Overwriting existing dual boot

[Fedx]

Hi,
I've XP and Windows Seven on dual boot, on two different partitions.
First I installed XP and then Seven.
Now, I want to get rid of Seven and install Kubuntu.

Is there a way to overwrite the datas on Seven partition installing Kubuntu and having it in dual boot with XP without deleting Seven and deleting the existing dual boot?

I mean if there's a way to skip the step of returning back to single XP boot and then installing Kubuntu.

Thanks a lot.

[Qqmike]

Re: Overwriting existing dual boot

How To GRUB Methods - Toolkit
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081671.0
See Sections 5 & 6 -- mainly Section 6.

Basically, just install Kubuntu in the same partition as 7.
First, reformat the partition 7 is in using GParetd Live CD--
format it as ext3.
This will destroy 7, right?
Kubuntu's bootloader GRUB will overwritre the XP bootloader in the MBR of the first drive.
CAUTION: This will overwrite XP's bootloader! So, if you need to restore XP's bootloader in the future, you need to have the XP CD (or to search for other ways, using google).

Do you want a separate /home partition? Read here:
Partitioning—how to, Rog131:
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3090704.0

[Fedx]

Re: Overwriting existing dual boot

This looks like a normal Kubuntu installation with dual boot, then GRUB will do the rest.
Thanks a lot for your help!

[Qqmike]

Re: Overwriting existing dual boot

Yes, GRUB should just install itself to the MBR of the first BIOS boot drive (called (hd0)) and configure everything so all your OSs boot correctly.

[Fedx]

Re: Overwriting existing dual boot

Ok.
One last thing: since I'm working mainly on XP, I've already installed a partitioning software on it (Acronis Suite), that allows Ext3 partitioning. I can format the Seven partition with that program, and then install Kubuntu on it, or I need Gparted?
With it I can make an Ext3 partition, with different cluster sizes (512B, 1-2-4-8-16-32-64 KB).

[Qqmike]

Re: Overwriting existing dual boot

No experience with Acronis, but if you know how to use it, then yes, it's fine; it's a well-knowm, trusted package.
Cluster size? Hmmm ... would that be Sector Size?
If so, GPared uses (default) 512 Bytes per sector.
(Block size may vary, but is usually 1024 Bytes.)

GParted Live is pretty handy -- has other software on it, a Terminal, can copy partitions, etc. But, yes, go with what you know.

[Fedx]

Re: Overwriting existing dual boot

I'm sorry to bother you again, but when I start the installation, the guided partition mode can't see the new partition.
I currently have C: (that he calls sda1) with XP os, D: (sda2) with datas, S: (sda3) where I want to install kubuntu.
But he sees only D: and he gives me two options: split in two parts or use the whole of it.

I can see S: only in manual mode.

It's normal?

[Qqmike]

Re: Overwriting existing dual boot

I always use the Manual mode (the last option listed in Step 4--Choose partitioning Method). Just go with that.

[Fedx]

Re: Overwriting existing dual boot

I finally did it

But the boot loader-thing didn't work out as wanted..
Now I've the 3 Linux entries + one called "windows vista/longhorn".
And when I choose that, I go to the old Xp/Seven boot.

[Qqmike]

Re: Overwriting existing dual boot

I'm not sure WHAT you have on the hard drive now -- what OS do you have and on what partitions? You do NOT have Vista, right? And do you still have 7? Only one hard drive, right?

At Konsole
sudo fdsik -lu

Then do this:
sudo grub
That gives you a GRUB prompt.
grub> find/boot/grub/stage1

When you choose the Windows from the boot menu, maybe you are getting some kind of Windows boot partition that points at your old 7? I think 7 boots XP, but in this case, it may not do so since you deleted 7.

Where is XP?
Like, maybe, the first partition of the one-and-only hard drive?
If so, edit your /boot/grub/menu.lst in Kubuntu (as root) to include this entry placed AFTER the line
*** END AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
(it won't hurt to do this anyway, even if it doesn't work):

*** END AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
title Windows XP
root (hd0,0)
chainloader +1



Editing the boot menu (/boot/grub/menu.lst), as root:
How To GRUB Methods - Toolkit
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081671.0
Section 4: menu.lst

[Fedx]

Re: Overwriting existing dual boot

I'm writing from XP at the moment, because I'm having some trouble setting up the router in Kubuntu, so I've not checked the grub so far. I'm just giving information about what I "should" have on my pc.

