Windows 7 installed after unknown linux distro

[asimovrobot]

Hello,

So I was naughty. I was given a new laptop for work which had a modified linux distro installed on it, created I assume by our IT department. I was not satisfied with the capabilities of this and decided to install Windows 7. Now of course windows 7 is working fine but I have no access to the old linux distro. I would like to retain both in a dual boot environment. My trouble is that all the EasyBCD documentation seems to assume a knowledge of the existing linux distro which I do not possess. I have tried adding entries with various setting to no avail. Some of the EasyBCD documentation refers to using a liveCD but I dont know the origins of the old linux distro.

Is there a way for me to find out which flavor of linux this distro was based on?

Or is there a generic way of setting this up which should work regardless of its origins?

Thanks,

Asimovrobot

 

[Terry60]

Get yourself a copy of the freeware ext2explore.
It will enable you to examine the contents of your Linux partition from WIndows.
Check the /root/boot folder. Does it contain menu.lst or grub.cfg ?
The former is legacy grub, the latter grub2.
Add a new entry to the BCD from the Linux tab, select the appropriate grub from the dropdown.
For grub2 everything else is automatic.
For legacy grub, if Linux is on the same HDD as Windows, select the "Linux" partition from the dropdown.
For legacy grub, if Linux is on a different HDD, tick the "grub isn't ...." box.

If your Linux distro doesn't use grub at all, wait for an experienced Linux user to turn up or try each of the other Linux boot program options in turn and see what happens.