Dual booting XP and Linux with two hard drives

There any reason to not install Windows into a virtual machine using Virtualbox on Ubuntu... ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch8X86R6d-g

If you want to install i have little different method to install it please tell...

Thank you

Linux will install a small program called Grub, most probably on the MBR (Master Boot Record) of the main disk - which can be the Windows disk. Grub allows you to choose Windows or Linux.

The default is to start Linux first by default, although you can edit this so that Windows starts first.

I have two hard drives which are referred to as sda and sdb. Windows is on sda, Linux is on sdb, Grub is an the MBR of sda.

If you ever decide to remove Linux it is easy but Grub will remain - until you remove it with the "fixmbr" command

Linux will install a small program called Grub, most probably on the MBR (Master Boot Record) of the main disk - which can be the Windows disk. Grub allows you to choose Windows or Linux.

The default is to start Linux first by default, although you can edit this so that Windows starts first.

I have two hard drives which are referred to as sda and sdb. Windows is on sda, Linux is on sdb, Grub is an the MBR of sda.

If you ever decide to remove Linux it is easy but Grub will remain - until you remove it with the "fixmbr" command

It would be best to remove the hard disk containing Windows installation and install linux. You can then go to your bios setup everytime you want to switch between windows and linux since one hard disk will have the bootloader for linux and one for windows.
After installing linux when you connect back the windows hard disk you will be able to view all the files in the windows drive.
I am assuming your bios setting gives you the option of choosing which of the multiple hard disk is to be used first for loading the operating system.
This is the best way because when you boot windows it will have a clean windows boot loader only, and when you load linux (by modifying the booting order in the setup) you will have a clean linux boot loader.

During dual boot often problems occur and having 2 disks removes the need to do so.

Hi :)

The simple answer is no, you probably wont need to make any changes to your bios to boot the Ubuntu once it has been installed.

However you might need to change the boot-order in your bios in order to boot up from the installer CD otherwise installing Ubuntu might be tricky. Try a LiveCd of your Ubuntu Cd first before doing anything else to check the installer Cd works.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD
also check the md5sum of the downloaded iso image that made the Ubuntu Cd
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HowToMD5SUM
just to make sure that everything is all good . ;)

The LiveCd should be able to navigate to the Ubuntu iso image you have on the Windows drive. Just check in "Places" on the top taskbar. So, it's probably easier to check the md5sum from the LiveCd session rather than from Windows because Ubuntu already has the tools to do the md5sum check.

Then this screencast shows the relevant detail of the Ubuntu installer
http://static.screencasts.ubuntu.com/2009/09/03/Ubuntu_Partitioning.ogv
but also this guide might help clarify a few issues
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot
Note that this guide is aimed at installing Ubuntu on the same drive as Windows whereas the screencast is more useful for some details you need for your install.

Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

Hi again :)

Note that Marcobra's answer makes the most sense for what you are trying to achieve because it means you can have Windows running at the same time as Ubuntu, just have it inside a window. This might mean you can even copy&paste between Windows and Ubuntu!

Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

Lol, linux is definitely about freedom of choice. In the Windows world i don't think dual-boot is even known about at all whereas almost any linux user can give you options of different 'best ways' to do this!

Ultimately there is only 1 way and that's your own. In my case my neighbours way always looks like the best one until i try it and then realise that my original way had been better ;)

Regards to all from
Tom :)

good day,
how do you change the default settings so that windows boot first before ubuntu
please help
thank you

HI Julian :)

Please post as a new and separate question.
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+addquestion
Are you using Ubuntu 10.04 or an older release of Ubuntu? The 10.04 (and often the 9.10) uses grub2 which has a different system from grub1 which is now the old one.

So, when you post the new question please try to let us know which version of Ubuntu you are using. Also please paste a link to the new question in here so we can follow what happens. Since this questions was answered a few months ago you might (with any luck) find one of the 10 suggested "similar" answers might be good enough. I tend to open those 10 in a new tab so i can have a quick scroll through to see if soemthing makes sense but still get back to my original question easily.

Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

thank you very much for your attention to this problem.
i got it working using the start up manager.

Superb, nicely done :)
Congrats and welcome to linux-land, especially the Ubuntu corner of it
Regards from
Tom :)