The main OS is XP. I have only one thard drive, so the XP files are on the first partition. Then there's a second partition with datas only (nfts).
This was the situation at the beginning.

Than I created a new partition, where I installed Seven.
So there was first partition with XP, second partition with datas, third with Seven, and the dual boot (created by seven) between them.

I wanted to get rid of Seven and use Kubuntu, so I deleted datas on seven partition, then I splitted it (8GB for swap, the remaining in ext3. I read on guides that swap shoul be 2n*MB of ram, I have four).

Then I installed linux on the fourth partition (the ext3), using the swap partition.

So in the end, I have one hard hard disk with
- first partition, nfts, primary, with XP files,
- second partition, nfts, primary, with datas,
- third partition, swap, primary, with Kubuntu,
- fourth partition, ext3, with kubuntu.

And the boot menu is, so far,
- three kubuntu
- Windows Vista/Longhord (loader) [I didn't choose the name]

Clicking on that "Windows Vista/Longhord (loader)", instead of starting up XP, I get the "old" boot loader, the one between XP and Seven.

Later I'll boot K and check what you said.

Sorry for this mess

[Qqmike]

Re: Overwriting existing dual boot

That's pretty clear!

So, now I hope that adding the following in your /boot/grub/menu.lst will do the trick:

title Windows XP
root (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

You can even do that from a Live Kubuntu CD (as explained in the how-to I linked).

I hope 7 did not damage the XP NTLDR bootloader in the boot sector of the first partition (i.e., the XP partition). If it did, you might have to do this:

> Use the XP disk to repair the XP bootloader.
> Then--MAYBE--you may have to re-install GRUB (either from Kubuntu or from a Live Kubuntu CD).
Re-installing GRUB is Section 3 of the how-to --
Basically just this:

Konsole
sudo grub
grub> root (hd0,3)
grub> setup (hd0)
grub>quit
$exit
re-boot to test it

(Kubuntu is in the 4th partition = partition 3 since counting starts at zero.: 0, 1,2,3)

[Fedx]

Re: Overwriting existing dual boot

I had a look.

The actual menu.lst ends this way:

title Other operating systems:
root

title Windows Vista/Longhorn (loader)
root (hd0,0)
chainloader +1
savedefault
makeactive

I don't know if those lines can make the difference, but I'll try editing it as you said.

If this still doesn't work I'll try recovering the original windows boot and then installing the GRUB.

I hope to be able to do all that


With sudo fdisk -lu I saw that the partition are five... the /dev/sda1 and /dev/sda2, the first has the dot under the boot column.
Then I have
/dev/sda3, start: 936300330, end: 952879409, blocks: 8289540, id 82, Linux swap/solaris,
/dev/sda4, start: 952879410, end: 976768064, blocks: 11944327+, id 8, Esteso
/dev/sda5, start: 952879473, end: 976768064, blocks: 11944296, id 83, Linux.

There's that sda4 that I don't know from where it comes from, that end in the same place of five.
If I have to re-install GRUB, I have to place it in root (hd0,4) or that sda4 doesn't count, so it'll go in hd0,3?

[Qqmike]

Re: Overwriting existing dual boot

> You don't need these lines:
savedefault
makeactive

> sda4 looks like the Extended partition.
You can only have 4 primary partitions on a HD, including one Extended partition. Then, inside the Extended partition you can have more partitions, called "Logical" partitions.

> Looks like Kubuntu is on sda5 = (hd0,4)
You can find the GRUB files (and therefore Kubuntu) directly, at Konsole:
sudo grub
grub>find /boot/grub/stage1
That will tell you the partition (hdx,y) where GRUB files are installed (which, in your basic case here will also be the Kubuntu partition).
Then, use that (hdx,y) in your root statement.

[Qqmike]

Re: Overwriting existing dual boot

of course, btw, it is not a GRUB problem;
my guess is that 7 wrote an entry into the boot.ini file of XP;
thus, you could also edit that file and delete that entry (if you know how);
or, as I say, just "repair" the XP boot, which would re-build it new;
and SGD might be able to that, I'm not sure.