Hello,The reason, why one should install Windows first is quite clear: Windows is not prepared to accept another OS besides it. Its installer simply clears anything another installation has written to the master boot record; therefore it's not possible to boot from the hard disk to any other OS after installation of windows (without tweaking). One workaround might be to fix the master boot record from say a Knoppix-CD, but in practice the "easy solution" is to install windows first and the more clever OS after that.
If you want to try to fix your disk, just boot from a knoppix CD, go to the root console, mount your linux partition, chroot to it:
> chroot /mnt/hdaX , run > grub-install /dev/hda > indicates what should be typed on the command linereplace hdaX and hda with the name of your linux partition and primary drive.
Backup any important data beforehand.type > man chroot or > man grub-install, if you are not sure what you are doing.
Usually debian will do most things nicely for you. Johannes Wiedersich Brandon Richards wrote:
Hey Patrice,Just to let you know you have to install Windows first and then Linux. I am not exactly why this is but I am sure if you do a google search on dual boot systems you will find out why.
I installed a new version of ubuntu and was quite happy for 1) the debian system itself 2) having done this by myself. Then, to avoid certain problems and to have the possibility "just in case", I installed a version of Windows XP. And now, I haven't got the opportunity to start ubuntu. What did I do wrong?
Nothing that's a mistake of MS.
here what a did, about: - 3 partitions: ext3, swap (small), fat32. - ubuntu on ext3 mount on /, and windows on fat32 mount on /windows/ - to the question shall it install that program that permits to choose which os, I said yes. thank you for answering best regards patrice copin