Linux in a multi-boot environment with Windows XP and an Upgrade copy of Vista?

SyncroScales · Mar 14, 2017

Hi,

I have a laptop and desktop. I think my desktop would be a better idea to install Linux onto. My laptop might be ok, but it's not the best. I have a dual-boot of Windows XP and Window Vista on the desktop. Windows XP was loaded from a Microsoft DVD with Win XP SP3 32-bit Home Edition. Then I installed Windows Vista 32-bit Home Premium from and Upgrade DVD onto another partition.

Is it possible to install Linux in a multi-boot environment with Windows XP and an Upgrade copy of Vista? I have read some information on the Ubuntu wikis about installing Windows first then Linux and making the partitions first. Could this pose problems with the menu to select the OS comes up? Or would Linux be able to handle this?

To test my laptop later, I might install Linux onto it, but it probably would be a little bit slow. I would prefer the desktop specs I have.

I am thinking Linux Mint or Ubuntu. I would be using the computer for media (audio, video, photo, etc), internet, email, documents, etc.

- Desktop specs: ASUS M3N78-VM, AMD Phenom II 965 3.4Ghz, 3.5GB RAM (4GB), XP Home Edition 32bit SP3/Vista Home Premium 32bit SP2, nVidia GeForce GT 430.

- Laptop specs: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ 2Ghz, 3GB RAM, Vista Home Premium 64-bit Service Pack 2, ATI 3100.

Alabalcho · Mar 14, 2017

What you want to use Linux for?
Do you have unallocated space on the drive where your XP/Vista are installed?
How many partitions are there? A screenshot of DiskManager will tell a lot.

SyncroScales · Mar 16, 2017

There is enough room on the c: drive for another operating system. I can easily fit about 400 GB of free space.

I plan to try out Linux with USB. I will re-install Windows XP and Vista. I will do disk imaging of them. Then I will attempt to install a version of Linux. If this works or not I will post about it when I figure out if it is stable or not.

I was reading about using programs to mount the ISO image onto a USB stick. I am wondering why? Can't a computer's BIOS just see the ISO image and access it? Or is mounting the ISO image onto a USB stick to give it structure like a HDD or SSD?

Alabalcho · Mar 16, 2017

Having 400gb free on Drive C/D/E/etc, is not the same as having 400gb unallocated space. And you need that space unallocated for Linux, so you can create necessary boot / swap / home partitions.

If you just copy ISO file on a USB drive, you cannot boot that ISO - in the same way as if you just write ISO file to a DVD-R, it won't boot. That's why you need special tool to create Bootable Linux USB drives.

SyncroScales · Mar 21, 2017

I have installed Windows before. I would have to divide the HDD up into 3 partitions. Leave one unallocated. Install Windows XP, get all the updates, do an image. Install Windows Vista, all updates, do an image. Install Linux and see what happens.

How do I get Windows XP and Windows Vista to recognize the Linux installation? The Volume is a different format, it is not NTFS.

I have external hard-drives that are mounted volumes. Someone in another post mentioned Linux uses mounted volumes. Will Windows XP and Vista recognize the Linux partition and be able to access or transfer files between them similar to the external hard-drives??

Alabalcho · Mar 21, 2017

You install Linux last. When partitioning the drive, keep in mind that Linux needs at least two partitions, one for the file system, one for swap. I usually partition my drive like that:
- primary partition for OS 1 (NTFS, WinXP)
- primary partition for OS 2 (NTFS, Vista)
- primary partition for OS1/OS2 data (NTFS)
- extended partition for Linux, where
-- small partition for swap
-- partition for root / file system (ext2/3/4)
-- (optional) partition for /home file system (ext2/3/4)

When you install Linux, it will ask where to install its boot loader (grub), and once this is done, you can choose which OS to load on boot.

Windows cannot access (without additional utilities) Linux partitions. Linux can access NTFS partitions.

It goes without saying that this method will wipe out your 1tb drive - make backups on important data first.

Rocky Bennett · Mar 22, 2017

That is not actually true, I never use swap when I install Linux so I only just use 1 partition for any of my Linux installs. That works for me because I have a modern system with 16 gb of RAM, this might not work for everybody.

But the point is is that Linux can and does run very well with just one partition.

SyncroScales · Mar 23, 2017

Thank you for the replies Alabalcho and Rocky Bennett.

