Dual Booting Vista and Ubuntu

[Sir Ali]

Hi,

Currently, I've got Vista x64 installed on a 500GB HDD. I want to install Ubuntu on a separate 80GB HDD.

I would love Vista to auto load unless I press something to choose Ubuntu. Is that possible?

 

[Cutthroat]

No problem, use GRUB as your boot loader, and set it to default to Vista.

 

[sourceninja]

yes, it is possible. You will have to set your default in the grub configuration. This will probably have to be done after ubuntu is installed (I don't think the install lets you choose).

 

[CrookBloke]

An alternative method would be to set the BIOS to use the 500 GB Vista drive as your primary boot device, and the 80 GB Ubuntu drive as secondary. When you turn on the system it'll automatically go to Vista. When you want to use Ubuntu you just invoke the boot menu at POST time (F12 key on many systems) and choose to boot from the Ubuntu drive.

I like using each operating system's own "native" boot loader / sequence to launch the OS. Plus, if you decide to get rid of either OS in favor of the other, you're already golden. No need to fiddle around to be sure that the remaining OS will boot.

 

[Sir Ali]

Originally posted by: CrookBloke
An alternative method would be to set the BIOS to use the 500 GB Vista drive as your primary boot device, and the 80 GB Ubuntu drive as secondary. When you turn on the system it'll automatically go to Vista. When you want to use Ubuntu you just invoke the boot menu at POST time (F12 key on many systems) and choose to boot from the Ubuntu drive.

I like using each operating system's own "native" boot loader / sequence to launch the OS. Plus, if you decide to get rid of either OS in favor of the other, you're already golden. No need to fiddle around to be sure that the remaining OS will boot.

Sounds really good. Thanks.

 

[CrookBloke]

The only proviso I would add is that, with this method, there are certain situations where you can wind up with GRUB getting "lost" at boot time. This is because you change the physical drive order in the BIOS, but the OS is still smart enough to "know" the difference between, for instance, hd0 and hd1. Worst case scenario you wind up staring at a GRUB prompt that wants to know where the loader is. You just change the drive to the other one, and the boot will proceed normally. Then, while you're up in that session, you go into the configuration file and change it so that it uses the correct drive / partition on the next boot.

This was a problem with Ubuntu and Linux Mint previous versions. Not sure if they've fixed it yet.

Be CAREFUL when doing the install. The Ubuntu installer used to be really dumb about this, making it very easy to wipe the drive on which you intended to keep Windows. Bear in mind, you must change the boot order BEFORE you install Ubuntu (so that the 80 GB drive is first), and then choose the installation location from the custom installation process. It will NOT be the default choice. At least that's the way it was 1 version ago.

I recommend visiting the Ubuntu forums to get the latest poop on using this method of installation. I still prefer it to using GRUB as the boot loader for both Vista and Ubuntu, but it is more work up front. More work up front, but the two operating systems are then not affected directly by each other in normal operations, and you can remove one or the other with no hassle.

 

[smartsenz]

Better to have

Virtualbox (http://www.virtualbox.org/)

and install your new operating system in that.

no need to distrub the boot loader

 

[CrookBloke]

Originally posted by: smartsenz
Better to have

Virtualbox (http://www.virtualbox.org/)

and install your new operating system in that.

no need to distrub the boot loader

Yes, that is also another excellent possibility. Each method has advantages and disadvantages. Some disadvantages of using Virtualbox (or any other virtual machine environment) for Ubuntu would be slower performance (anywhere from negligible to horrendous, depending upon the host system's specs) and various limitations in the virtual environment like possible problems with networking or USB devices (highly variable, depending mostly upon the virtual environment you use).

A big advantage to the virtual machine approach is that you will have both operating systems running simultaneously.

As I said before, the Ubuntu forums can be a huge help, no matter what you decide to do.

 

[lopri]

Why not install Ubuntu while Vista disk is disconnected? That way each OS is independent. Set the HDD boot sequence in the BIOS so that Vista disk boots first, and switch it to Ubuntu when you need it.

 

[sourceninja]

A lot of work, just dual boot, use grub, be happy.