How do I properly set up a dual boot for Windows XP and Ubuntu 11.04 on two separate hard disks?

Harsimran Singh June 8, 2011
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I have two hard disks, one with 500 GB, second with 80 GB. I am using them to save my Window data from the Linux file format. Windows XP is installed on the 500  GB hard drive and I can use the 80 GB one under Windows XP.

Now I want to use Ubuntu 11.04 on the 80 GB drive, so I have installed Ubuntu on it. There was not a single error at that time. However, when I restart, I don’t find any boot list and it directly opens Windows XP. I don’t find any mistake.

Can anyone tell me what I am missing? And what to do?

1) The GRUB is not correctly installed.

2) There are two separate boot loaders one one the 500 GB and a second on the 80 GB hard drsk and there is a problem between them.

3) Something else, which i don’t know.

Please help me find a solution for my problem.

  1. AbouAmmar
    June 13, 2011 at 10:03 pm

    check the boot.ini file system in the root system
    that file is RSH you have to attribute it first before editing, and first of all keep a copy from the file in case you want to restore it again.

  2. Gautam
    June 12, 2011 at 12:34 pm

    tats right solution for that
    agreed with 510

  3. HARSIMRAN SINGH
    June 9, 2011 at 10:04 am

    HEY THANKS 510 , i have changed the disk priority to boot second_hard_drive firstly .
    So it work because the linux boot loader(Grub) has the enteries of windows . therefore now i am using window and ubuntu  .
    thanks .

  4. FIDELIS
    June 9, 2011 at 5:14 am

    Hello, is the 80 GB harddrive IDE or Sata?  If it is IDE, make sure to set it as master.  Is the 500 GB sata? You want to install Windows on the primary master
    drive. 

    Were you asked at some point during the installation to configure a bootloader and write it to the MBR. By default, the bootloader usually
    will contain options to boot into your new Linux system or the existing Windows system. All
    you really need to do is specify which option should be the default
    operating system, and how long the system should wait before booting.  As a result, what will happen during the Linux dual-boot installation is that the
    Linux bootloader will overwrite the MBR, and take control over the
    booting of all the operating systems on the computer.

    You can use the solution provided before about changing the boot order.  Go into BIOS and make sure to change the boot order to the drive where linux is installed.  Once you boot up into linux, can update grub by using the following command on terminal:

    sudo update-grub

    Have you checked the contents of your boot.ini file in windows xp to see what it shows?  To check follow the steps below:

    -- click on start and Pause/Break key at same time
    -- on menu, click on Advanced
    -- under startup and Recovery heading, click on settings
    -- under system start up click on Edit
    -- on text file that opens check if there is an entry for linux
    -- do not change anything for now

    This link might help you a little bit more:

    http://www.justlinux.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=130715

  5. 510
    June 9, 2011 at 12:26 am

    You could check your BIOS boot device priority and point to your second hard drive as the primary boot device.

    F2 on boot usually to get into BIOS (check manufacturer) check boot order.

    Did this with Fedora to skip windoze.