Multi-Boot: Vista, Win 7 + Ubuntu

[darkside]

OK, so my current setup is that i have HD1 with vitsa on, and HD2 with all my files/docs on.

Ive just orderd another drive and i want to install Win 7, aswell as Ubuntu. So All three are on the system.

Thing is, i only want to try Win 7, and probably wont keep it on there for more than two/three months tops. Ubuntu I am planning to keep. (Got my eee with linux on and quite like it) And i need vista for the family to use.

I just want to make sure thats its actually possible, and what the possible problems I might run into are.
I want to keep vista on HD1(80gb), Keeps my files on the new hdd (500gb) and stick Win 7+Ubu on the older 80gb HD that once kept my files on.

Basically, ive never done this before, so im jumping in at the deep end so to speak. Im just looking for any tips/pointers/tutorials that you guys have that might help me along the way

Nathan

[tomtoon]

Well windows 7 as you may or may not no is RC1, at the moment. If you want to keep it for a few months, then so be it, you can uninstall it.

To get both Ubuntu and Win7 on one HD:

Download windows 7, and install it on the HDD.
Then, make a partition in windows 7. (Go to control panel, system and security, then under administrative tools, press create and formart hard disk partitions.

Afterwards, put Ubuntu on a CD then install that on the partition you just created. BAM!

[darkside]

would they then all appear as a list when i first turn on the comp? or would i have to edit a file somewhere to make that happen? I have no issues installing each on on their own, Im just not sure how to switch between each at boot.

[shadowpr]

If you install them in order, and each on it's own partition, there should be a bootloader that will allow you to choose which you want to boot from.

I like installing linux last, and use grub to select my os. (Grub will get installed automatically when you install Ubuntu).

After you decide to get rid of one partition (operating system) you can then edit the menu.lst file for grub and take that choice out. delete and format the partition of the un-used os, and use it as storage, or for another os.

[darkside]

sweet, sounds simple enough, ill let you know how i get on at the weekend hopefully!!

[D_Stark]

I have almost the same setup. Booting into Ubuntu and grub on 1 HD. Then I have XP and Win7 -64 RC on my other drive. I set up windows first, and then Ubuntu. Works great.

[darkside]

a freind who knoows a bit about linux helped me to get the grub working (sort of)

i could load ubu, and vitsa appeared in the loader. Win 7 was missing, even though it was definatley installed.

When i tryed to select vista i got a message saying the mbr was messed up. So ive just wiped my first drive with vista on, and im gonna set up all three OS's to run off that. apparently it works better that way. I think i messed up the ubu install, which is why it all got messed up. we will see how it goes next time lol. Ubu seemed easy enough to use when i could actually get on it though!