On 28 January 2012 17:44, Barry Drake <ubuntu-advertis...@gmx.com> wrote: > > I understand the problem. Windows (any version) refuses to install > unless you try to install to a drive with a valid boot record.
What? No it doesn't! Depends on the version. I don't think I have ever met a version that won't install *at all* but several versionxs, including, I think, XP pre-SP3, do not rewrite the MBR so leaving GRUB or LILO in there. OTOH, many versions /do/ rewrite it even if they don't have to, erasing the MBR & rendering Linux unbootable after installing Windows on a dual-boot system. > Reformatting using gparted makes this impossible for Windows. No it doesn't. I do this frequently, at times on a weekly basis or more. No problems. > I get > around it by using clonezilla to clone the mbr from another drive onto > the drive that gparted has blanked and re-formatted to NTFS. The "FDISK /MBR" method is a *lot* quicker and easier, believe me. You can also rewrite the MBR from the Recovery Console on a Win2K or later install disk, or using the free Windows 7 Recovery CD: http://neosmart.net/blog/2009/windows-7-system-repair-discs/ However, DOS is quicker and easier and works fine. If you have >1 physical drive, remember to do this to all of them, just in case. Again, this is easier with DOS than XP. > Windows > will then install OK. For some reason known only to Microsoft (must be > a commercial consideration therefore) reformatting the drive under the > Windows installer will not overcome the problem. Not true, but a reformat will not always reinitialise the boot record. E.g. formatting a secondary drive or partition won't. > Ah well, twas ever thus .... :¬) Um. If anything, it was more straightforward in the days of Win9x. TBH I have never dual-booted Windows 3 with Linux - I was not using Linux that early; I only started in 1995 or so. I have many times dual-booted Linux with plain MS-DOS, DR-DOS or FreeDOS, though. It's handy to keep a small (32MB) primary bootable DOS partition for things like firmware re-Flashing. -- Liam Proven • Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile Email: lpro...@cix.co.uk • GMail/G+/Twitter/Flickr/Facebook: lproven MSN: lpro...@hotmail.com • Skype/AIM/Yahoo/LinkedIn: liamproven Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 • Cell: +44 7939-087884 -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
