Install Knoppix & WinXP on the same HD

[bob58]

Hello....I have a dual boot installation of Knoppix and Winxp on my computer. Each OS has its own hard drive. I had Winxp on my main HDD and put in a second HDD with Knoppix. No problem with the install....just had to edit LILO. What I want to do now is, I am getting a new 20G hard drive for my laptop. I want to make a 10G partition for Winxp and use the remaining space for Knoppix. I have never done a dual boot install using one hard drive. I will do the following:
1. partition the 20G drive with one 10G partition for Winxp
2. Install Winxp to that 10G partition
3. Use cfdisk or qtparted to make 3 partitions for KNOPPIX on remaining space on hard drive; 1 partition for the OS, 1 partition for SWAP and 1 partition for storage.
4. Install KNOPPIX
5. Edit LILO

It should go OK.....I never installed Windows to a partitioned drive before so I hope that goes OK. Also I need a refresher on how to edit LILO for dual boot on a single HDD. I would think the Windows partition will be HDA1 and the KNOPPIX partition [with the OS] will be HDA2....and LILO should be written to HDA1.....Then the dual boot screen should come up and work. Am I mostly correct on this?????

Thanks...bob

[Markus]

You should have no problem there as I can see. The only thing is that if you want to have lilo as single bootloader it should go to hda. If you choose the linux partition hda2 you need to copy the bootsector to C:\ and put a line for it in C:\boot.ini . The installer should ask you where you want lilo and if you choose MBR it goes to hda.

These are the lines in lilo.conf that matter here:

boot=/dev/hda this line will make lilo go to the MBR instead of partition

root=/dev/hda2 here you probably had hdb1 before but it should automagically be your linux / partition when you install knoppix

other=/dev/hda1
label="WinXP" this is probably the same as you had before

PS: You might want to format the storage partition vfat so that both windows and linux can share it, although it means you need to defrag it now and then.

[foamrotreturns]

this is the same problem i was having. Can you explain what needs to be put in boot.ini and any other steps to take within Windows to get the ntldr to load lilo properly?

[Markus]

Just remembered that this http://www.knoppix.net/wiki/Lilo explains quite well installing with XP on hda1 and Knoppix on hda2.

As for using ntldr, there are lots of posts like this one: http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtop...&view=previous
Just search for "of=/bootsect.lnx" or similar.

[bob58]

This is directed back to MARKUS......I did have another question I neglected to ask you. The hard drive I am getting is brand new. I plan to first boot up with KNOPPIX CD and use CFDISK to partition the drive. What do I need to do to make my WINxp partition [HDA1 / C:] which will be 10Gig, ready to be able to install Winxp? I mean in CFDISK, there is the option called "TYPE" to choose whether you want a LINUX partition, or SWAP etc......What do I choose under "TYPE" for my WINxp partition? I am not sure about this cause I never partitioned a drive for Windows before.
The rest is pretty easy for KNOPPIX. Does CFDISK give you the option of saving a partition as NTFS????? I would prefere that over FAT32. But Windows doesnt give you that option when you install it as far as I know.
Actually I did'nt understand this part in your first response:

The only thing is that if you want to have lilo as single bootloader it should go to hda. If you choose the linux partition hda2 you need to copy the bootsector to C:\ and put a line for it in C:\boot.ini . The installer should ask you where you want lilo and if you choose MBR it goes to hda.

I am not sure what you mean....I didnt have to do this when I made a dual boot system in my desktop, using separate hard drives. If I first partition drive into a 10Gig partition, install Winxp on that partition, which will be HDA1 or C: then reboot, put in the KNOPPIX CD, run CFDISK again to make my LINUX partitions on what will be HDA2 [HDA3 for SWAP] . Then install KNOPPIX........When it asks me where to install LILO, I will choose MBR which will write to my HDA1 bootsector I believe.....Then reboot, bring up LILO.CONF and edit it the way you described......
I dont know what you mean by putting in a line for C:\boot.ini. If you choose, while installing KNOPPIX to install LILO to MBR, when you have WIN and Knoppix on separate partitions isnt that all you have to do?

I hope I am not getting to messed up!!!! bob

[Markus]

In your first post you said:

....and LILO should be written to HDA1.....

which is why I said that if you want lilo to go to the MBR, you should choose boot=/dev/hda instead of hda1. You have 2 choises:
- You can choose to have lilo in MBR which means boot=/dev/hda in lilo.conf
- You can choose lilo to go to the linux partition and use NTLDR or some such to load it which means boot=/dev/hda2
- You should not choose hda1 as that will be the windows partition.
As I said, the installer asks you where you want lilo and unless you manually change it, lilo will go to hda(MBR) or hda2(linux partition) depending on your choise. Choose MBR and you have nothing more to worry about.
Sorry for being confusing, just trying to explain your options.

