12.04 as dual boot with Windows 8 Multi drive

[UltraAnders]

Was there ever a proper solution to this (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1974710)?

I'm getting the same "Preparing automatic repair" error when I boot W8 from GRUB. No problem if I change the boot sequence so that the W8 HDD is first.

I've disabled W8 fast start-up.

It's a PITA having to go into the BIOS every time.

bootinfoscript results attached. (Had to be zipped because the text file is larger than 19.5kb)

[oldfred]

Moved to your own thread.

Windows really likes to be drive 0.

Your install of Windows was to sdd or hd3, but it is now hd2 or sdc. But grub's search by UUID should override the set root and drivemap should make Windows think it is drive 0.

Notice two shoulds in previous paragraph. And it does work for some, not sure I have seen it with Windows 8. Sometimes Windows just has to be the first drive and then grub sometimes has to be in the MBR of drive 0 so drivemapping in not critical. Boot drive in BIOS is always hd0 or drive0. It may really be more of a BIOS issue and what data Windows reads to know which drive it is.

[UltraAnders]

Moved to your own thread.

Windows really likes to be drive 0.

Your install of Windows was to sdd or hd3, but it is now hd2 or sdc. But grub's search by UUID should override the set root and drivemap should make Windows think it is drive 0.

Notice two shoulds in previous paragraph. And it does work for some, not sure I have seen it with Windows 8. Sometimes Windows just has to be the first drive and then grub sometimes has to be in the MBR of drive 0 so drivemapping in not critical. Boot drive in BIOS is always hd0 or drive0. It may really be more of a BIOS issue and what data Windows reads to know which drive it is.Thanks for the new thread.

I don't think I fully understand everything you've said, but I think I get the gist. Can I add some sort of chain loader for GRUB to the Windows 8 boot menu?

I haven't moved the W8 install, but it wouldn't install when I had all my drives attached. Tried unplugging all but the SSD, no dice. On the HDD it would install to, there was a long standing Windows XP install there before, but I deleted that partition and made a new one for W8 in it's place.

Would advise everyone to steer clear of W8! Now I've paid for the thing and nuked my XP install, I'm stuck with it :(

[oldfred]

XP does not work with SSD either, as XP does not really have to AHCI drivers and you have to have the AHCI enabled in BIOS.
If reinstalling XP there supposedly is a way to install the AHCI drivers, but with my now 1 year old SSD, I just stopped booting XP.

Can you rearrange drives so Windows 8 drive is hd0. XP would need major updates, but I think the newer Windows are more tolerant of change like Ubuntu is.

On my system drive order is SATA port order in BIOS. But boot drive is always hd0 and then each additional drive is in order.

[UltraAnders]

XP does not work with SSD either, as XP does not really have to AHCI drivers and you have to have the AHCI enabled in BIOS.
If reinstalling XP there supposedly is a way to install the AHCI drivers, but with my now 1 year old SSD, I just stopped booting XP.

Can you rearrange drives so Windows 8 drive is hd0. XP would need major updates, but I think the newer Windows are more tolerant of change like Ubuntu is.

On my system drive order is SATA port order in BIOS. But boot drive is always hd0 and then each additional drive is in order.Right, got it, thanks for your help!

I made the drive with Windows 8 the first in boot sequence. Then I used Boot Repair CD (http://sourceforge.net/p/boot-repair/home/Home/) (a great tool BTW) to install GRUB on on the drive containing Windows 8.

To do this:
Boot the CD and let it probe for OSs (takes a while on my PC)
Choose "Advanced options"
Open the "GRUB location" tab
Pick the relevant drive from the drop down next to "Place GRUB into".

http://pix.toile-libre.org/upload/original/1335263804.png
I didn't get an option for "Place GRUB in all disks".

I couldn't get it working initially because under Ubuntu, the HDD with Windows 8 on is lablled sdc, but in Boot Repair CD, it was labelled sdd. Check the Bootinfo summary to confirm which drive is which.