Hi. I posted this question on the Ubuntu forums since my computer Had Ubuntu on it initially, and a guy told me to use OpenSuSe to properly configure the hard drive to install windows.
he told me if the cylinder count or something was higher than 1024 that windows would not boot. I checked and it was far greater than that.
I don’t know what to do from here. I downloaded and burned the dvd and installed opensuse and it boots. I have the windows CD and i cant get it to boot from the CD. It boots fine in my other computer though. I do have the boot sequence set to CD since thats how I installed OpenSUSE.
I don’t know if during the installation I was supposed to do something with the partitioning that I missed? I dont know what cylinder count is or what it has to do with anything, but can that be changed to support windows?
No, the cylinder limit doesn’t come into it at such an early stage. Maybe Windows doesn’t like some BIOS setting of yours, or your drive had difficulty reading the CD. Sorry I can’t offer any more help, my Windows came preinstalled on my notebook (it’s dual boot now), and after all, this is a Linux forum. Try a Windows forum perhaps?
Because 1) the Windows install disk and system demands that it have the first
partition on the first (master) disk, and 2) Windows install routines refuses to
recognize the existence of Linux and will report corrupted hard drives (or
whatever) if it finds Linux (or anything other than real-Redmond there):
Because of those two things it is generally required to install Windows first.
Unfortunately, at this point (unless it has changed in the last 3 or 4 years,
which was the last time I tried) you can’t even use Windows to partition and
format the disk from the Linux it is now to something that Windows likes.
Therefore, you will need to
use the Linux install disk to format the entire hard drive in FAT, FAT32 or
NTFS (something that Windows can recognize as its own)
install Windows
install Linux (which WILL see the Windows and work around it to install a dual
booting machine)
CAUTION: All personal data, photos, music, emails, addresses, etc etc etc which
you have accumulated WILL be lost when you format the disk with the Linux
install disk. So, PLAN AHEAD. And, read ahead also: find the openSUSE forum
stickies on Installing, Partitioning, etc BEFORE you do it the wrong way, again.
Hi.
Actually, on purely theoretical grounds, it “might” be possible to install Windows in your situation. Problem is, you’ll need to master Grub quite competently to do that. The idea I have is the following: You may add a new stanza to your existing menu.lst to boot from the DVD (or CD) drive. The stanza should contain the classic Grub commands
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
which “swap” the references to your primary and secondary partitions. Of course, you’ll have to create your Windows partition in advance (say, in YaST Partitioner).
Now, if you launch the Windows installation CD with such a configuration, the install routine should (theoretically) install on the second partition, believing it’s the first.
If that’s not the case, an alternative way (again, purely hypothetical) would be to make the liGNUx partition hidden (again, with the appropriate Grub command in the “boot from CD” stanza).
The prerogative for both methods is to not let your PC boot from the CD, but set up the hard drive as the first boot device and then boot the CD from the corresponding Grub stanza! Also, the newly created Windows stanza should implement the Grub “map” or “hide” commands as well. For any practical/experimental implementation please refer to the Grub manual, which is available online and can be googled up easily.
Greetz and good luck!
P.S. I’d sure like to hear of the results if anybody ever decides to put this method to practice.
ken_yap is right,you use any linux to refomat first the HD and you install Windows after that you can install linux.When linux is finished you restarted and chose win or linux very simble;)
Wow, thanks so much! I wasn’t expecting this much.
When you say use any Linux (does this include the openSuse DVD I have now or is there something else I need to use?
josipbroz idea seemed cool, since it was sort of what I was hoping to do (find a way to boot the cd from a pre-boot program to get around my BIOS not doing it on its own, like dos style).
But I got lost about halfway through as 1, I’m not really an expert on any of this and 2, I’v never touched a linux based system before
(this is for my mother whos 2000 miles away)
I will probably attempt reformatting with teh linux disk first and if that doesnt work I’ll try the other thing
