Re: Problem with Grub

[Douglas McGarrett <dmcgarrett@optonline.net>]

On 6/19/21 12:19 PM, William Lee Valentine wrote:
> I had installed a back version of Debian in a partition on a
> 500-megahertz computer that was otherwise running Windows 2000 and
> MS-DOS.
>
> When I had finished installing Linux, on that machine, Grub wanted to
> know whether I wanted it installed in the master boot record. It
> reported seeing Windows 2000 and MS-DOS in other bootable partitions. I
> agreed. Grub has allowed me to boot any of the three of these when the
> BIOS has executed.
>
> I later installed Debian 10.2 in a partition on a 64-bit computer that
> was otherwise running Windows 10.
>
> When I had finished installing Linux, Grub wanted to know whether I
> wanted it installed on the master boot record. It reported seeing
> "Windows Vista" in another bootable partition. I agreed. This time,
> however, Grub modified the master boot record to allow only Linux to be
> booted. I had to pay to have Windows 10 reinstalled.
>
> I tried again, this time avoiding the master boot record entirely. I
> asked that Grub install itself on a 3.5" diskette (in a USB floppy
> drive). It did not. It installed itself instead on the master boot
> record, again allowing only Linux to be booted. Again I had to pay to
> have Windows 10 reinstalled.
>
> I have now another 64-bit computer, running Windows 10, whose BIOS
> provides the option of booting from a USB device. If I install Debian
> 10.2 in a partition on this computer, would I tell Grub to make the
> partition bootable? Would Grub instead install itself on the master boot
> record anyway, allowing only Linux to be booted? I can not afford to
> lose access to Windows 10 again.
>
> Thank you for your assistance.
>
> -- William Lee Valentine
I suppose it's kinda late for this advice, but you did not have to pay 
twice for Windows.
You should have just ordered a disk or a USB stick with Windows on it. 
Install it--if
it's a newer computer, it probably has the windows code number in the 
BIOS, but
even if it doesn't, you should be able to install Windows any number of 
times from the
one source device, ON THE SAME COMPUTER. I don't know what you mean by
"paying to have it installed"--- you install it yourself from the 
software you have paid
for ONCE. It is not difficult, only time consuming, and you may have to 
try a couple of
times to get the earliest parts the way you want them. Then install Linux.
(I haven't installed Debian, but I've installed a number of Linux 
systems, both deb and KDE
over Windows, and usually it "just works.")
--doug