Dual-boot XP and Ubuntu on separate SATA hard drives (XP installed first)

Uhrm, one more, can i do as same as recovering GRUB just like dual-boot from one hard disc drive?

I had a similar problem __ Vista rather than XP. My solution was to remove both hard drive from the case and screw them into a nice, roomy, cage from an old computer. I ran one SATA cable and one power cable out the back of the computer. I hook-up only one of the hard drives. Maybe, some day, I'll figure out how to manage a "real" dual-boot. But, until then, I can use both OS.

I thought this site's information might be helpful for you: http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/2622/how-to_dual-boot_ubuntu It is a step by step procedure on how to do a dual boot of Windows XP and Ubuntu. Hope this helps!

uhm, dats for IDE HDD..but i'm using SATA HDD...well, thanks anyway

Hello akaMaru...:)
The article above is a very good step by step procedure on how to do a dual boot of Windows XP
http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/2622/how-to_dual-boot_ubuntu
If you are using a SATA HDD as i am; you dont need to worry.. the installation procedure is same irrespective of ATA or SATA.. only basic difference is the naming..:)
hda1 is sda1 hdb is sdb and so on...:)
you dont need to worry on this concept and you can proceed with the installation...:)

Cheers,

Bhavani Shankar.

I've got a dual-boot going on two separate drives, the SATA 130GB that came in my new box (on which I installed Win2k) and the IDE 40GB that I moved in from my old box, (now with Gutsy) IDE slave under the IDE master CD/DVD drive. Near zero tinkering needed. SATA vs IDE is not an issue, the key thing was the boot order in my BIOS, which had to specify the Gutsy 40GB drive as having priority over the (untouched) Win2k 130GB one. Now the boot order is CD/40GB/130GB, and when I boot normally (CD empty) I see the Grub that got installed on the 40GB (without telling me!) offering me a chance to boot Win2k if I want it, then going on to start Ubuntu. Very nice!

But I wasted a lot of time before discovering this.

I used the standard install for Gutsy, putting it on the 40GB drive, using the simplest choices, then never saw it again! The installation never asked me the questions I was expecting about installing LILO or GRUB or boot order or systems.

So I went looking all over for info on this kind of dual boot system, and I learned a lot about the MBR and the different ways that the mechanics of booting can be handled, and the pitfalls of each. Very complicated and risky looking. I pay the bills by using my computer for short-deadline work and I can't leave it semi-functional for long while I do a research project and experiment with it!

But just going into the BIOS and changing the boot order solved the whole problem with no further intervention, and I've been using Ubuntu for several days with no urge or need to go back to Win.

How I install Ubuntu in sata hard drive ? I have AMD x2 with gigabite amd chipset mother board and two sata harderive of 250gb and 400gb. In 250gb it has windows xp , and I want to install ubuntu 8.04.1 in my 400gb hard drive . I think it does not support sata . help me to install ubuntu in my pc .

Dear friends.
I'm from malaysia. sorry for my bad english.

I have been using Ubuntu since version 7 and dual booting it with winXP in two hdd. winXP on 250GB SATA & Ubuntu on 80GB IDE. My box is originaly winXP, take out winXP SATA hdd and plug in the IDE hdd and boot from Ubuntu installation cd to install Ubuntu. After install and download all the updates available, put back the SATA with XP and boot. the grub work as i axpected, loading the menu to boot from Ubuntu or XP.

 1 year later, the Ubuntu 80GB IDE hdd died. ..sighhh... I bought a new 160GB SATA hdd and install Ubuntu 8.1 (downloaded from mininova, this guy call it SUPER UBUNTU 8.1, got all the multimedia & apps thrown in) using the same method as previos. but when boot, no more grub loading dual boot menu... it's boots directly to Ubuntu. when i hit the command button to show boot menu, it only show boot from ubuntu, ubuntu recovery, no XP. this give me headhache, maybe ubuntu can't work well with dual SATA.

 What i do is, before booting the box, go to BIOS screen, set the HDD boot priority to winXP 250GB or Ubuntu 160GB HDD, my SATA board have 4 channel, 0,1,2,3. set Ubuntu 160GB to channel 0 and winXP 250GB to boot from Ubuntu or the other way to boot from XP. works well and Ubuntu can mount the XP hdd.

I hope somebody will address this issue so i don't have to visit the BIOS screen everytime i want to boot the diffrent OS.

I LOVE UBUNTU.