I was reading do Linux install last.

Question about:
-- small partition for swap
-- partition for root / file system (ext2/3/4)
-- (optional) partition for /home file system (ext2/3/4)

Why is there a small partition for swap? Or where the boot loader (grub) goes? Do I put the boot loader on the c-drive? There is a boot loader with the Windows Vista upgrade, I get it when I turn my computer on to select which OS I am using.

Do I have to pay for these utilities for Windows XP or Vista to be able to access Linux partitions?

Rocky Bennett: Do you have a multi-boot with Microsoft Windows installations and Linux on your 1 TB drive?

I think that a 2 TB drive would be ideal for my situation. I would fit 4 OS's onto a 1 TB of Windows XP, Windows Vista and Linux Mint and Ubuntu or something else if I could.

How much room (GB's) would people recommend for Linux? I plan to use Mint 64-bit. I use my computer for storing and making some audio, video, photo stuff. That is saved or exported to second and third drives. I don't know what the typical OS and programs take up though. Windows XP takes up about 50 GB, Windows Vista is about 250 GB (Edit: Vista had some files on it. It is actually about 75 GB. It's not a lot compared to the other stuff like movies being saved and ISO images, etc.

Thank you.

Rocky Bennett · Mar 23, 2017

SyncroScales :

I often run a multi boot scenario with 8 to 10 different distros installed at one time but right now I am being lazy and I only have three different OSes;

Windows 10
Linux Mint
Debian

Right now Debian and Linux Mint share an SSD and Windows 10 has its own SSD. I have another SSD for programs and a few spinning hard drives for data.

Alabalcho · Mar 23, 2017

SyncroScales :

- I am (very) old school, where swap was more or less mandatory. If you got more than 4GB of RAM, as @Rocky said, you might forego that.
- You can put GRUB anywhere you want. I preper putting it at Linux' root partition, and using EasyBCD to add another boot entry to Windows boot menu. If Linux is going to be your primary OS, you can put it on C:\ (presumably, your XP partition)
- How much space you need depends on how much apps you're going to install. I keep my root partition at about 20GB, with majority of work files kept at /home partition.

ext2fs is free, open-source ext2/3 file system driver for Windows. The page at sourceforge claims Win64 compatibility, too.

SyncroScales · Mar 28, 2017

Thank you Alabalcho and Rocky Bennett.

What does swap partition do?

Is EasyBCD available with the Mint distro? Or I need to do this in Windows XP or Vista? I think the boot loader is with the Vista partition. When I am in Control Panel - System - System Properties - Advanced - Startup And Recovery - I select to start in Windows Vista in Windows Vista. When I changed it in Win XP and startup my computer the BIOS or boot menu ignores the Control Panel Win XP's choice, it only recognizes the Vista choice.

Edit: Windows XP takes up about 50 GB, Windows Vista is about 75 GB (Edit: Vista had some files on it.)I think Linux Mint 64-bit would be no more than 100 GB with everything and some room to store stuff.

Rocky Bennett: I don't know why people have so many Linux distros on their computers. Or erasing and re-installing multiple OS's. A lot of people mentioned it on YouTube videos. Maybe it is disk imaging the distros?1

Alabalcho · Mar 28, 2017

Swap partition servers same purpose as swap file in Windows - to unload part of RAM onto a disk to make some RAM free.

EasyBCD is a Windows utility, with main purpose of editing boot menu in Windows. You can use it to add Linux entry into Windows boot menu.

As for multiple distros: Some people have one car, and use it for everything. Others have a truck, a SUV, a coupe, and a bike.

BFG-9000 · Mar 29, 2017

Sounds like a huge hassle to maintain to me--every time you reinstall Windows you have to also repair GRUB and then test each OS to make sure nothing broke.

The easiest setup by far is a separate disk for each, and select which to boot from in the BIOS for the desktop. If your laptop uses an easily accessible drive bay you can simply install the one you want to boot from. This has the added advantage of being able to easily upgrade to SSD or add more OSes at any time without affecting any of the others.

Similarly if you want to test out many distros it's best to have many USB flash drives as they are really not that slow--certainly faster than a live DVD with 80ms+ seek time... Flash drives and small used HDD are really cheap nowadays.

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Linux in a multi-boot environment with Windows XP and an Upgrade copy of Vista?

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