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View Full Version : Ubuntu/Vista Dual Boot Cleaning Up



itendo
January 22nd, 2010, 09:54 PM
Hello, I am requesting a broader list of steps to solve the following problem as I seem to keep missing a step here and there. So where and how do i begin?

Currently, after a handful of repairs and quick-fixes and emergency live-disk backups, I have two different Karmic installs alongside my Vista install (all other pc specs in profile). When i boot up, first GRUB loads and asks for how to boot, then if i select windows it will ask if i want to boot Vista or Linux (a dead link to a WUBI install i think; stupid wubi)). Fortunately, I have 2 1T hdds and a 320g, so storage has been a luxury that afforded me to leave this mess alone.

However, I need to clean up my machine tomorrow morning and am not sure A) what tools i should be using, or B) what set-up would be ideal. Standard resons of why the Linux/Vista setup, Vista for gaming and Linux for everything else.

I am looking to set up a permanent off-site backup system (a la Crash Plan) but dont want a ton of bloat to upload. Consequently, I want to set up a shared media partition (for use locally by both Karmic Ubuntu & Vista, and other networked machines (one Karmic, the other XP)), and an OS partition for each OS. The 320 gig hdd i want to use as little as possible as it is the oldest of the drives.

I want to have an additional partition for backing up images of each OS partition (see list).

I want the end result to boot into GRUB (a la gribbit) and pick boot options from there. I am okay with wiping the Linux installs and re-freshing, but i do not want to scare Vista and have it freak out (that happens enough on its own ).

Particular Concerns:
non-destructive resizing of the Vista partition
boots to GRUB, not Vista
when selecting Vista, doesnt re-ask boot option
a media partition easily read/accessed/modified by Linux and windows (NTFS best?)
as is its want, if the Vista install goes bad i would like to be able to drop an image in to replace it

I am also capable of running the two 1Ts in a RAID and mirroring according to intel's specs for the DX58SO mobo i am running, but i have been unable to get it to work.

Partitions initially sound like:
1T hdd #1 -

50g Linux
150g(-ish) Vista
10g Linux swap
10g Vista swap
300g media
(~440g leftover)



1T hdd#2 -

350g OS backups (2 redundant, 1 step-back stable image for windows)
300g media (mirror backup)
(~350g leftover)


320g hdd -

200g OS backups (1 redundant for linux, 1 step-back stable image for windows)
(~120g leftover)


I will post menu.lst file what fdisk -l looks like shortly.

itendo
January 23rd, 2010, 12:14 AM
i'm probably doing something wrong here as /sda,b,c are not listed... nonetheless

from menu.lst:


# sample /boot/grub/menu.lst entry for memtest86
#
# This example assumes the contents of /boot is on the root partition.
# If your /boot is on its own partition, remove /boot from the 'kernel' line.

title memtest86+
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin

title memtest86+ (serial console 115200)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin console=ttyS0,115200n8

for fdisk -l:


Disk /dev/sda: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xed20049d

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 121602 976759808 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x7b2727b0

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 107077 860095971 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2 107078 121601 116664030 5 Extended
/dev/sdb5 120127 121601 11847906 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdb6 107078 119590 100510609+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdb7 119591 120126 4305388+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdc: 320.1 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x150504d5

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 1 38913 312568641 83 Linux