I would like to install Kubuntu Linux on my computer but I already have
two copies of windows XP installed. I have installed Ubuntu
successfully on a computer that had windows XP installed and it worked
great. My question is will it be any different because I have two
copies installed. Will the boot menu show both copies of Windows?

markav2@gmail.com wrote:

> I would like to install Kubuntu Linux on my computer but I already have
> two copies of windows XP installed. I have installed Ubuntu
> successfully on a computer that had windows XP installed and it worked
> great. My question is will it be any different because I have two
> copies installed. Will the boot menu show both copies of Windows?

Here are two solutions that keep the Windows loader.
GRUB seemed to be easier, but LILO worked for me...

http://web.archive.org/web/200210090...otlin2000.html

http://www.geocities.com/epark/linux...w2k-HOWTO.html
--
v/r,
C-F
collinsd_kc.rr.com

markav2@gmail.com wrote:
>
> I would like to install Kubuntu Linux on my computer but I already
> have two copies of windows XP installed. I have installed Ubuntu
> successfully on a computer that had windows XP installed and it worked
> great. My question is will it be any different because I have two
> copies installed. Will the boot menu show both copies of Windows?

Just to satisfy my curiosity, why would anyone want two copies of
WXP installed? Seems something like having two walls to stop
batting your head against, so it feels twice as good when you stop.

--
"If you want to post a followup via groups.google.com, don't use
the broken "Reply" link at the bottom of the article. Click on
"show options" at the top of the article, then click on the
"Reply" at the bottom of the article headers." - Keith Thompson
More details at: <http://cfaj.freeshell.org/google/>
Also see <http://www.safalra.com/special/googlegroupsreply/>

The reason I have two copies of Windows XP installed on my system is
because one is used for business purposes and the other one is for
personal use. I like to experiment installing and uninstalling programs
and trying out new things but always need to have an optimized copy of
Windows for my photography business. I am in the past need to meet a
deadline and found out that something that I had done would not let me
use Photoshop or my professional lab software. This way I know I always
have a working copy on my system for business purposes that is stripped
down and runs fast.

The reason I like to install Linux is because I've been playing with
the live CD now for a couple of weeks and it works very well. and I
figure 1 day and going to have enough of Windows crap and move to Linux
for my playing around operating system at least until Adobe decides to
offer Photoshop for Linux.

Mark



CBFalconer wrote:
> markav2@gmail.com wrote:
> >
> > I would like to install Kubuntu Linux on my computer but I already
> > have two copies of windows XP installed. I have installed Ubuntu
> > successfully on a computer that had windows XP installed and it worked
> > great. My question is will it be any different because I have two
> > copies installed. Will the boot menu show both copies of Windows?
>
> Just to satisfy my curiosity, why would anyone want two copies of
> WXP installed? Seems something like having two walls to stop
> batting your head against, so it feels twice as good when you stop.
>
> --
> "If you want to post a followup via groups.google.com, don't use
> the broken "Reply" link at the bottom of the article. Click on
> "show options" at the top of the article, then click on the
> "Reply" at the bottom of the article headers." - Keith Thompson
> More details at: <http://cfaj.freeshell.org/google/>
> Also see <http://www.safalra.com/special/googlegroupsreply/>

CBFalconer wrote:
> Just to satisfy my curiosity, why would anyone want two copies of
> WXP installed? Seems something like having two walls to stop
> batting your head against, so it feels twice as good when you stop.

Although Mark explained his reasons, I would like to add another,
failsafety. I have a PC with two copies of XP installed, as well as
two copies of Linux. The point is redundancy. If something goes
wrong, as it recently did and one of the partitions gets scribbled on
to the point where it won't boot, you can boot the other partition to
fix the first. It's pretty hard to run a restore from backup if you
don't have a working OS. I'm trying to get to the point where I have
two pc's (laptops) both with identical OSes on them (both flavors
Linux and XP) and a removable CD that can be shared by both which has
the redundant copy.

However, as I'm sure that your point is a sarcastic jab at Windows, I
will point out that for many there are good reasons to run Windows.
I've been using various flavors of Unix since about 1978, when I used
it on 11/70's and wrote a compiler for Interdata 8/32's running Unix.
I've had my own Unix machines since the 1987 when I bought a Sun 3/60
and later a Sparc before switching to Linux based PCs. Despite all
that, I still find good value in Windows and it is generally still
easier to use for certain tasks than any Unix I have ever used.
Moreover, my day-job employer only provides access to their network
from Windows machines, so even if I hated Windows, I would have to use
it for connecting to work and tele-commuting.

That doesn't mean the aren't things I prefer to do on Linux. I keep
my master source pools of the software I sell on Linux-that includes
the copies for windows platforms. I even keep my personal email/news
on a ISP that provides Unix shells, even though that means I have to
use ssh to access it.

Perhaps all the tasks you want to do require Linux. However, that
does not mean that there are not tasks which can be better done in
Windows. Comparing Windows to banging one's head against the wall,
only shows your lack of perspective. Windows isn't that way for most
people, and for most Linux seems significantly more difficult to use.

I'm not sure what the intent of your sarcasm is. However, I don't
think your intent was achieved.

-Chris

markav2@gmail.com wrote:
> My question is will it be any different because I have two
> copies installed. Will the boot menu show both copies of Windows?

That depends. I presume when you boot XP now, the XP loader shows two
menu choices, and you select one of those to boot. After you insall
Linux, you will now get a new boot loader than runs (chainloads) your
original boot loader when you tell it you wish to boot XP (see below).
The normal way that operates, is that you boot and the Linux loader
(grub or lilo) brings up a menu which allows you to chose between
booting Linux or XP. If you choose Linux, it just boots. If, however,
you choose XP, the XP loader is invoked and it offers the choice of
which XP partition to invoke.

If you have XP loaders (NTLDR) on both of your XP partitions, you can
configure the Linux loader to directly boot either XP partition
without XP asking which partition to boot.

You can also use a third party tool, such as System Commander to make
the selection. That's actually what I do. Then, if you want, you can
make a selection in system commander that boots directly to one of the
OSes. Or you can boot to the OS with a menu that allows you to change
your choice. For example, when I boot from System Commander into an
XP partition, it brings up the XP boot loader menu for that partition.
Now, I have the partition default to booting up the partition I
selected after a timeout, but I still get a 2nd chance to say, oh no,
I meant to boot a different partition and use the menu to change it.

below: When you install Linux and have it install a boot loader, it
should ask you some questions as part of the installation process,
that allow you to tell the loader which partitions you wish to be able
to boot. That selection process fills out an ASCII text file (similar
in concept to boot.ini under Windows, but having it's own format),
that the loader reads in to display its menu. You can later modify
the file to add or remove partitions if the list isn't the way you
like, just as you can boot.ini.

Hope this helps,
-Chris

************************************************** ***************************
Chris Clark Internet : compres@world.std.com
Compiler Resources, Inc. Web Site : http://world.std.com/~compres
23 Bailey Rd voice : (508) 435-5016
Berlin, MA 01503 USA fax : (978) 838-0263 (24 hours)
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