I wouldn't choose knoppix to format a drive NTFS, instead just make the partitions with cfdisk and use windows to format C. Another option would be to format hda1 FAT32 with knoppix and later in windows convert it to NTFS. This can only be done one way, that is from fat to NTFS. Haven't done the converting in XP though, just in W2k. There are plenty of bootdisks out there that will also format a partition ntfs if windows fails to do this. You can also try qtparted instead of cfdisk but people have reported not so good experiences with qtparted.

[bob58]

Hi Markus.....Wow you are pretty knowledgable with this stuff!!! I don't have a THOROUGH knowledge of this unfortunatly! I am trying to logically figure it out.
Well I would rather stay away from using NTLDR. I have always used LILO and I am more comfortable with messing with that than NTLDR.
OK so when I am prompted as to where I want LILO to go, I will choose MBR.

Here's my plan:

HDA1 for WINxp
HDA2 for KNOPPIX
HDA3 for SWAP

SO....I will then edit LILO.CONF to show this line: boot=/dev/hda

OK I think I see....I have to specify that in LILO.CONF. This part I am not clear on. When I install KNOPPIX and ask LILO to be written to MBR instead of LINUX partition, isn't that all I need to do, except for editing LILO.CONF afterwards to be able to boot winxp? I see where I have to put in boot=/dev/hda in LILO.CONF.....I understand that part.

As far as using CFDISK to set HDA1 to FAT32....that may be the only choice, then CONVERT my WINxp installation later on to NTFS....I remember doing that a while ago...no big deal.

So basically I just have to make sure in LILO.CONF that this line is in there: boot=/dev/hda
Let me know if I am making this more difficult than it really is!!! Sorry fo repeating myself so much......So to sum it up.....By choosing to install LILO to MBR, I do that and also put the boot=/dev/hda line in LILO.CONF.....You are not confusing, I just have a problem with needing very explicit instructions! OK so I will use KNOPPIX to partition my disk, and for my Winxp partition, using CFDISK I will choose as "type" "FAT32" then let Winxp format that partition when I am installing. Whew! bob

[Markus]

You really are making this lilo stuff too complicated for yourself. If you install XP first and then Knoppix, lilo should automagically add a line for XP so the only thing you really need to do is choose lilo to go to MBR and the next time you boot up you should have a choise between XP and Knoppix. It's only if something goes wrong that you need to manually edit lilo.

So basically I just have to make sure in LILO.CONF that this line is in there: boot=/dev/hda
Let me know if I am making this more difficult than it really is!!! Sorry fo repeating myself so much......So to sum it up.....By choosing to install LILO to MBR, I do that and also put the boot=/dev/hda line in LILO.CONF.....You are not confusing, I just have a problem with needing very explicit instructions! OK so I will use KNOPPIX to partition my disk, and for my Winxp partition, using CFDISK I will choose as "type" "FAT32" then let Winxp format that partition when I am installing. Whew! bob

That's the way I would do it, but OTOH I'm not at all as knowledgeable in this as you think while I still long for the days when you used a windows bootdisk and fdisk to do your windows formatting. I don't even know if the modern windows bootdisks let you format a partition to NTFS.

[bob58]

Yah....It just is confusing unless you do this sort of thing alot...then you get used to dealing with it. I think the WinXP cd, full install gives you the option of FAT32 or NTFS.....I think I read that on a website somewhere. But OK I think you've explained it where it has sunk in.......thank you for your patience! bob

[Cuddles]

bob58,

I am quite sure you have already figured this out, already, but, if you haven't, I'll say it...

It's not so much what is installed, but, the order in which it is installed...

Considering WinXP has all the problems with taking over, you want to install that first, so that it can take over, as it wants to, and then, install, something else, that will gain "control" back from Windows... Microsoft, I guess, assumes, no one wants anything else on there systems, other than Windows. Whereas, Knoppix, Kanotix, Debian, Linux, as a whole, never makes that assumption, and allows you to "multi-OS" boot.

( its, almost, a wonder, why Microsoft hasnt realized this, and why so many people are looking for an alternative OS, other than Windows?

My 2 cents worth...

EDIT:
Not sure if this is the same in WinXP, but, back in Win98, it was a pain to just get "Windows" to not take over the whole drive... You had to select "something" to tell it, you didnt want the whole drive with "windows" on it.
END EDIT