backup backup backup is the name of the game.
Thank You,
If you need Windows for mostly work type programs (ie not intense graphics like games) you could install Windows to a VM using a program like VirtualBox. Then you just run Windows in a window on your Linux Desktop. I have been doing this for 4 years and still get a kick of booting Windows from my desktop. But I’m easies amused. 