Ubuntu & Windows 7 Dual Boot problems

DaFees

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Apr 29, 2006
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Hello everyone, I've done extensive google / forum searching and couldn't find a suitable answer to my problem.

As of right now I am running Windows 7 exclusively on an 80gb ide drive. The other day however I decided to install Ubuntu on a second drive 160gb ide drive. I was stupid however and let Ubuntu install the Grub bootloader. This lead to the windows installation on the first drive not work and the Ubuntu installation working but only if I told the bios to boot the second drive first instead of the first drive first.

I, after much exhaustion I was able to fix the bootloader on the first drive allowing my system to boot straight to windows 7, normally. I downloaded and installed easyBCD and tried adding NeoGrub to the boot menu however when I select all that happens is that I get taken to a grub command prompt.

Also still if I tell the bios to boot the second drive it will load the grub bootloader and boot into ubuntu. My question is how can I have my computer set up so that it will boot straight to windows 7 (on the first drive), normally if I don't tell it otherwise, but If I choose, using only the windows bootloader, I should be able to boot into ubuntu on the second drive, preferably without any grub involvement.

If it helps, my system also has a 36.7gb sata raptor drive, two 320gb sata drives and a 1.5tb sata.

Lastly before you say otherwise, I will not change my setup and not use any of my sata drives to house my OSes. I will change this in the future when I get a 150gb raptor and move my windows 7 installation on to it.

So if anyone has any advice, thank you.
 

DaFees

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Apr 29, 2006
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Thanks for the response, but before I go doing this I just want to make sure that this would allow me to use only the windows bootloader? Also I'm a little rusty when you say install GRUB, I know it's probably an easy process but would I need a special partition for GRUB on my first drive and would doing this install the grub bootloader or just the files necessary to allow the windows bootloader to boot ubuntu? Lastly will this get rid of the bootloader on the second drive?
 

linux_0

Splendid
Boot from the ubuntu live CD, go to applications, accessories, terminal.

Code:
sudo su -

grub-install --recheck --no-floppy /dev/sda

You do not need anything on your 1st drive, you just have to make sure you preserve /boot on your 2nd drive because your grub config file resides there.

There is no need to remove the bootloader from your 2nd drive, it does no harm.

Good luck :)
 

eng

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Nov 30, 2009
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could you please tell me how you fixed the problem of returning the boot loader of windows 7, because i have the same problem but with solaris 10
after i installed solaris o.s, the boot loader of windows 7 didnot work he get me the screen with windows 7 line but it doesnot work.