Re: [gentoo-user] Windows on a second drive?

[Mark Knecht <markknecht@gmail.com>]

On 9/5/05, Neil Bothwick <neil@digimed.co.uk> wrote:
> On Mon, 5 Sep 2005 07:17:37 -0700, Mark Knecht wrote:
> 
> > grub and Gentoo are on /dev/hda
> > Windows will go on /dev/hdc or /dev/hde
> >
> > I do not want windows to write anything on /dev/hda
> 
> It will, because MS assumes you'll be using the windows bootloader.
> 
> > I know the no one here can truly guarantee what Windows will do but
> > there's little point in me doing this work if it's known to overwrite
> > my main drive..
> 
> It won't overwrite the drive, just the part of the MBR containing the
> bootloader code. You'll just need to run grub from a live CD and do
> 
> root (hd0,X)
> setup (hd0)
> 
> to restore it.
> 
> 
> --
> Neil Bothwick

Hi Neil,
   I'm attempting the new install of Windows but it won't go. I hope
I'm just missing something easy. Thanks in advance.

   My system:

Drive 0: Gentoo
- partition 0 is boot. 100MB
- 30GB 
- grub is on this partition
- The drive has no space left
- All the audio for this box is 400GB of external 1394 drives.

Drive 1: For WinNT
- 80GB
- completely empty

Drive 2: Audio Data
- 80GB
- GigaStudio audio sampler data files

I've told Win XP to put the C: partition on drive 1. It then gives me
the message:

**********
To install Windows XP on the partition you have selected, Setup must
write some start up files to the following disk:

29312 MB Disk 0 at ID 0 on Bus 0 on atapi [MBR]

However this disk does not contain a Windows compatible partition.

To continue installing Windows XP, return to the partition selection
screen and create a Windows compatible partition on the disk above. If
there is no space available, delete and existing partition, and then
create a new one.

To return to the partition selection screen press enter.
**********

Even though it says [MBR] above it won't proceed without creating at
least one partition on drive 0. It appears I cannot install Windows XP
on a second drive without writing 30MB to the boot drive?

Is it possible to safely shrink an ext3 partition on the current drive
0 to make way for this?

The only other thought that comes to mind at this point, assuming I
haven't missed something obvious, is to rearrange the drives in the
box and make drive 1 into drive 0. If I then installed grub on the
Windows drive and fixed up fstab and the contents of grub.conf to
recognize Gentoo on drive 1, would it work?

Thanks,
Mark

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