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View Full Version : How to overwrite windows vista with windows XP, without harming ubuntu?



Jessi
September 10th, 2010, 08:59 PM
I would like to replace Windows Vista with Windows XP without uninstalling my Ubuntu partition. I use ubuntu 90% of the time, but would like to have XP for games and for my printer. Is there a way to just overwrite Vista and not Ubuntu? I booted my XP disk and it came up with many different partitions, 4. I wasn't sure what my Vista one was named or which one I should overwrite.

Thanks in advance.

howefield
September 10th, 2010, 09:03 PM
What's the output from the following terminal command ?


sudo fdisk -l

PS. You will harm your Ubuntu install, in as much as XP will overwrite Grub with it's own bootloader, easy to fix as you can reinstall Grub, but so as you know.

Jessi
September 10th, 2010, 09:12 PM
Disk /dev/sda: 250.1 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xe6345cc3

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 13057 104880321 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 28843 30401 12522667+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3 13058 28842 126793012+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 13058 28195 121595953+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 28196 28842 5196996 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order


Hmm how difficult is it to reinstall grub? I mainly want to keep my software and settings. I did some editing and configuring that I don't want to loose. I'd be ok loosing my files, but things like setting up wine to run certain programs and installing java instead of iced tea to use Jtablet for oekakis took some work. Is there a way to back that up, whipe my computer, install XP, install Ubuntu and recover my ubuntu settings?

oldfred
September 10th, 2010, 11:59 PM
Several versions of instructions to reinstall grub. You just need a liveCD and know which partition is your Ubuntu install - sda5.

How to restore the Ubuntu/XP/Vista/7 bootloader (Updated for Ubuntu 9.10)
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1014708
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2#Reinstalling%20from%20LiveCD
kansasnoob on grub or grub2 reinstall
http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=9338226&postcount=41


Install MBR from LiveCD, Ubuntu install on sda5 and want grub2 in drive sda's MBR:
Find linux partition, change sda5 if not correct, and/or even sda if sdb wanted:
sudo fdisk -l
sudo mount /dev/sda5 /mnt
sudo grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/ /dev/sda
If that returns any errors run:
sudo grub-install --recheck --root-directory=/mnt/ /dev/sda