Best Way to Dual-Boot Win7 and Ubuntu 9.10

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mxcrowe

Member
Does anyone know of Ubuntu 9.10 will easily allow for dual-boot if it is installed after Windows 7 is installed? If not, does EasyBCD support this? I want to install Windows 7 first, then add Ubuntu 9.10.
Thanks!
 
mxcrowe said:
Does anyone know of Ubuntu 9.10 will easily allow for dual-boot if it is installed after Windows 7 is installed? If not, does EasyBCD support this? I want to install Windows 7 first, then add Ubuntu 9.10.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Also be sure to install Grub to the Linux partition with the "Advanced" option, when you install Ubuntu, so it doesn't overwrite the Win 7 MBR with Grub (or at least if you want Windows in charge of the boot; otherwise, let Grub write itself to the MBR, and an boot entry should be added automatically to boot Win 7, no other steps necessary).
 
Hello,
My question might seem really dumb so I apologize before hand.
I have Win 7 installed on a partition. And I have another partition of 10 gb in which i intend to install the Ubuntu 9.1 OS..
"Make sure to select "GRUB2" from the drop-down, though."- Is GRUB2 an option that comes up while installing easybcd or ubuntu ??
"Also be sure to install Grub to the Linux partition with the "Advanced" option, when you install Ubuntu"- How exactly do I install Grub to the Linux partition?
I would be really grateful if someone could help me out here.
Cheers,
KP
 
Dear kay256,

First things first:

"Also be sure to install Grub to the Linux partition with the "Advanced" option, when you install Ubuntu"
-> This refers to the Advanced option that appears on the last page of the Ubuntu installation run from the Ubuntu LiveCD before you start the actual install...it appears after selecting the regional settings, configuring the partitioning and setting up/passwording user account...it's a little box that is easily overlooked...the point here is to tell the Ubuntu installer to write GRUB to the Ubuntu partition, not the root partition of the drive so as to avoid overwriting the Windows MBR

"Make sure to select "GRUB2" from the drop-down, though."
-> This refers to selecting an option within the EasyBCD software under Manage Entries.

Suggest you check out the Neosmart doc on dual booting Ubuntu and Windows Vista/7 for a clear walkthrough with photos...I'd provide the exact link, but the documentation site is down right now...click on the Documentation link at the bottom of this page and you'll find the main listings:
Download EasyBCD 1.7.2 - NeoSmart Technologies

Hope this helps!
 
tuathageek said:
"Also be sure to install Grub to the Linux partition with the "Advanced" option, when you install Ubuntu"
-> This refers to the Advanced option that appears on the last page of the Ubuntu installation run from the Ubuntu LiveCD before you start the actual install...it appears after selecting the regional settings, configuring the partitioning and setting up/passwording user account...it's a little box that is easily overlooked...the point here is to tell the Ubuntu installer to write GRUB to the Ubuntu partition, not the root partition of the drive so as to avoid overwriting the Windows MBR
Click to expand...
Small correction: The MBR is not a partition. It comes before ANY partition on the HDD, and is the first sector on the disk. If you're referring to, say, sda or sdb, that means install Grub to the MBR of Disk 0, according to the BIOS, or to Disk 1, respectively.

My point was to install Grub to, say, sda3 (the first HDD in the BIOS, 3rd partition in the MBR partition table of that HDD), or whatever HDD/partition the Ubuntu partition is.
 
Last edited:
Alright, I seem to have understood it. I have created a new entry( Grub2) in EasyBCD. So now when I click View Settings, I see the following,
There are a total of 2 entries listed in the bootloader.

Default: Windows 7
Timeout: 30 seconds.
EasyBCD Boot Device: C:\

Entry #1
Name: Windows 7
BCD ID: {current}
Drive: C:\
Bootloader Path: \Windows\system32\winload.exe

Entry #2
Name: Ubuntu
BCD ID: {17a25500-cd83-11de-b41a-95c061d3c899}
Drive: C:\
Bootloader Path: \NST\AutoNeoGrub0.mbr

Is this correct?? I want to install Ubuntu to drive D though.
 
You must install Ubuntu first, before adding the boot entry in EasyBCD...
Ubuntu can not be installed to any Windows partition (unless using a Wubi virtual install), but must be installed on an ext3 or ext4 formatted partition. Linux filesystems are not recognized by Windows, so there is no way for Windows to call your Linux partition D: (plus Linux itself does not use any drive letters).
 
Alright, How do i make my D: which is NTFS formatted to ext3 or ext4 then??

Addendum:

ok never mind.. i have managed to do that...So now the 10gb drive which was initially D drive NTFS is now ext3 formatted...Please advise is this is the correct chronology of the steps i must take now:
Exit Ubuntu livecd( was here to format ntfs to ext3)
install ubuntu keepin in mind grub should be selected
go to windows 7
open easybcd and add a new entry selecting grub2 from the drop down.

Is this correct?
Cheers,
KP
 
Last edited:
kay256 said:
ok never mind.. i have managed to do that...So now the 10gb drive which was initially D drive NTFS is now ext3 formatted...Please advise is this is the correct chronology of the steps i must take now:
Exit Ubuntu livecd( was here to format ntfs to ext3)
install ubuntu keepin in mind grub should be selected
go to windows 7
open easybcd and add a new entry selecting grub2 from the drop down.

Is this correct?
Cheers,
KP
Click to expand...
Yes, that is correct, but remember where to put Grub...
You should use the Advanced option to tell it to install Grub on the Ubuntu partition.

Then your multiboot should work perfectly fine.
 
