I would like to run Windows 7 and Linux (not sure which distro) on my PC. I plan to have one HD for each OS. Data will be stored on third, large HD. I wonder what options are to start Windows or Linux and which is best? Boot order in BIOS or boot load on a jump drive. I really don't want have a boot loader on Windows OS HD but maybe it is not that bad. Can I boot just using jump drive? Any other options? Asking for opinions and suggestions. Thank you.
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Running Windows 7 and Linux on the same PC
- Thread starter gnawrot
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Makeroflostsouls
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If your going to run a different hard drive for each OS I would just change the boot order when you turn the computer on. That's what I did when i was running linux, OSx, and windows on the same machine.
Makeroflostsouls
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I think there is a rule about talking about running OSX on a pc on here 
but you can look into it on tonymacx86. Site has a lot of good info about it and what motherboards support it.
but you can look into it on tonymacx86. Site has a lot of good info about it and what motherboards support it.
B00nie
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It should be smooth sailing as long as you install windows first, linux second. Linux will install the grub bootloader which lets you select your OS on every boot from that on. But if you install windows again afterwards, it will destroy grub and you can't boot into linux directly anymore.
Yep. I know that. Windows always acts like it owns the PC. It has been like that since Windows 95 era and nothing changed. I really prefer to have no Linux dependency on Win OS HD which means no grub on Win OS HD. This gives me option to install different Linux distro without touching grub bootloader on Win OS HD. Basically, what I want it that Linux (no matter what distro) will never touch Win OS HD to be able to load.
Is it possible to have a grub bootloader on CD-R or jump drive?
LstBrunnenG
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Honestly, if you're going the BIOS boot order route? Install Windows on one drive, with the Linux drive physically disconnected. Install Linux on the other drive, with the Windows drive disconnected. Windows loves to put its bootloader anywhere it thinks might possibly be in your boot path, and though Linux will let you change that it will likely be the default behavior.
You should be fine if you install Windows on drive 0, then Linux on drive 1 and tell it to put the bootloader onto drive 1's MBR, but if you want to be sure, unplug those cables.
You should be fine if you install Windows on drive 0, then Linux on drive 1 and tell it to put the bootloader onto drive 1's MBR, but if you want to be sure, unplug those cables.
Yes. I haven't done anything like that in years, but you should be able to just make the boot drive the flash drive and put the rest of the partitions on the Linux hard drive. Then, if you put USB ahead of your Windows disk in the BIOS for boot order, it will boot into Linux when the USB drive is plugged in, but Windows when the USB drive is not.
...Though to me it makes more sense to just put the bootloader on the Linux drive too, and then use the boot menu in the BIOS to boot up to the secondary OS when desired.
B00nie
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Unless you make a puppy linux USB stick so that your whole os is portable and sits on that one USB drive.
No need to do much. I would suggest disconnecting you're Linux drive during the initial windows install. Then you plug it in once windows is installed and install Linux with grub. It will do the rest! Format everything else from Linux! It will be much easier (and many more options) to use gparted. And, good luck! :-D
4saken
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yup, this. Virtualbox/vmware workstation, run in full screen mode. I wouldnt ever bother with dual booting these days unless there was some real necessity.
Are you saying that grub will autodetect the Windows install and self-configure? That woudl be nice, but the last time I looked at grub, it required attention to lots of config details.
If you have a sample grub script that boots windows from one drive and linux from a second drive, that would be much appreciated.
What distro are you going with? grub is pretty much auto-config every time I've installed Linux... You should have no issue.Are you saying that grub will autodetect the Windows install and self-configure? That woudl be nice, but the last time I looked at grub, it required attention to lots of config details.
If you have a sample grub script that boots windows from one drive and linux from a second drive, that would be much appreciated.
B00nie
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Most people who use linux do it for security concerns so using it in a potentially infected host sounds counter productive somehow.
Of course VM helps if you just plan to test something or want to surf pr0n safely, one should note however that VMs gimp many distros badly, some puppy editions refuse to even boot in a VM even though the work nicely in native installation.
Of course VM helps if you just plan to test something or want to surf pr0n safely, one should note however that VMs gimp many distros badly, some puppy editions refuse to even boot in a VM even though the work nicely in native installation.
/dev/null
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THIS. This is the way to do dual boot.
Also: If you reinstall windows & it destroys grub, it's pretty easy to fix with a linux live cd.
Maybe my reason was a little more frugal than most. The reason I moved to Linux was because I was tired of Windows Vista. The forced updates. The updates taking FOREVER and not allowing the computer to shut down. Why do I want to wait for updates when I shut down!? When someone shuts down, it usually means they are leaving the computer to go do something else....
Windows doesn't make sense to me anymore in a logical, programming, and security point of view. Linux makes much more sense. I'm glad I tried it. I'm glad I stuck with it. Rest assured, I will only boot windows to play games...
There's a big "IF" here. Things to consider:
-Different distros will act differently to things
-Sometimes grub doesn't want to be repaired
-The most common solutions don't usually work for you
Just remember with Linux, sometimes (depending on distro, again) you will need to come up with your own solution. There are great forums for all of this stuff. But, be prepared to figure things out sometimes. Especially if you want to customize and create beautiful effects, etc.
Hope I didn't get too far off topic... Just wanted to throw a couple of my personal experiences in here. It's not a warning but a friendly reminder. You will love Linux and everything it does. FOR FREE!
[U]ber|Noob
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Linux nicely detects windows and any other linux os's and creates a boot order list. There is an application you can add to linux that enables you to change the default os to boot and also the delay before the default os boots.
Unfortunately the windows installer just wipes the linux boot system with no regard for linux at all.
In that case you can start ubuntu with a live cd and use an app called boot repair.
I have used Ubuntu and Ubuntu live cd or usb stick to do all this (but probably works with other distros too), sometimes it takes a few steps though, you have to read through a short guide and follow a few steps but it's not overly difficult - find the guides by typing into a search engine what you want to do, they come up easily.
Unfortunately the windows installer just wipes the linux boot system with no regard for linux at all.
In that case you can start ubuntu with a live cd and use an app called boot repair.
I have used Ubuntu and Ubuntu live cd or usb stick to do all this (but probably works with other distros too), sometimes it takes a few steps though, you have to read through a short guide and follow a few steps but it's not overly difficult - find the guides by typing into a search engine what you want to do, they come up easily.
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What distro are you going with? grub is pretty much auto-config every time I've installed Linux... You should have no issue.
Actually I was using (or trying to use) grub in connection with EasyBCD with the NEOGrub feature. I was trying to hand-code multiple Windows partitions, and I never quite got it to work, including the "chain loading."
So are you saying that I should do a Win install, followed by my favorite Linux distro, and THEN try to code for additonal Win installations? If yes, that would be sweet.
Tsumi
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Why would you watch your computer configure updates while shutting down? The entire point of doing them during the shutdown phase was so that you could walk away from your computer while it goes through the things it couldn't do while you were actually using your computer. That way, when you start it up the next time, there should only be a short update configuration, and you're not waiting forever to load into Windows. Where's the common sense here?