Tutorial : Easily multibooot Windows 7 with Linux

Windows7 has been the talk of the town for quite a few months and it will be the favorites due to lower system usage than Vista.. Recently I gave the new Redmond OS a ride and found it reminiscent of Vista, in-addition to few cosmetic changes that it brings with it.

Well we are not here today to talk about what WIn7 is and what it does .This thread is for those people who intend to dual boot Windows 7 with any of the Linux Operating system.

Prerequisites : -

1. Windows 7 DVD
2. Any Linux distro with latest grub 0.99.x
3. A DVD/CD drive..

In this tutorial we will make Linux and Windows7 multi-boot in which Linux has been installed first.

Once you install Windows7 over any Linux installation, the Windows boot-loader will overwrite the existing grub boot loader and you will not get the Linux entry while booting you system.. In order to get a multi boot we have to restore the grub..

After installing Windows 7 over any linux distro. Insert the Linux Live Cd and boot through it. Once the desktop appears open the Terminal in Gnome or Konsole in kde . to open the respective command client you can either gain access from menu's or simply press ALT + F2 and type the following

This will open the command client in the respective desktop environment. Once it is open, we have to gain root privileges

After you have gain the desired privileges we will focus on restoring the grub and adding windows entries to it..

Type the following command as super user/root one by one

This will show your Linux boot file location as following

Note the 1'st word 0 say X indicates the hdd entry number (hard disk number -1 ) in which you have installed Linux. For Example, if you have installed the Linux in hard-disk 1 the it will show the number as 0 and if you have installed in second hard-disk as set in BIOS then it will list the number as 1.

The second number output 1 say Y list the partition ( partition number -1) in which you have installed the distro..

Now once you get the numbers you have just to re-install the grub inorder to restore the default Linux boot manager

Note : Do not forget to replace the number with the output that you get..

Once we are done type quit and reboot the system in Linux.. Open the command client again [not in Live disc mode] and type the following commands after gaining root privileges..

Add these lines at the end where other Linux entries are listed as well..


Note : here first 0 indicate hard disk number -1 and second 0 indicate partition number -1.. I have installed Windows 7 in the first partition of my primary hard drive therefore the entries are shown as 0,0. It will vary with the partition and hard disk in which you have installed...

That is it . You have successfully dual boot Windows 7 and Linux in your machine..

This tutorial is also applicable in case where Windows is installed first. If some distro fails to add grub and windows entries you can use the above stated method to make a multi-boot solution...

I hope this tutorial helps you in multi-booting OS. You can multiboot any linux, windows or mac using the same procedure.

Please feel free to ask your doubts .

Also check : Installing Windows 7 RC 7100 and Ubuntu 9.04

Regards

Nice tutorial bro. Welldone.

DarkStar,

Agreed, the right way is the way you mentioned if a user wishes to let linux control the bootup. However if the user would like to let window's boot manager continue, then again the grub will come to rescue. Instead of reviving linux boot manager, the user can continue without any of but plainly install grub in windows.

BTW A job done nice.

~LT

^^Hmm yes.. But if there is already a grub copy installed whats the point in re-installing But yes it can be done ..

Thanks guys for the appreciation .. Please digg the article here Tutorial : Easily multibooot Windows 7 with Linux - TechEncl

I did that once but it's a bit of a finicky process to load grub from windows and then you still have to contend with 2 boot manager screens.... whereas with Grub bootloader you can boot directly into windows and skip the windows menu.

Well I installed the Windows 7 in my partition that earlier contained XP and despite XP's want of being the primary HDD resulting in mapping of drives in menu.lst file, Windows 7 boots beautifully without any problem.
On my setup, I've 3 HDD, each having an OS, Windows 7(32-bit), Vista SP1(64-bit) and Ubuntu 8.10(32-bit). I have made the Ubuntu's drive main Primary boot drive and the GRUB manages it all flawlessly.

Update : Mandriva 2009.1 automatically adds Windows 7 and Ubuntu entry, a decent distro with properly integrated grub/distro detector will automatically add windows7 so no need to worry.

I will add a How to soon on adding Linux/Windows entry using Mandriva Control Center .

sorry for bumping up this old thread, I just have few questions.

At present I have Win 7 RC on my HDD. I got my Ubuntu 9.04 copy lately and I wish to install it soon. If I install it now, will there be a problem with GRUB on MBR?? The last time I have installed linux, it was Ubuntu 8.10 with Vista on my another rig and it worked fine.

And for the new Mandriva which one is the best, KDE or Gnome??.....I mean like Gnome suites best for Ubuntu than KDE.

^^Well thats tricky Ubuntu comes with WUBI so if you install Ubuntu inside windows MBR will be the bootloader.

But if you install Linux the way it is meant to be installed then Grub will take over (ofcourse you need to install grub during installation)

For Desktop Env. that is personal choice. I use both so get what you are familiar with, unlike (X)Ubuntu (X=K,X,n,L) , mandriva specializes in both Gnome as well in KDE, while ubuntu/canonical focus more on Gnome that KDE.

I didn't mean that I was installing Ubuntu inside Windows with some kinda virtual machine that Ubuntu disks comes with. I need to dual boot.

so you mean I have to install Grub manually when installing Ubuntu?? if yes, can you plz tell me how to install Ubuntu in command line...I usually use the graphics install, am not an advanced linux user.

^^Just install ubuntu and it will install grub and will add the windows entry as well

so just like dual booting with vista...but many of them said to me Win 7 crashed after installing Ubuntu 9.04, thats why asked. Anyway will try soon and thanx for the help.

This happens to me usually.

I try booting win 7 with grub and it gives some weird errors and which leads to repairing the Win 7 OS or at times reinstalling.

How to install grub in to the win 7 boot manager. Put a light over that.

^^ That shouldn't happen. Have you restored GRUB correctly after installing Win 7 ?

I'm stuck after-
grub> find /boot/grub/stage1
I get (hd0,0)
Can't understand what to enter next, inside the brackets? Get Unrecognised command...
Pls help FIRST time Dual booter win7 RC over Karmic

Wiped the disk with active kill disk. Installed Win7RC and Karmic over it. Dual-boot, was smooth as silk. Cheers...