Alright...n when in easybcd...(after installing ubuntu and exiting it to enter win7)...will the view settings page look like the post i made earlier?? ie. Ubuntu C:..
 
Hi again.

You've created your ext3 partition...OK...you can actually do this during the installation process vs. having to do it then reboot...the critical point here is to instruct the LiveCD to install the GRUB bootloader for Ubuntu to your new ext3 partition...NOT to the default location as this will overwrite the Windows MBR...as Coolname007 clarified, Linux does not address/refer to drives by Windows style drive letters at all...it uses an entirely different naming scheme all together...you need to use the Advanced option I described above as the last step before starting the actual installation...you need to tell the LiveCD to install GRUB to the Linux partition...this easiest way to approach this, I think, is to note the Linux drive/partition designations/names a few steps before this during the partition configuration.

If your system has a single hard drive and only the two partitions you've described...Windows (C) and the ext3 you made for Ubuntu, your naming scheme will likely be as follows:

sda1=Windows 7 - 100MB "System Reserved"...this is a new tiny partition before the actual Windows OS partition...did not exist with XP/Vista...new W7 feature

sda2=Windows 7 - Your actual Windows C: drive containing the OS and software, etc.

sda3=the ext3 you made for Ubuntu...the so-called "root" Ubuntu partition - Mount point = "/"

If you carefully examine the partitioning configuration section (use the partition file system type and size to help you identify the Linux partition) in the LiveCD install routine BEFORE the user name/passord and final settings / Advanced button sections, you will be able to determine which partition is the new Ubuntu partition.

(By the way...I'd go with ext4 over ext3...it's perfectly stable and faster than ext3...also: one generally creates 3 partitions for an Ubuntu installation...the root "/" mount point to house the OS, the user data/profile partition ("/home" mount point) and a SWAP partition for virtual memory/page file ("/swap" mount point) - I'd make say a 15-20GB root partition in ext4, a decently-sized ext4 partition for your home partition...depends how much data you plan to store...and the swap partition...this is in the "SWAP" format, not ext2/3/4 - set this to one half or equal to your physical RAM...2 or 4GB should be fine for 32-bit systems).

On the last screen (after the user name/password config)...click on the Advanced button on the right and change the default GRUB bootloader install location to point to your Linux root partition ("/" mount point) - again, using the above example it would be "sda3". Confirm this change, then run the installation.

Reboot...you will go back into Windows 7 then...run EasyBCD as outlined above...backup your current BCD store first ("Manage Bootloader"..."Backup Settings")...then go to "Add/Remove Entries" and select the "Linux" tab...choose GRUB2 (for Ubuntu 9.10) under "Type"...change the suggested "Name" if you like, then under "Drive" select the to the SAME partition onto which you instructed the LiveCD to install the GRUB bootloader.

NOTE: You are back in a Windows environment now, so the Linux root partition will not appear as "sda3"...it will show as, for example, "Partition 2 (Linux native - 15GB)"...select the correct one.

Then place a check in the white box "GRUB isn't installed to the bootsector".

Verify your settings, press the "Add Entry" button...you can view your new BCD store listing under "View Settings"...reboot...you should now have a boot menu from which you can select the Windows 7 and Ubuntu systems!

(The other option is to let the LiveCD install GRUB to the drive root and overwrite the WIndows MBR...when you reboot, it will list Windows 7 as a bootable option in the Linux boot menu...worst case, you could then boot into Windows and use EasyBCD to recreate the Windows MBR to overtake the Linux GRUB if you get into a crisis...I would recommend keeping the Windows MBR dominant though and using the method described on these pages.)

The documentation site is still down...shame...it has a great walk-through with screenshots that makes it all quite simple.

Good luck!
 
tuathageek said:
Reboot...you will go back into Windows 7 then...run EasyBCD as outlined above...backup your current BCD store first ("Manage Bootloader"..."Backup Settings")...then go to "Add/Remove Entries" and select the "Linux" tab...choose GRUB2 (for Ubuntu 9.10) under "Type"...change the suggested "Name" if you like, then under "Drive" select the to the SAME partition onto which you instructed the LiveCD to install the GRUB bootloader.

NOTE: You are back in a Windows environment now, so the Linux root partition will not appear as "sda3"...it will show as, for example, "Partition 2 (Linux native - 15GB)"...select the correct one.

Then place a check in the white box "GRUB isn't installed to the bootsector".

Verify your settings, press the "Add Entry" button...you can view your new BCD store listing under "View Settings"...reboot...you should now have a boot menu from which you can select the Windows 7 and Ubuntu systems!
Click to expand...
I agree with most of what you said, but just need to clarify a few points:

  1. The Grub2 option in EasyBCD does not allow manual selection of drives/partitions.
  2. The Grub2 option in EasyBCD does not allow use of the "Grub isn't installed to the bootsector" option.
This is because Guru wrote it to automatically find the Linux Grub2 kernel (no matter which HDD/partition its on), and load it. But other than that, you hit it right on the head ! :smile:
 
Glasshoppel apologize to Wise Mastel...I was using version 1.7.2 on my XP box as a reference...still thinking of Ubuntu 8.04/8.10/9.04 days...all good!
 
This was a very helpful post.
I thought that GRUB2 wasn't correctly being installed on my Linux partition since when I went into EasyBCD and selected GRUB2, no hard drives were selected, but the post earlier helped.
Thanks! Got Win7 64bit, and 9.10 working just fine now.
 
Cheers lads!! Y'all are f-ing legends (tuathageek & coolname007)!! Everything works great !!

ps. Now i know whom to find if i have any problems with linux =p
 
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